ADR - Actie Dorpen Roemenië
ADR stands for-'Action Romanian Villages Flanders'. This association is the umbrella organization of the Flemish organizations working with a partner in Romania or Eastern Europe. They are the ADR groups. ADR Flanders was founded on February 28, 1989 and became the engine of the actions of the Flemish-Romanian Groups. ADR Flanders is a non-profit organization that is supported and run by volunteers. Since 1 January 2011 ADR Flanders recognized by the Flemish Minister of Culture as a socio-cultural association. Since then there has been a permanent secretariat with a staff member.
In the eighties of the last century, the communist president Ceausescu began a systematic policy and many smaller towns throughout Romania were placed on a destruction list. Following this policy the European Community started in 1989 an adoption campaign. This campaign was called "Save the Romanian villages"
European towns and villages were called to adopt a village of the destruction list. 354 municipalities, of which 250 in Flanders start an adoption. End of 1989, the revolution broke out and immediately the assistance from Flanders began. Many organizations started with immediate humanitarian assistance. ADR Flanders coordinated the various humanitarian actions.
The years after the band grew and on the request of the Romanian partner the humanitarian aid switched to more long-term projects in the form of structural support aimed at the socio social construction. Currently there are 120 contacts between Romania and Flanders in ADR.