INSTITUŢII DE OCROTIRE SOCIALĂ ȘI SANITARĂ ALE SOCIETĂŢILOR DE FEMEI DIN CLUJUL INTERBELIC
SOCIAL AND SANITARY PROTECTION INSTITUTIONS BELONGING TO THE WOMEN’S SOCIETIES IN CLUJ IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD

Summary/Abstract: Using a succession of monographic notes, the present study reconstitutes the image of the social/ sanitary protection institutions in Cluj, during the interwar period, founded and supported by the women’s societies. The oldest such an institution, dating from the second half of the 19th century, was “Maria Valeria” Orphanage under the patronage of the homonymous society. The most numerous were the day nurseries supported by the Israelite, Reformed, Roman Catholic, Greek‑Catholic, and Unitarian women’s societies. These provided care and education for needy children for the time their parents were at work. Besides these, the Israelite and Reformed nursing homes for old ladies also worked. The Unitarian establishment and “Grinţescu” House worked for needy young schoolgirls and students; the needy young girls who came in the town were assisted by the station mission and the employment office of the Romanian University Women’s Association from Cluj. The estab‑ lishments for sanitary protec‑tion were supported by the Association for the Protection of Mother and Infant from Cluj and the “Principele Mircea” society, Cluj branch. The Charity Fund of “Principesa Elena”, Cluj branch, and “Caritatea” Society used to send the needy children and young men to spend their holidays in sanatoriums/ camps organized under their patronage. There are results which reveal the fact that the women in Cluj mainly dedicated their work, through their societies, to needy women and their children, as they understood the social responsibility as their own duty to voluntary contribute to a better society. There were founded exemplary establishments to protect ethnic and religious communities, but charity frequently ignored such limits. To continuously support those establishments, the women organized events, campaigns, and collections, generating a voluntary redistribution of welfare to the deprived persons. On the whole, the study spotlights the women’s contribution to the actions of the civil society in the interwar period, related to the social/ sanitary assistance.

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