Our team
In 2008, the Chance for Life team is composed of 20 specialists, having academic and professional background in business administration, psychology and ergo therapy, social working, language teaching, mathematics, communication.
Irina Jarrett-Thorpe - Executive Manager
Irina has completed an MBA at Kingston Business School, London, UK. She holds an MSc in International Project Management and a BA in Journalism and Communication. Irina has worked as the Executive Manager of Chance for Life since June 2000, being the driving force behind the organization, helping the charity to continuously grow and develop its services.
Iuliana Dinu – National Coordinator
Iuliana holds an MSc in Psychotherapy and Psychodiagnosis as well as a BA in Psychology. She is the first volunteer that joined the team in 2000. Despite the difficulties of the early times, she has been committed to total quality of our services from the very beginning, proving continuously a hard working ethic. She is a leader in Chance for Life, and a champion of changes, improvements and developments.
Cristi Stroe – Administrator
Cristi joined Chance for Life in 2002, and very soon he proved to be indispensable for all our programmes. Having an incredible wide range of skills and abilities, he is one of the rocks of the charity. Cristi holds the secrets of fast and effective movements, and the commitment, joy and honesty of a wonderful team player.
CHANCE FOR LIFE SCHOLARSHIP
Iulia Paraschivescu, French Teacher
Iulia holds a MSc in International Affairs and a BA in Foreign Languages – French and Italian. She joined Chance for Life in 2003, as a volunteer working within Hope for Today program. In 2004, she became the first teacher who opened to the children in Chance for Life Scholarship the secrets of French language and culture. The children taught by Iulia qualified for intensive French teaching classes and obtained the DELF Scolaire (Level A2) diploma, awarded by the French Institute. Her results prove that she is a leading teacher who creates and uses modern teaching tools.
Dana Apostol, Counselor
She joined Chance for Life in 2005, as a volunteer working in Chance for Life Scholarship. Her kindness and understanding of children’s needs made them love her instantaneously and open to her like to a new mother. Since 2005 Dana has been working full time as a counselor, and since 2007 she has been responsible for a group of four new children in CFL Scholarship. She is a mentor and a role model not only for them, but also for a group of five teenagers full of personality who graduated the first part of Chance for Life Scholarship, that very often come to her to ask for a wise advice for their lives.
Speranta Valcu, English Teacher
Speranta holds a BA in Foreign Languages – American Studies. She joined Chance for Life in 2007, while she was still a senior student, and shortly the children became very fond of her. She always tries to improve the teaching methods she employs by borrowing books from the British Council and doing further research. Having graduated with Distinction (a grade point average above 9.80), she has recently become involved in Chance for Life Scholarship on a full-time basis.
Vasile Buruiana, Mathematics Teacher
Vasile holds a BA in Mathematics and has been working with children for 30 years. He has been the Mathematics teacher in Chance for Life Scholarship for three years and has obtained remarkable results working with our beneficiaries. The beneficiaries who are now in the 10th grade managed to achieve outstanding results at the national tests for secondary school graduation, which allowed them to go to renowned high schools in Bucharest.
VODAFONE SCHOLARSHIP
Ilinca Mihaila, Project Coordinator
Ilinca is a very energetic and joyful woman. Her love for children knows no boundaries; she enjoys and cherishes every moment she spends with them. Her planning and organizing skills are just as valuable as the smiles and the comforting words she gladly offers to every child, volunteer, parent or teacher.
Viorica Turbatu, Language and Literature Teacher
Viorica has been working with children for 26 years. She is a warm, caring and extremely organized person. Her methods of teaching Romanian language and literature have worked wonders for the children in Vodafone Scholarship and have led to the amazing results they obtained at numerous contests.
Camelia Mihailov, Mathematics Teacher
Camelia is an elementary school teacher and holds a diploma in Psychology. She has been working with children for 6 years. She has charge of a group composed of 9-10-year-old children in Vodafone Scholarship and this year she has been trying to introduce them to the secrets of mathematics.
Liliana Guzi, English Teacher
Liliana has been working with children for 10 years. Her interactive teaching methods have provided a stimulus to the children’s efforts to learn English. As a result, the children were able to communicate with the Dutch volunteers who visited us this summer.
Adina Popoiu, French Teacher
Adina holds a BA in Foreign Languages – French. Adina has acquired work experience in educational projects like Comenius and she plays an important role in our team.
Marioara Gheorghe, Child Supervisor
The children in Vodafone Scholarship have become very fond of Marioara thanks to her mothering experience as well as the fact that she always keeps a smile on her face. Not only does she often play with them indoors or outdoors, but she also comes up with interesting, challenging games. Furthermore, she often reads stories to them and her soft voice, her care for the children and joy of life are all reasons why the children love spending time with her.
Antonia Coratu, Child Supervisor
Antonia’s has a solid mothering experience. She has learned many new things working with the children in Vodafone Scholarship. Antonia always organizes interesting games and she also supervises the children while they do their homework.
Steliana Simionov, Cook
Steliana holds a cooking diploma and she has acquired work experience preparing meals in a boarding house in Sulina. However, she is much more thrilled to cook for the project’s beneficiaries and she regards each day as a competition, since the children are very particular about their food. They have been very pleased with the meals prepared by Steliana so far.
Georgeta Nicolau, Cleaning Lady
Because Georgeta always keeps a contagious smile on her face, everybody around her can’t help but be cheerful. Though her work is not easy at all, Georgeta’s dedication and enthusiasm are overwhelming and the children enjoy clean rooms every day.
HOPE FOR TODAY
Ramona Nastasache, Project Manager – Life Skills
Ramona holds a BA in Sociopedagogy and Social Assistance; she has been working in the social area for three years. Because she was very interested in our project, she decided to leave her home town and join our organisation. Although Ramona is the newest member in our team, having joined us in February 2008, she has effortlessly accommodated herself to the new working conditions. The Life Skills program she coordinates has produced amazing results for our young beneficiaries. The children are very fond of her and she manages to communicate with every one of them.
Aurelia Marian, Ergotherapist
Aurelia holds an Ergotherapist diploma and has attended numerous formative courses, working directly with children who need special care. Aurelia has been working with the HIV+ young people in Vidra for five years, so she is an important member of our team. Having a ten years of experience in this field, she came up with a special program designed to suit our beneficiaries. All of the products made in “Workshop for the future” under her guidance have known a tremendous success wherever they were on exhibition.
Paula Rucăreanu, Child Supervisor
ROMANIAN FEDERATION FOR COMMUNITY ARTS
Alexandru Mihalcea, Coordinator
Alex holds a BA in Psychology. He joined Chance for Life in 2003, as a volunteer within Hope for Today program and from 2004 to 2005 he worked as an IT teacher for the children in Chance for Life Scholarship. In 2007 Alex returned to Chance for Life committed to create and develop the Romanian Federation of Arts for Community. Holding a wide range of qualifications and skills in management, marketing, IT and psychology, Alex is the engine of this new organisation that contributes at improving the activity of many other institutions, and an essential resource for Chance for Life programmes.