2. ANDRA (14) The achievement in Andra’s progress since she came as a baby, or seemed as a baby although she was l8 months, is a gret tribute to the love and infinite patience of the carers. She would not eat; she learnt very, very slowly but she was always in her family with Luci, Marius, Flori, Silviu and Vasile; her small stature made them all protective of her. She has some learnig dificulties but extra coaching and understanding teachers have enabled her to keep her head just above water. She is immensely sociable and is seldom at home as she constantly visits her many friends in the village. Flori, in particular, has always looked after her but the boys are kind and tolerent too. She copes with the huge piles of homework bravely, but sometimes with obvious strain. She and Dan are great friends and reliable helpers - as the photograph shows when they cleared the stream together.

3. VASILE (13) cannot be said to struggle with school work; rather, he allows it to drift over him, sometimes to the despair of the teachers. But they recognise his limitations and Betty has asked the Head Teacher to let him through this year s exams so that he will not have to repeat a year and will be able to go to the vocational school in 2008. He still has no identifiable interests but appears to be content when he s not fighting, sometimes ferociously.  

5. ANCUTA (15) has moved to Poiana Serata where she and Flori share the summer house. It makes a spacious and cosy bedroom with a soba (Romanian woodburning stove), a shower and loo. She is doing very well at High School, has a series of boyfriends and is fulfilled. She is not 100% keen on milking the cow or mucking it out, but she does it and cannot delegate the chores to the boys as she did to the girls in Casa George.

6. LIDIA (13) writes very interesting poems which reveal a depth of thought unusual in children of her age, the probable result of the terrible experiences of her life. Betty talks to her a lot and encourages her to talk about those events; Lidia recently said I hope my mother hears me when I talk to her. It is 3 years since she died. But she is usually a happy girl, singing often, eating enthusiastically and enjoying her friends.

7. CORINA (14) like Lidia, is not hugely keen on the housework in which they all share. She too, sings, giggles (she and Lidia share a bedroom). She is very affectionate, very pretty and very romantic.

8. ALINA (14) grows taller and taller and is very slim. Her school teachers appreciate her hard work and the carers appreciate the help she willingly, eagerly, gives them. She and Andra, who has moved from Casa Dinu, are very good friends and, at their request, share a bedroom.

10. MARIUS (14) is a mature, responsible boy. He is dependable and enthusiastic; football is his passion, he paints with confidence and his pictures are always well composed. He has been offered an ancient motorbike for a very small sum by a man in the village; Ion, our invaluable handyman, is checking it.

11. LUCI (14) is sensitive and needs a lot of love. He is tall now and quite large. For him too, football is a passion; he plays in the school handball team so he has the fun of playing other teams and going to town on the bus. He reads more than the others, both in Romanian and English (Harry Potter).

12.SILVIU (13) has become an actor! He, Marius, Corina and Lidia go to a drama class run by a young male teacher who is evidently professional and has given them a lot of confidence.

Silviu's memory and his humour are outstanding — his portrayal of a bogus American doctor was convincing and hilarious.

13. GEORGIANA (5) Georgiana’s happiness and delight in living is a joy. She is very motherly both to her dolls and to Diana whose tantrums she is diverts and soothes. They play together endlessly and she leads the way in housewifery skills in the Wendy house. When she is given a present she asks for one for "my sister" as well. She seems always happy, has an enthusiastic appetite and seems no longer to miss her mother whom whe lived with (sometimes in a park) for her first two years. She is a merry and very affectionate child.

14. MARCEL (5) Marcel came to us when he was not quite 2. He had been left, unvisited, in hospital for a year and had never been outside. On his first morning at Harja he saw ducks from the window - such wonder was unforgettable. He has just moved to the primary school and is immensely proud of his uniform ( it was difficult to get one small enough) and positively enjoys the homework - for the moment. He is adventurous and has just shown the others how to climb on the roof.

16. DIANA (5) Diana came to Harja when she was 8 months old, a furious baby who loudly demanded attention day and night and slept little. He mother had died very suddenly and she came with her sister, Lidia, strained by taking on the role of mother when she had the terrible shock of the death of her mother in the bed beside her.She dances beautifully with a tremendous sense of rhythm and then she is lost to the world in the dance - a wonderful sight. She is still likely to scream if her clothes are not coordinated to her taste - in fact there is nothing secret about her passions! She loves her reflection in the mirror and pirouettes in front of it for long moments.