About CARO

The roots of CARO are the result of a series of exchanges and visits by several Canadians, firstly to Romania in Eastern Europe and then to Burkina Faso in West Africa.

In Romania, the visits involved work in and around the City of Medias and the orphans at the Leaganul de Copii (Children's State Orphanage) Medias, Romania.

Relationships were established and a series of exchanges took place, including several Medicine Hat College students from the Early Childhood Education Program traveling and working at the orphanage and Dr. Diana Jianu, a Romanian Pediatrician, traveling and speaking in Canada. This resulted in CARO investing in a number of developmental projects for children in Medias. These included salary support for child-care workers in the Leaganul de Copii (Children's State Orphanage), teaching and instructional materials, and equipment for children. A pilot project was also established to fund a child psychologist.

In addition to Romania, CARO has established and built a strong relationship with L’Association pour la Sauvegarde de la Femme et de l’Orphelin au Passoré in Yako West Africa. Burkina Faso is a land locked country of about 14 million people and is identified in the United Nations Human Development Index as the 3rd poorest nation in the world. Since 2004 CARO has been funding the daily needs of Tega-Wende Orphanage situated in Sector 4, Yako.

More recently CARO, with the support of the Alberta Wild Rose Foundation, has signed an extended contract for longer term funding, including the purchase of soap making equipment. The women who work with the children are themselves very poor. These women will use the new equipment to make soap for resale. The profits from the sales will go towards meeting the essential needs of the children and the women who care for them.