Three Decades of Service
From a small initiative of the Romanian Studies Program to four licensed social services.
The Beginning
Dorothy Tarrant, a British social work professor, comes to Romania and establishes the Romanian Studies Program. In 1995 the programme moves to Sighisoara, where American students work with abandoned children in the municipal hospital, with children living on the streets and with isolated elderly people.
Romanian translators, high-school graduates who spoke English, ensured continuity and later became the Foundation's employees.
A Foundation Is Born
Veritas Foundation is established in Sighisoara in 1996. The first Family Center building is purchased to host programmes for disadvantaged children and their families, and the first Seniors Club starts at the Nazarene Church.
In 1998 the House on the Rock is purchased as a centre for education, community development and intercultural exchange, and the American Board of Directors is created.
New Services and Legal Registration
The programme for adults with special needs is founded in 1999. In 2000 Veritas is legally registered as an NGO, the Romanian Board of Directors is created, and the first group of high-school students is trained to guide tourists through the historic citadel.
USAID funds the educational services at the House on the Rock, which is inaugurated in 2001. The March of Lights and the Ecumenical Christmas Concert become traditions. In 2002 the International Café opens and the first annual Craftsmen Fair takes place.
Edelweiss and Accreditation
The Domestic Violence Prevention Programme is founded in 2003 with USAID support. A community awareness campaign is carried out and a referral network is created between the NGO and state institutions.
In 2006 Veritas obtains its first accreditation as a social services provider in Mureș County, renewed in 2009.
A New Home for Our Programmes
Petronia Popa becomes the first Romanian Executive Director of Veritas Foundation. Dorothy Tarrant is named an honorary citizen of Sighisoara.
In 2011 the buildings and land for the new Family Center are purchased, and in 2012 all programmes move into the new centre. The county accreditation is renewed for children and their families, elderly people, people with special needs and victims of domestic violence.
Licensing and Public Funding
Veritas receives its first public funding for the Children's Day Center and licenses three social services: the Children's Day Center, the Day Center for Retired Adults and the Social Canteen.
In 2017 the Children's Day Center receives a five-year operating licence.
Mainstream Sighisoara
Between October 2017 and July 2020, Veritas is a partner, together with Sighisoara City Hall and the Miron Neagu School, in the European project "Mainstream Sighisoara – a European investment for social inclusion", promoted by the Resource Centre for Roma Communities in Cluj.
The project responded to the needs of 600 vulnerable people: medical and social services, vocational training, housing, education and anti-discrimination activities.
The Generations Project
In October 2018 Veritas is selected by the Royal Margareta Foundation of Romania as a beneficiary of the Generations project, funded by Hochland Romania. Children from the Day Center and senior volunteers share knowledge and passions through workshops.
In 2019 the preschool programme is closed because of low attendance; the remaining children are supported to enrol in state kindergartens.
Through the Pandemic
On 12 March 2020, Veritas programmes and the International Café are suspended for six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Services reopen in September 2020, adapted to the new sanitary rules.
Re-licensing and New Spaces
The Children's Day Center, the Day Center for Retired Adults and the Social Canteen are re-licensed. The attic of the Foundation's headquarters is completed, providing a space for the English summer camp for teenagers.
In June 2022 the fourth service is licensed — the Day Center for Adults with Disabilities — and the CONFER project, initiated by the Royal Margareta Foundation of Romania, begins.
Health, Digital Skills and Community
In 2023–2024 Veritas is a partner in the project "Your Health Matters", together with Sighisoara City Hall, the Sighisoara Social Assistance Directorate and Trondheim City Hall, Norway.
In 2025 the project "Connecting Generations in the Digital World" offers 100 elderly people workshops for developing digital skills.
Thirty Years
We celebrate 30 years of service, compassion, dignity and hope for the community of Sighisoara — and we look forward to the next decades of care, learning and solidarity between generations.
Support the Next 30 Years