A Well-Cared-For Home for Precious Girls
Because since 2002, at Casa Debora, we have been working day by day to mend hearts, in 2025 we also had to work on repairing the buildings.
Since 2002, Casa Debora has been a place where broken hearts find healing and hope. In 2025, however, we found ourselves caring not only for the girls who call Casa Debora home, but also for the home itself.
Home means safety, comfort, and a place where you feel protected. For the girls at Debora House, “home” is both a refuge where they begin to heal from the wounds of the past and the place where they spend their childhood and teenage years. After more than two decades of continuous use, with only minor maintenance work over the years, 2025 brought a major transformation to the spaces where the girls live: the bathrooms and several of the bedrooms.
An Obstacle-Filled Race
The beginning of 2025 brought with it a significant challenge: developing and completing a major renovation project within a relatively short timeframe. That challenge became a full-scale renovation of all 10 bathrooms across the two Debora homes.
Each home includes five bedrooms, and each bedroom has its own bathroom, as required by Romanian regulations. After years of use, all ten bathrooms were in need of extensive renovation.
As with any major construction project, unexpected obstacles soon emerged. Once the contractors opened up the walls, they discovered a critical issue: the plumbing system, more than 20 years old, had deteriorated significantly and was at risk of failure. Had it been left untouched, a single major leak could have damaged much of the newly renovated space. Although the discovery increased the cost of the project, the right course of action was clear—we replaced the entire plumbing system.
In addition to these technical challenges, 2025 also brought economic pressures. A nationwide tax increase, rising construction material costs, and significant currency fluctuations drove expenses well beyond our original estimates. Even so, we remained committed to completing the project.
None of this would have been possible without an extraordinary display of generosity. The cornerstone of this project was a generous $24,640 grant provided by the Rotary Club of Perrysburg, Ohio, which enabled us to begin the work.
As unforeseen plumbing repairs and inflation increased costs, the total project budget grew to $44,062. The remaining $19,422 was raised through the faithful support of local partners in Romania and short-term mission teams from the United States who visited throughout the summer.
Today, having crossed the finish line, we can confidently say the effort was worth it. The girls at Casa Debora now enjoy fully renovated bathrooms that meet the highest sanitary standards and provide a healthier, more comfortable living environment.
Many Hands Make the Work Lighter
The generosity of our partners created a ripple effect. Thanks to careful stewardship of resources and additional support received along the way, we were able to do more than originally planned. In addition to renovating the bathrooms, we also refurbished all five bedrooms in Casa Debora 2 by repairing and repainting the walls and replacing the flooring.
The result is a brighter, cleaner, and more welcoming environment—a place where the girls can grow, learn, and thrive with dignity.
A Heartfelt Thank You
Behind every fixture installed and every pipe replaced stands a helping hand extended in love. This project was never just about construction. It was about offering dignity, care, and respect to girls who have already faced significant hardships in life. It was also a testament to what can be accomplished through teamwork among foundation staff, contractors, and partners.
We are deeply grateful to the Rotary Club of Perrysburg, to our donors in the United States and Romania, and to everyone who contributed to making this transformation possible. Together, you have done more than renovate buildings—you have helped strengthen the sense of safety and belonging that Casa Debora provides.
At the conclusion of the project, a group of eight visitors from the United States, including several members of the Rotary Club of Perrysburg, Ohio, had the opportunity to see the completed renovations firsthand. During their visit, they also met children from our SPeR programs and learned more about the foundation’s broader ministry.
Their visit offered a tangible reminder of what God can accomplish through faithful partnerships. For more than 25 years, alongside friends and supporters like these, we have continued to respond to some of the deepest needs in our communities—and we remain committed to that mission for years to come.
