Iasi, Romania
200+
£Ongoing
The project is run by our Future Changed Team -three teachers and a social worker. Every three months Mirela who leads the project, updates us on what the children have been learning.
The Future Changed Kindergarten is a magical place for these wonderful children – who have had a really unfortunate start in life – to just be children. The sponsors of this project enable children who have no chance in life, to be given the opportunity to learn and be in a strong position to start school rather than have a high chance of school drop out which is what used to happen.
Children born in Dallas Shanty Town have very little hope for the future. Their circumstances are so poor and their families lives such as struggle then education is not seen as a priority. Your sponsorship means that 20 children from the poorest families are chosen each year to come and be part of the our Future Change Kindergarten. In return for parents being committed to sending their children to the kindergarten they are helped in many practical ways by the Future Changed Team. Here are the development stories and home life behind some of the children we are privileged to teach.
Kindergarten – Update April 2025
As the second semester ends, the kindergarten reflects on a season of growth, gratitude, and transformation. Following a joyful return after the winter break, children who once entered timidly now come back confident and eager. Their bonds have deepened, and the kindergarten has become a place of belonging, not just learning. Over the past months, the children have steadily advanced academically, socially, and emotionally—building self-confidence, learning to collaborate, and managing challenges with growing resilience.
Each child progressed at their own pace, with notable development observed across the group. Among them, ‘F’ and ‘D’ stood out for their academic achievements. ‘F’ is enthusiastic, quick to learn, and highly attentive, already writing and reading simple words. ‘D’ is meticulous and thoughtful, working diligently despite occasional absences, and continues to make steady progress with letters. Both boys have mastered key concepts like colors, numbers, shapes, and the alphabet.
The semester brought moments of joy, challenges, and valuable lessons, leaving teachers proud and thankful for the children’s growth and God’s guidance throughout the journey.
This semester, the children explored a wide range of engaging and meaningful topics that fostered creativity, empathy, cooperation, and spiritual understanding. Creativity remained a favourite area, as children eagerly used materials like watercolours, glue, and coloured pencils to express themselves. Although they needed some guidance, their joy and pride in their creations showed their growth and enthusiasm.
The topics studied included “Houses and Homes”, “The Community I Live In”, “About Plants” and “Easter.” In “Houses and Homes” children learned not just about different types of homes for people and animals, but also the deeper meaning of home as a place of safety and love. Reflecting on the lives of those without homes helped them develop empathy and gratitude for their own comforts.
The “Community” theme emphasized teamwork and solidarity. Through relatable discussions and examples, children discovered the value of helping each other and how even small contributions matter. They learned that working together can lead to greater success and that being part of a community means mutual support. In “About Plants” the children were introduced to the life and needs of plants, understanding them as living beings. A powerful lesson was taught through a video showing the paper-making process, which emphasized the environmental impact of deforestation. This sensitized the children to the importance of using paper responsibly and respecting nature.
Lastly, the “Easter” theme told the story of Jesus in a gentle and accessible way. Children learned about His love, sacrifice, and resurrection—the core of the Easter message. The story emphasized forgiveness, love, and joy, leaving a lasting impression on their hearts and minds. Overall, this semester enriched the children’s knowledge, emotional development, and moral values, helping them grow into more aware, kind, and thoughtful individuals.


Kindergarten – Update December 2024
Autumn brought us the gift of a new school year and we are filled with gratitude to be back in our beloved place, “Kindergarten”. Coming back here, reminds us how blessed we are to be part of this team and to have the opportunity to guide the little ones towards a better future. For some of the children this was a joyful return to a familiar environment after a summer full of play and for others, it was their very first step into a classroom where each day brings exciting challenges and opportunities to grow. With lots of love, support, and patience, we’re confident each child will find their way and grow more comfortable in the group
We took time to get to know each other and help the children familiarize themselves with the new setting, routines, and daily schedule and can proudly say that all the children are on a great learning path and have made amazing progress


Two children in particular have stood out. ‘A’ and ‘S’ have made wonderful progress this semester. Both girls are bright, capable, and truly eager to learn, and it’s been a joy to watch them grow. Their hard work and enthusiasm is reflected in their improved results, and we couldn’t be more proud of their achievements. Both ‘A’ and ‘S’ work very well in their educational notebooks and worksheets, they listen to instructions and easily retain new information. The two girls have learned fundamental concepts such as colours, numbers, and some letters of the alphabet. They are also now able to write their names independently, showing beautiful progress in their learning. The girls work at different paces but both manage to complete their tasks successfully.

In terms of creativity, the little ones are full of excitement for the activities we’ve planned, and they are absolutely fascinated by the materials we use—crayons, coloured paper, watercolours, glitter, glue, and scissors. Their creations are proudly displayed on the classroom wall, a beautiful reminder of their hard work and progress. Our themes included “All About Me“, “About Food“, “The Five Senses” and “Winter and Christmas“.
With ‘All About Me‘ the children were excited to share stories about themselves, their families, and their favourite things. We also explored the wonders of the human body—how it’s beautifully structured, how each person is wonderfully different, and how everyone is truly unique and special. On the theme “About Food”, we discovered many interesting things about delicious food, the process of food production and the different kitchen utensils. The most awaited and fun part was making and enjoying pizza!!
“The 5 Senses” was another fun theme, where we had the wonderful opportunity to explore the world around us through interactive, hands-on activities, such as playing games to recognize sounds in nature, testing food by taste, smelling familiar scents, or exploring different textures. The theme “About Christmas” marked a beautiful conclusion to a semester filled with activities and gave us the opportunity to pause and reflect on the incredible gift God has given us.

‘Little Rainbows’ Kindergarten – Update July 2024
Why does time fly so fast? It is certainly the question we ask ourselves most often at the end of the school year. Time really has flown and now we look back and reflect on all the experiences we have had. Our kindergarten days were certainly not boring, but full of memorable moments, valuable lessons and significant developments. Looking back, we are thankful to God for the grace, strength and health He has given us throughout this year. It has undoubtedly been a year full of challenges, trials and setbacks; there have been times when we laughed and when we cried, times when we felt motivated and energized, achieving our goals, but there have also been days when we felt drained of energy, and when we had to make a considerable effort to mobilize ourselves and move forward.
In June this semester, two new children joined our project: Gavril Emir and Paval Nikolas. From the very beginning, the two of them had difficulties in understanding and respecting the rules and the limits set; Nikolas often burst into fits of crying and anger and Emir had difficulties in sitting on the chair for more than a minute without getting up; he would run, climb the stairs in an area the children are not allowed in, grab any object including the staff’s personal belongings, and, quickly bored with a toy, then snatch other children’s toys out of their hands. This has made it difficult for us to continue with the planned program and was a real challenge, as the other children were already familiar with the classroom routine and rules.
From the psychosocial point of view, the little ones have made good progress; especially the children who are about to leave kindergarten to go to school, who have learned to understand and recognize their emotions and to regulate and express them in an appropriate way. They became more mature, self-controlled and confident in their own strengths and even managed to form close bonds and friendships that will surely continue to remain even after the children leave kindergarten.
From a school point of view, also in this semester we can say that all the children made progress. Two children have made special progress in terms of school this semester and their stories are below.
In terms of creativity, the children have also made progress; this semester we have coloured and painted a lot, and by practicing this activity, the little ones have become more skillful and much more creative in their choice of colors. Some have surprised us with really beautiful and neat works. On the theme “Seasons” in particular, the little ones painted with both brush and fingers and by practicing constantly, they gained confidence in their own skills and developed better fine motor coordination. We also modeled with clay, cut with scissors on the outline and used glue to glue and assemble various paper crafts.
This semester the themes we studied were: “Means of Transportation”, “Seasons”, and “About Animals”. In the “Means of Transportation” theme, the children learned that “Transportation” helps us get from one place to another! They learned about the different modes of transportation available and the types of vehicles that are used for each method of transportation (land, air, and sea). Not all modes of transportation can get you where you want to go, so understanding which methods of transportation are best for a particular trip is an essential life skill. With the help of brightly colored posters or PowerPoint presentations, the children studied old and new means of transport, going through a chronological journey of transportation through photographs. We didn’t forget road safety either; here too we used colorful posters to remind children of the rules of safe road crossing. Children love transportation and this theme was really fascinating for them.
“Seasons” come and go; summer is not like winter and fall is not like spring. We helped the little ones become aware of the changes in nature with a poster depicting trees in all four seasons: Spring, trees begin to bud, new leaves appear and flowers bloom, marking the beginning of a new growth cycle; Summer, trees are full of healthy green leaves, providing shade and full of life; Fall, tree leaves change color, turning yellow, orange and red, and begin to fall; and Winter, trees are bare, leafless, and their branches are often covered in snow or frost, resting until the next spring.
With the theme “About Animals“, the little ones became more aware of the world they live in; children love animals and there will always be a special relationship between them and animals. Through this theme, the children have learned a number of fundamental things, such as respect for animals, responsibility and caring for them, empathy and compassion, as well as the benefits they bring.


‘Ar’
In the beginning, Ar had a slower working and learning pace, needing longer cognitive stimulation and many repetitions; however, thanks to his regular attendance at the kindergarten and his constant commitment to work on his educational book and worksheets, Ar managed to pleasantly surprise us, managing to develop his skills and learn the notions taught. Ar has learned to write, to recognize and to count up to 10; he learned all the letters of the alphabet, to write his own name and many other basic notions necessary for a good preschooler. He is attentive to the instructions given, listens to stories, and often manages to answer questions correctly. Ar has a slower work pace but works cleanly and neatly and has the patience to complete his tasks successfully. Ar is also a role model from a behavioural point of view, as he consistently manages to follow all the rules and boundaries imposed within the kindergarten. This discipline and determination have contributed significantly to his educational progress. Ar will be going to school in September and we believe that he will perform very well in his school years.

‘An‘
An is also a child who has performed very well in the school aspects; she is a capable little girl who is ambitious and eager to achieve the best results. Compared to Armando, An has not managed to have a good attendance this semester; she lives a long distance from the kindergarten and the road to the kindergarten is not paved, which leads to dense mud and impassable roads during rainy weather. This difficult situation affects her ability to participate regularly in the kindergarten activities and therefore to reach her school potential. However, An has amazed us with her remarkable ability to quickly grasp and memorize new concepts and information. An has learned to write, recognize, and count up to 10, as well as all the capital letters of the alphabet. She has learned to write her own name, the geometric shapes, colors, and many other important concepts; she has a fast working pace, is creatively gifted and is able to complete tasks successfully.

‘M’
M. is a smart child with intellectual potential and many developed cognitive skills (memory, creativity, imagination, observation). M likes to get good results and usually comes to the work table on her own initiative. Although she still has a slow pace of work, she performs her tasks successfully, and listens to the teacher’s advices. M likes to write and color in her educational books.
She has a rich vocabulary; quickly memorizes the verses of a poem and likes to play a role. M generally gives correct answers to the questions, proving that she understands the subject and that she is attentive. At Mathematics, M knows the numbers from 1 to 10; likes to count everything around her and recognizes the basic geometric shapes in the objects from class.
From an emotional, social and personal point of view, M had a significant progress. M has a good self-esteem, she is independent and friendly.

‘M’ Family Circumstances
M’s family are 7 children and her mother. The father has an alcohol addiction, that had led to violent outbursts towards their mother, and after that the parents separated The mother and the children continue to live in the same house as until now. It is a house with one room and a hallway made in the grandmother’s courtyard. They have wood stove, 3 beds, a small table and a TV set. They have no running water or toilet and, also no have electricity because they were getting it from a neighbor who now won’t give them. The living conditions for so many people are at the limit of subsistence. The monthly income is Children Benefit – 1498 lei and also receives 4 meals daily from a Social Canteen. She has many health problems, neglected due to lack of money or time
Future Changed had supported the family with money for various needs: for one childs glasses, for a semi-automatic washing machine, into which is poured water. They have also been helped with medicine, money for a gas bottle, donations of food, detergent, clothes, children’s shoes and toiletries. The children were asked if they missed their father and they said NO. The wound they inflicted on their souls through violence and aggression was too deep, and now it’s not healed. Fortunately their mother is a warm and affectionate person, and for the children she is enough.
‘A’
From a social, emotional and personal point of view, ‘A’ has made good progress; he got used to the program, to his classmates, to the activities, to a daily routine; ‘A’ has become more aware of his abilities and recognizes his emotions; he often breaks the rules of the class, becomes noisy, talks without permission during lessons, and sometimes is so distracted by things around him that he doesn’t even realize that someone is shouting his name or is talking to him; his thoughts are elsewhere, and his gaze is blank.
‘A’ no longer has physical tics which he suffered from; he is generally more cooperative and friendly with those around him, is cheerful, involved in almost all activities, and feels good when is appreciated for his achievements; this encourages and motivates him to be more attentive to everything is happening around, to be more quiet, and to try more to do things in the right way.

‘A’ Family Circumstances
His parents are married and have 6 children together. The family recently got married in church because they wanted to take their vows before God. The whole family lives in one rented room for which they pay 600 lei. They have no running water, sewer, bathroom, kitchen or hallway, but only one simple room. There are two double beds, a wardrobe and a table with TV, a stove and a gas cooker. At the moment the father works in construction industry or other places, without a working contract. They are declaring that the money aren’t enough to pay the rent, to pay for food, pampers for the small children, medication, gas for the stove and other spedings that are needed in a family with many children. As a wedding gift, we’ve bought them a cleaning machine semi-automatic (in which they are powering water using cans, because they don’t have current water) in order to ease the mother task of cleaning the children’s clothes. We’ve helped them with money for rent and medication for the father has rheumatism.