Stories

The HELENA story

Perhaps it is very appropriate to start this column in our platform with the very story of her, of this platform. It's an old dream, now fulfilled, of a fighter in the realm of civic activism. Laura Albu - president of the Community Mediation and Security Center Foundation, has been involved for over 22 years in projects that fight domestic violence and situations of discrimination against women. She ran a shelter for women who run away from home because of the fear of men, she made public campaigns to raise awareness of the problems faced by women, she fought on the legislative front and managed, with the discretion that characterizes her, to move mountains in the bureaucratic thicket of rules and laws that address gender inequalities and help women in marginal situations. She recently became an official European member of GREVIO (this is the body of independent experts responsible for monitoring the implementation by parties of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence).

Laura Albu has written and implemented more than 60 projects in extremely diverse fields in the field of protecting women's rights, but now she has, among others, three big projects underway, all with women's names and all focusing on women: GLORIA 1 (integrated assistance for victims of domestic and gender violence), GLORIA 2 (feminism and strategic approach to gender equality) and HELENA (help line for victims of domestic violence that also functions as a helpline for women from Ukraine, refugees).
Laura managed to pragmatically combine various funding resources and set up an aid mechanism with a very wide opening: a telephone line (in two versions – a green phone for non-stop communication on the territory of Romania and an emergency phone that can be called from anywhere in the world) doubled by parallel communication channels (text message, messenger, whatapp, telegram, mail, twitter, instagram) to ensure unlimited assistance for women in situations that require help.

All these communication channels plus other informative resources and guidelines for conduct in borderline situations needed a common basis and thus this platform was developed. Laura is the "head of mischief", the platform and the helpline are part of her dream, but a team of women, girls, men and boys, with enthusiasm and involvement, constantly contribute to its realization. Here were those who inspired the name of the helpline - Helena and Elena, and those who work every day and are at the end of the phone line or on the online platform - Petronela, Cătălina, Roxana, Natalia, George, Gabriela, Luminita , Denisia, Maria, Florina, Lorena, Georgiana. An entire team of trainers and specialists who intervene when cases require direct intervention - Diana, another Laura, Andreea, Conia, Alex, Marian, Victor, and those who contribute to the management and administrative and technical organization of all the foundation's projects and programs: Irina , Paula, Anca, Cristina, Andreea, another Andreea, Alina, Cristi, Gabriel, are just a few names of those who put their shoulders and brains into building this structure.