Founded in 2003, Crosscause is an Irish-registered charity dedicated to supporting vulnerable communities in Eastern Europe and West Africa. What started as a volunteer-led initiative for children with disabilities in Romania has grown into a multi-faceted mission, bringing aid and opportunities to those who need them most.
For over two decades, Crosscause has remained committed to a core principle: 100% of donations go directly to those in need. Our volunteers cover all their own expenses, ensuring that every euro makes a real impact. We work closely with local communities to deliver meaningful, long-term support, ensuring our projects address the most urgent needs.
Our Work in Eastern Europe
In Romania, Crosscause provides essential aid to struggling families, the elderly, and people with disabilities. Our initiatives include:
- Casa Bridget – A care home for orphans with disabilities, serving as a foundation for our work.
- Community Support – Assistance for vulnerable families in Nicorești and surrounding villages.
- Essential Supplies – Delivering food, clothing, medical supplies, and supporting home renovations.
- Day Centre Services – We provided education, hot meals, washing facilities, and clothing for up to 40 children daily. After COVID, we transitioned to a more personalized approach, ensuring children continue to receive direct, tailored support.
Our Work in West Africa
Since 2013, we have expanded our reach to West Africa mainly Ghana, responding to different but equally urgent needs. Our projects include:
- Xorladi Project – A home established in 2022 for nearly 40 abandoned children, many with disabilities.
- Community Development – Constructing and upgrading schools, clinics, and hospitals to improve essential services.
- Vital Resources – Providing school books, sewing machines, wheelchairs, incubators, and other crucial supplies.
- Clean Water Access – Installing boreholes to bring safe drinking water to communities.
At Crosscause, we are committed to sustainable, community-driven solutions. With the dedication of our volunteers and the generosity of our supporters, we continue to deliver hope and practical aid to those who need it most.
IF YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE…
How It All Began
In 1990, after the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu’s regime, the world was shocked by the horrifying conditions in Romania’s orphanages. One such orphanage, in the small village of Nicorești, gained international attention, drawing volunteers from around the world to help the neglected and forgotten children.
After years of struggling against the system, a new approach was taken to bring real change. A group of dedicated volunteers—now known as Crosscause—purchased a small house in the village for €6,500 and transformed it into Casa Bridget, a safe home for four girls: Claudia, Alina, Nela, and Mihaela. It was a new beginning, both for them and for the volunteers who made it happen.
Since then, 27 children have found a home, Casa Bridget has expanded, and up to 40 local children from struggling families have joined us daily for schooling, hot meals, and washing facilities. But more than anything, this journey has been fueled by the determination of so many people to ensure these children feel safe, valued, and loved.
To every volunteer who has ever built, carried, painted, loaded, driven, or simply shared kindness—you have made a difference. Because of you, in a small village far from home, hearts continue to beat with hope.
AND IF YOU WANT TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE…
A BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Immediately after the revolution of 1989 and the execution of Nicolae Ceauşescu, all the failings of the communist regime were highlighted. One of these major failings concerned the children. Ceauşescu, in the seventies, unexpectedly and without any social preparation abolished abortion. Many families, without having received any sex education and without knowing any contraceptive method (these were taboo during the communist regime) were left to cope with the birth of unwanted children. In many cases, they relied on homemade abortion methods. The consequences of these were disastrous: the birth of disabled children and a myriad of infants abandoned.
In this context arose “the spital” (orphanages) often hidden in the most remote parts of Romania (as Nicoresti) thus hiding the wounds of a regime that was no longer working. In these institutions, the lack of ethical values, the lack of qualified staff, and the lack of funds led to disastrous results. A lot of residents fled the institutions searching for refuge in the big cities (see the boys of sewers of Bucharest) and the ones most in need were kept in a state of abandonment and abuse in the spitals.
The Nicoresti Spital housed 150 abandoned children with various disabilities, grouped in huge rooms, often tied to beds with chains, completely abandoned in nauseating dirt, without any medical care, and often subjected to various types of violence. Despite improvements to the social care system and a huge amount of EU funding, there are still 100,000’s children living in institutions or in the foster care system.