Portrait of the month: Dana, social worker in the Foundation (July 2018)

Dana, who has been the Foundation social worker since October 2017, told us about her missions and her vision about her job.

Hello, can you introduce yourself?

My name is Dana, I am 26. I have been the social worker of the Foundation Emmaus since October 2017. I studied social working and I have a master’s degree “Family and familiar resources management”.

What are your missions in the Foundation?

Social worker. My mission is to help the others. When I started, I was involved in the “Night Meal” project, the street outreaches project. We have approximately 200 beneficiaries. We went every evening, from Monday to Friday, in the street. We offered advices, a warm meal and clothes to people in need. We supported them to get identity documents. Moreover, through the six months during which we did the street outreaches, we also implemented celebrations in the street, as the Easter in the street and the Christmas in the street.

Since April, I have been social worker in the Foundation and I am over with the street outreach seasonal program. Here, I support our beneficiaries (Editor’s Note: the companions) in the various problems they have to deal with, I go with them to various places (medical places mostly), I give them some advices and I do everything that it is up to a social worker.

In Romania, what is the general opinion about the job of social worker?

Unfortunately, in Romania, the job of social worker is not appreciated so much. Because… I don’t know. Many people, for instance, ask me: so it really exists something like that? A faculty in this field really exists? This specialization really exists?

So this is not very appreciated, recognized. I hope that soon, people will be a little more open-minded.

Did you do some internships during your studies?

Yes, I did! I did an internship in a children home, in a retirement home, I was volunteer in the association “salvat copii”… I was volunteer in other centers, too.

Why did you want to be social worker?

I saw a lot of people in need and suffering. I told myself that I could be a social worker, to be able to help them.

Since when have you wanted to be social worker?

I always have, I like to help the others, but it has been since high school when I have thought more precisely about the job I wanted to study for.

What do you like most in your job?

Of course, I think that what I like most is to help the others, and when I see that my work has not been in vain, and gives good results. In those cases, I am so happy. I see that I did not work for nothing.

And what is the most difficult?

To work with people. Because this can be very different. They have various kind of personalities, and sometimes you don’t expect some reactions they have. You have to get used to several situations… not always pleasant.

For instance, when you went to the street outreach, how was it with people in the street?

Some of them were nice, calm, and they appreciated very much our support. But another part was quite uncooperative, they had taken since morning alcohol and drugs… You could not do a good work every time. It is sometimes easy, or hard.

Now let’s change of topic… You participated to the “Migration and Human Trafficking” meeting in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia: how was it? What did you do? What did you like there?

It seems a… huge work, all they have to do for people (editor’s note: welcoming of migrants). What did I like most? It was when we visited a center that can welcome 800 people, but when we were there, they were only 400, all foreign, migrant people. I have been moved by that. Actually, all the countries don’t do this work. Anyway you have to welcome those people, you can’t just let them die. And I am very touched that they didn’t stay indifferent to those people.

We are almost over… Do  you want to add something? How do you imagine the evolution of the job of social worker in Romania?

I hope that someday, the social field will be more recognized… because now, I consider that it is not the case at all. Because we talk about poor people, and other people are not very interested in doing something for them. They are indifferent.

Thank you very much, Dana!

You are welcome!


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