Shelter of Care was established in Romania by Sorin and Genuţa Erhan. Here is their story in Genuţa's own words.

It takes small people and a big vision . . .

I had set myself on the way to become a famous attorney. I love talking to people and I love justice a lot, so I thought I was on the way to get the perfect job.

I wasn't a Christian at the time that I went to University in Iaşi in 1991. I became a Christian while I was studying there through a friend from the student dormitories.

Each day, as I went to class, I would pass by an orphanage. From the moment I saw the kids there, I fell in love with them. This was back in 1992, and I still love the kids just the same today although many of the children I have loved are not kids anymore!

Sorin is a mechanical engineer by trade. He started to work with orphan boys in 1997, living in a transition apartment with four boys. He also worked with them on a farm project, helping them to learn practical skills.

We had known each other since 1992 and had been good friends all that time. In 2000, we married, and in 2001, we established Shelter of Care.

We have learned that there is always a good plan for our lives - God's plan - and that it takes ordinary people like us, with nothing special to recommend us, to make that commitment to obey God. We had good dreams for our lives, but God had a perfect vision.

I guess God thought that there are enough attorneys and mechanical engineers, but not enough people to bring His love to the orphaned and abandoned!

With each child that God brings into our lives, we hope that He will be glorified and that the child will accept Jesus as their personal savior and that they will understand how much God loves them.

We also hope that each child will have a good life, completely healed from the past and able to forgive their parents for abandoning them.

Romania is a situated in the eastern part of Europe. It spans an area of approximately 91,800 square miles and is home to around 23 million people.

The country has a long and varied history. From the earliest Dacian settlements, through Roman occupation and into modern times, the location of Romania has meant that it has always been at the meeting point of political and territorial interests.

The country of Romania was formed in 1859 when the states of Moldovia and Wallachia both elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza as their prince. In 1918, the regions of Transylvania, Bassarabia (now the Republic of Moldova) and Bucovina united with Romania, and the country experienced a long period of stability, during which time Bucharest came to be known as 'Little Paris'.

In 1940, the Soviet Union occupied Bassarabia and Romania entered World War II on Germany's side, later switching to the Allied side after King Michael arrested the chief of the army. After the war, Bassarabia was retained by the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Army helped set up a Communist regime in Romania, forcing the King to abdicate.

In common with much of eastern Europe, Romanian politics in the 50s was dominated by hard line Communists, until 1965 when a new President, Ceaucescu, was elected. The effects of Ceaucescu's rule in Romania have been widely documented. By the 1980s, the country was almost in ruins.

In December 1989, popular demonstrations in the city of Timisoara began a process that quickly led to the removal and eventual execution of Ceaucescu. It was only after this time that people in the west began to realize the extent of the damage that had been done to the country under his rule, including the appalling situation of the country's orphans and abandoned children.

Throughout the 1990s, successive Romanian governments have attempted to improve Romania's social, economic and political landscape. Currently, there is much discussion over Romania's accession to the EU. As part of this process, Romania committed to targeted improvements regarding political corruption, social care and welfare of children. Specifically, the system of orphanage care for abandoned children will no longer be used. Instead, abandoned children will be cared for in foster homes. Many are concerned that the newly emerging foster care system will be inadequate to provide care for abandoned babies and toddlers who may be in need of special care. It remains to be seen how quickly and efficiently reforms can be made to ensure the best care for Romania's abandoned children.