From Orphanage to Independence: One Woman’s Story of Hope and Healing
12.12.2025
Pictured: Olesea, now a member of the Lumos Advisory Council, advocates for children at risk of experiencing a childhood of institutionalisation, as she had.
Olesea has dedicated her life to social work, and at age 27, advocates for governments and organisations to prioritise care reform systems that place the needs of children first. But behind her drive to help children is her own experience of a difficult childhood, living in an institution against her will.
When Olesea remembers her early childhood, there are no fond family memories.
She had no clothes or toys of her own and, instead of a family home, Olesea lived in an austere two-storey building with 600 other children, locked away from society at an ‘orphanage’ in Moldova.
“Every day, I’d look out through the fence that ran around the perimeter of the institution, see everyone else living their lives and wonder what I had done wrong to live in this cold prison,” she says.
Olesea, now 26, hadn’t committed a crime. Like millions of children across the world, she was kept in an institution, often called an orphanage, simply because her parents didn’t have the means to look after her.
They were also pressured by society to put Olesea in an institution because she had a ‘disability’ – her right hand had been disfigured after she had been scalded with boiling water in an accident as a baby.
“I will never forget the day I went into the institution,” remembers Olesea. “I was told I was going to a school, and I would go home at weekends, but I never saw my family again.
That first night, the other children tied my hands and feet to the bed and held a pillow against my face so no one would hear my screams… I experienced violence every day. We had to fight even to get food.
-Olesea
While there were plenty of adults around – teachers, a nanny, cooks, and security guards – “there were no parents and no love.”
Schooling was provided on-site but was of poor quality, and teachers often put the TV on instead of teaching.
Sponsors of the institution sometimes came to visit and would bring the children presents of clothes or toys, but once they had gone, the staff would take these items away and put them in a large warehouse.
Olesea said one of the hardest things to deal with was looking at the same four walls every day, experiencing the same routine “like robots”.
Pictured: Olesea looking at childhood photos from her time at the institution.
She spent two years at the institution, missing out on love, care and protection. But it all changed when there was institutional reform in Moldova and, with support from Lumos, she was moved to a foster family.
My life changed for the better. There was no violence or yelling, and for the first time, I felt what it was like to be loved… [I remember] how special it was to hear my family sing me ‘Happy Birthday.’
-Olesea
Olesea is now married with two children of her own, a six-year-old daughter and a six-month-old son, and is a social worker, helping other children whose families need support.
She is also a member of the Lumos Advisory Council, through which she has attended national and international conferences, sharing her experience to raise awareness and shape care reform policy.
“I have managed to build a life for myself, but for many children who have been in an orphanage, the scars run deep. I want to see continued progress in Moldova, and worldwide, so no more children have to live in institutions, and instead they can be part of a loving family.” – Olesea
Thanks to Olesea and others like her sharing their experience, we have been able to support the Government and other agencies in Moldova to make significant progress in shaping care reform for the betterment of children.
In 2009, there were approximately 12,000 children in residential care institutions. Most recent figures show there are now 700, and the Government has pledged to end institutional care by 2027.
This story is part of the Lumos Home for the Holidays Appeal series. Join our annual appeal so we can give more children the greatest gift of all this holiday season, a safe and loving family.
