Loving Arms for Romania

By Janna L. Graber

Five-year-old Claudia smiles at Karleen Dewey, but doesn’t say a word.  She can’t.  Claudia has spent four years in a Romanian orphanage, tied to a chain-link crib.  The lonely hours have taken their toll, and Claudia is over two years behind.  Until recently, there was little hope for Claudia and the other orphans in Marghita, Romania.  But all that has changed thanks to Colorado resident, Karleen Dewey, the director of Project Loving Arms.

Karleen designed Project Loving Arms in 1992 to help meet the needs of neglected Romanian orphans, and to train and encourage Romanian caregivers.  The project has already made a difference in hundreds of young lives.  The orphans from Marghita now have a new home called Casa Alba.  It’s quite a contrast to the institution the children came from.  In their new home, Winnie the Pooh dances on the walls, lace curtains hang from the windows, and toys scatter across the floors.  But the biggest difference is the children: Little ones who had given up on life now squeal with laughter. 

Karleen is thrilled, but says her work is not over.  The new home is just the beginning. There is still much to do in Romania.

It’s obvious that Karleen has a heart for children.  She and husband, Fred Dewey, are the parents of ten children, including four who are adopted.  It was while Karleen, a specialist in child development, was in the Philippines adopting daughter Wendy that she saw her first orphanage.  Seeing so many abandoned and neglected children broke Karleen’s heart.  She made a vow to help as many children as she could. 

For the past seven years she has donated her time year-round to helping children at risk.  During the school year, she runs “The Mothering Center” in downtown Denver.  The center’s purpose is to encourage and enable young mothers to become effective parents. 

Karleen and Fred, a university professor, then spend each summer in Romania, teaching caregivers, working in local orphanages, and even helping officials design a new foster care program. 

“By educating a few, it can touch the lives of so many little ones,” says Karleen.  What began as one woman’s dream now brings hope to thousands of Romania’s children.    

For more information call Mercy Ministries at (303) 295-6821.