Alexandra Nadane, coordinator of Bucharest’s “Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre, published last week a report of activity, presented the schedule for the next months and launched an SMS donation campaign. During the pandemic, abortion continues to destroy innocent children and break parents’ hearts, she warned.
In the first two months after its opening, the “Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre received help requests from the following categories of women:
- women in pregnancy crisis;
- counselling-seeking pregnant women whose work exposed them to high risk of SARS-Cov-2 infection;
- mothers who gave birth and needed baby care products.
The parents of a little girl diagnosed with Down syndrome made a special case. Their gynaecologist worked in a maternity ward which was designated as a Covid-19 care unit, so they had to find another doctor to supervise the pregnancy. They found one who did not take enough interest in their case so as to offer them a sense of security.
The counsellors from the “Holy Empress Helen” centre directed them to a pro-life doctor. With God’s help, Anastasia, their little girl, was born. “The little girl and her mother are both well and we are grateful to those who opened their hearts to help them,” said Alexandra Nadane.
She mentioned that “support is vital because during the pandemic abortion continues to destroy innocent children and break parents’ hearts.”
That is why the centre has launched the campaign “Be One of Our 250”: if 250 people set a monthly recurring donation of 2 Euro via SMS, the donation line can remain open and assure a predictable supplementary budget.
Online and offline support
The centre will continue to prepare women to give birth to their babies and help them have a good start in their parenting life. Counsellors are prepared to receive women in need of help at the centre’s headquarters, by respecting the sanitary protection rules. The address is:
Centrul de consiliere și informare “Sf. Împărăteasă Elena”
(“Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre)
Bd. Basarabia nr. 28A
Bucharest
The centre also has online support solutions and a toll-free helpline: (+40) 0800 070 013.
The schedule of the centre’s education and information activities is as follows:
- Webinar: “10 Steps to set up a crisis pregnancy centre” – November 10
- The babby, me and maternity – online support group for pregnant women in the first and second trimester of pregnancy (weekly meetings between November 12 – December 31, 2020)
- Online breastfeeding workshop with Dr Claudia Dobocan, IBLCE® consultant – November 14
- Webinar “Supporting women in pregnancy crisis in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Particularities, challenges and solutions” – November 14
How to set your 2-Euro pro-life monthly donation via SMS
1. Send an SMS with the text DOI (“two” in the Romanian language) at phone number 8845.
2. Some phones will set directly the recurrent donation, others will receive an additional confirmation request for setting the donation.
3. Respond to the confirmation request with the text DOI DA (“two yes” in the Romanian language).
4. The monthly donation can be deactivated with an SMS with the text DOI STOP at phone number 8845.
The “Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre was inaugurated on August 16 by the Association for Pregnant Women and Family Support. Funds were raised through the online campaign “Renew Hope for Both of Them”, which also received a donation from His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania.
The new centre was established after the capacity of the association’s first centre, “St Alexandra the Empress”, was exceeded due to a boost in help requests during the Covid-19 state of emergency.
The step is part of long-term program development to support women in pregnancy crisis following the model of the American pro-life movement. The US Christian civil society has built a network of over 2,800 crisis pregnancy centres, which is more than three times the number of abortion clinics in this country.
Alexandra Nadane is Executive Director of the Association for Pregnant Women and Family Support and coordinator of the “Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre.
Please see also:
Photo courtesy of the “Holy Empress Helen” crisis pregnancy centre
