Știri FARA

Contact

FARA UK

Donează
Donează
Meniu

Rafael Day Center

Every life is a miracle

  • -The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Rafael Day Center opened its doors in the city of Popești-Leordeni in 2018, with the mission of supporting as many children and young people with disabilities as possible from Bucharest and Ilfov County. Located just 9 km from Romania’s capital, Popești-Leordeni has experienced unprecedented urban development in recent years, laying the foundation for a strong, engaged, and sustainable community.
In this section
Therapy and Recovery

Context

This is the first center in Popești-Leordeni to offer free recovery and therapy services. The center currently supports up to 60 children with disabilities from the local community.
Learn more about our Therapy and Recovery Program

Our journey

  • Capacity expanded to 60 beneficiaries
  • Second physical therapy room opened
  • 8 therapists on staff
  • Official operating license obtained, meeting national standards
  • Number of beneficiaries increased from 30 to 40 (a 33% growth)
  • 7 therapists
  • Center inauguration
  • 13 beneficiaries
  • 3 therapists
  • Sharp increase in beneficiaries (131%) from 13 to 30
  • 5 therapists

What Makes Us Unique

Professionalism. Collaboration. Quality.

What sets Rafael Day Center apart is the comprehensive package of free services delivered with dedication and professionalism by our team of therapists. For many families, the high cost of therapy is a barrier—our center offers a ray of hope. The close collaboration between therapists and parents is reflected in the children’s progress.

We take pride in every therapy service we offer:

  • Physical therapy (Kinetotherapy)
  • Individual educational therapy
  • Socialization groups
  • Speech therapy
  • Cognitive and sensory stimulation

We believe in the power of therapeutic progress

Physical Therapy

Our recovery programs use targeted exercises and techniques to treat and rehabilitate a wide range of conditions—congenital, neurological, musculoskeletal, orthopedic-traumatic, special motor disorders, and metabolic issues.

Working with Families

Each case is approached individually, with ongoing, constructive communication with family members. This personalized approach increases parental involvement and enhances the effectiveness of the therapeutic process.

Benefits of Physical Therapy (Kinetotherapy)

  • Improved coordination, control, and balance
  • Posture correction and strengthening
  • Enhanced cardiovascular function
  • Respiratory re-education
  • Increased physical endurance
  • Muscle strength and resistance recovery
  • Reduction of inflammation
  • Increased and maintained joint mobility
  • Pain management

Speech Therapy (Logopedics)

Therapeutic intervention helps improve speech and supports the development of comprehension and expression skills. The most common speech and language disorders we encounter in children enrolled in our program include:

Pronunciation Disorders

Dyslexia involves omission, substitution, inversion, or incorrect articulation of certain sounds.

Fluency and Rhythm Disorders

Stuttering is characterized by difficulty in verbal expression, often seen as excessive repetition of sounds, long pauses between words, or a combination of both. This condition may be triggered by strong emotions, trauma, or prolonged conflict, leading to a persistent state of anxiety in the child.

Reading and Writing Disorders

Dyslexia and dysgraphia typically appear in school-aged children and involve difficulties in learning to read and write correctly. Teachers often notice signs such as slow, hesitant reading, omissions, inversions, or additions of letters and graphemes. These issues can affect both legibility and comprehension, making it harder for the child to follow spelling and grammar rules.

Home Practice: Exercises for Parents

Parents are an essential part of the speech therapy team and can actively support both prevention and recovery. Since therapy doesn’t end in the speech therapist’s office, parents play a key role in continuing the exercises at home, tailored to the child’s specific needs.
Do you need help?

Exercises for Oral-Motor Mobility Disorders

For children with articulation and oral-motor mobility issues, we recommend breathing and facial muscle exercises such as:

  • Jaw mobility – mimicking chewing and biting movements
  • Cheek mobility – sucking in and puffing out cheeks
  • Tongue mobility – sticking out and retracting the tongue, moving it up/down and side to side
  • Lip mobility – sucking and puckering lips, smiling widely, lip vibrations

Palate and pharyngeal muscle exercises – yawning, imitating coughing

Additional Breathing Exercises

  • Blowing out candles, panpipes, or confetti
  • Inflating balloons
  • Fogging up a mirror
  • Blowing through a straw
  • Three-step inhale-exhale exercises
  • Slow, prolonged pronunciation of vowels

Language Development Exercises

  • Storytelling based on images – using sequencing techniques to encourage spatial and temporal orientation
  • Encouraging detailed storytelling – ask guiding questions to stimulate attention and creativity
  • Engaging in complex conversations – about daily events or upcoming plans
  • Choosing topics that spark the child’s interest – to promote communication and social interaction

Common therapeutic questions include:

“What did you do today at school/kindergarten?” “Where would you like to go on vacation?” “What’s your favorite game?” “Which story do you like the most?”

Benefits of Cognitive Stimulation and Behavioral Therapy

  • Improved adaptation to daily life
  • Enhanced memory and attention
  • Development of language and communication skills
  • Emotional and social growth, including problem-solving abilities

Sensory Stimulation

Early sensory stimulation plays a key role in healthy brain development. For children with autism, sensory activities can:

  • Reduce anxiety by regulating sensory arousal
  • Improve focus and reduce distractibility
  • Decrease stereotypical behaviors and self-stimulation
  • Increase social engagement
  • Enhance communication and independence

A Supportive and Accessible Therapeutic Environment

Our center is equipped with dedicated spaces and materials to support a wide range of therapies:

  • 2 rooms for individual therapy
  • 2 rooms for group therapy and social skills sessions
  • 2 speech therapy rooms
  • 2 physical therapy rooms

Game Library

Children can borrow educational materials and books to use at home, including:

  • Illustrated storybooks
  • Interactive games
  • Educational puzzles

Working Hours & Appointments

Monday to Friday, from 08:00 to 16:00

Impact

5

years of activity

300

children with disabilities supported

120

parents empowered

60 children walk through the doors of Rafael Day Center every month.

Their lives are improving day by day, and each therapy and recovery session is a step forward. The service package is tailored to each child based on their needs, type of disability, developmental level, and individualized plan.

Types of Intervention

  • 63% of children receive at least two types of therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy)
  • 15% receive only individual therapy
  • 10% receive only physical therapy
  • 3% receive only speech therapy

9% benefit from therapeutic stimulation for social inclusion

Intervention Intensity

  • 80% of children attend two sessions per week
  • 20% attend 3–4 sessions per week
  • Approx. 750 hours of therapy provided monthly
  • At least 300 online counseling sessions for parents per year

At least 2–3 one-on-one counseling sessions per week

Capacity & Resources

  • Team of 7–9 therapists
  • Maximum capacity: 60 children with disabilities and 60 parents
  • Each therapist works with an average of 5–6 children per day
  • The team delivers an average of 180–252 therapy sessions per week
Support children with disabilities!

Partners

  • City Hall of Popești-Leordeni
  • Ilfov County Directorate for Social Assistance and Child Protection
  • Popești-Leordeni Social Assistance Directorate
  • Bucharest Municipality Social Assistance Directorate
  • Ioana Medical Clinic
  • Maria Natalia Kindergarten
Become a FARA partner

Success Stories

Our beneficiaries are our pride. Their progress reminds us how meaningful and beautiful our work is. We embrace challenges and say “YES” when faced with new situations or complex cases.

Involvement & Collaboration

The FARA Foundation was a lifeline for us. Thanks to the therapists, our son learned to count, recognize colors, improved his pronunciation, and gained confidence. We’re so grateful to the Rafael Center staff! Without their help, we wouldn’t have been able to teach him so much.”
— A., mother of E.

A New Beginning

“We met E. at the start of spring—a shy little boy, very attached to his mother. His big eyes and eagerness to learn captivated us. His progress exceeded all expectations, and his parents’ involvement was extraordinary. From a few hesitant words and limited skills, E. is now nearly fully recovered and ready to face new challenges in mainstream kindergarten.”

Perseverance, the Key to Success

“Shortly after the center opened, A. joined us—a highly intelligent child with a challenging diagnosis: oppositional defiant disorder. For a long time, sessions were marked by disruptive behaviors that even endangered his safety. Through consistent behavioral therapy and strong parental involvement at home, his behavior improved significantly. After nearly two years, A. graduated from our program and is now a proud first-grade student.

Professionalism & Dedication

“Rafael Center is where I grew up. I was just a baby when I started. I learned to crawl, sit up, and walk. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help!”
— C.A.’s mother

“In early January, C.A. came to us with a complex diagnosis: developmental delay, general hypotonia, and joint hypermobility in both upper and lower limbs. At just one year old, he couldn’t perform any age-appropriate movements. Thanks to consistent therapy at the center and at home, he made remarkable progress—walking independently, climbing stairs, and overcoming obstacles up to 15 cm high. Bravo, C.A.!”

Contact Information

 

Rafael Day Center

Fundația FARA

Str. Anton Pann nr 6A, Popești Leordeni,

jud. Ilfov Cod 077160

(+4)0749 495 389

anicoloiu@faracharity.ro

Support the Therapy and Recovery Program

Donate Now!
Facebook Linkedin Instagram
Donează acum!