Rural communities
- 2021Completed2022 · local co-funding
- 2026Completed38+ schools · 11 localities
- 2030Goal+27 localities through the Mobile Lab
- 2035GoalRegional NEETs hub for Vrancea
- 2040GoalAll 73 localities in Vrancea*
Pillar 04 ·
Digital education in Romanian villages
Rural communities.
We work with 38+ schools in 11 Vrancea localities, with the support of the Vrancea School Inspectorate and the local authority (since 2022). We take technology to the villages, for children as well as parents and grandparents.
- 38+ schools
- 11 communities
- ISJ Vrancea
38+partner schools & clubs
11communities
84.8%of rural households have internet — the access is there, the skills are missing (INS, 2025)
27communities targeted by 2030
The cause · why this programme exists
Where you are born should not decide your future.
In villages, the risk of poverty is more than twice as high as in towns, and Romania has the highest early school-leaving rate in the EU. So we go there.
45,1%
of people living in Romanian villages are at risk of poverty or social exclusion
Eurostat, 2023 · [1]At risk of poverty or social exclusion, Romania
15.5%of young Romanians aged 18–24 left school early — the highest rate in the EU (EU average: 9.1%)Eurostat, 2025 · [3]
85.7%of households in the South-East region have internet — the lowest share in the country. Access does not mean skills.INS, 2025 · [4]
In pictures · 6 photos
This is what Rural communities looks like.
Photos from our workshops. Tap an image to see it larger; if you like it, you can share it with friends.
The technology lab comes to the village
Environmental sensors for rural schools
Robot cars built from scratch
micro:bit robots tested on the classroom floor
Arduino kits opened up in the heart of the community
The Mobile Lab, from village to village
Results & objectives · 2021 → 2040
The programme’s path to 2040.
Completed 2021–2026Goal 2030–2040
Completed = 2021–2026, public figures. * 2040 goals proposed by the association, currently being validated.
63%
38 of 60 partner schoolsPhase 02 target · 2027–202922 schools to go37%
10 of 27 villages reached by the Mobile Lab2030 targetOngoing15%
11 of 73 communities in Vrancea2040 target*Expansion✓What we have achieved
- 38+ partner schools and clubs
- 11 communities in Vrancea covered
- Support from the local authority since 2022
- The Mobile Lab has already reached 10 villages
- Lessons in online safety and resilience to disinformation
→What remains to be done
- The Mobile Lab in 27 more communities by 2030
- 60+ schools in Phase 02 (2027–2029)
- Regional hub for young NEETs in Vrancea (2035)
- All 73 communities in Vrancea (2040)*
What we actually do
We go where the need is greatest.
Mobile Lab
Tech in villages — without a 100 km journey. The initiative aims to reach the remaining 27 communities by 2030.
Online safety
38+ schools and clubs in 11 communities in Vrancea — including villages where the internet has arrived but digital skills are still missing. That is where we teach online safety and resilience to disinformation.
Rural expansion
Phase 02 (2027–2029): expansion to 60+ schools.
Our role · how we work
We don’t wait for children to come to town. We go to the village.
The Mobile Lab brings technology to rural schools, so pupils don’t have to travel 100 km.
- Local diagnosisWe start from data: the schools, the villages and the real needs of young people in Vrancea.
- A programme built with expertsCurriculum and activities designed together with specialists and teachers.
- Training & equipmentWe bring kits, laptops and mentors wherever they are missing.
- Working in the communityFree, hands-on activities at school, in the village or out in the field.
- Measurement & public reportingWe count the results and publish them — verifiable figures, not promises.
Who we work with
The experts beside the children.
The specialist profiles we start and run the activities with. Their names appear in the project reports.
Mobile Lab coordinatorPlans the routes and takes the equipment to every village.Involved from the start
Rural school teachersLocal partners who carry on the activities after our visit.Involved from the start
Local authoritiesTown halls and the inspectorate — venues, logistics and access to schools.Involved from the start
Online safety trainersTeach data protection and how to spot disinformation.Involved from the start
Turning pixels into oxygen
“The place where you were born should not decide the future you build.”
Projects 2026–2035
Projects in this programme.
Extended through the Green Innovation Hub
What we build next.
This programme feeds directly into the Green Innovation Hub initiatives, built on European models.
What we hope for · how you can help
The next village on the list could be yours.
Help the Mobile Lab go further.
Support a Mobile Lab day
Transport, kits and trainers for a rural school.
Donate →Bring the programme to your village
Town halls, schools and local associations: write to us and we’ll plan it together.
Invite us →Laptops and tablets
Equipment that stays in the school after our visit.
Donate equipment →Local volunteers
People from the community who help us carry on between visits.
Become a volunteer →Support the programme
Bring the programme to your village.
Sources and methodology
Where the figures come from.
Our own figures (young people trained, schools, localities) come from the association’s records and are published in the impact report. Context statistics come from official sources, with the year of the latest available edition.
- Population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, rural areas, RomaniaEurostat · ilc_peps13n · 2023. View source ↗
- Population at risk of poverty or social exclusion, cities, RomaniaEurostat · ilc_peps13n · 2023. See source ↗
- Early leavers from education and training (18–24), Romania — the highest rate in the EUEurostat · edat_lfse_14 · 2025. See source ↗
- Households with internet access in the South-East region (which includes Vrancea) — the lowest share of any regionINS · 2025. See source ↗
Portfolio 2026–2027
Technology built by young people, for resilient communities.
Rural communities is part of the 2026–2027 portfolio of Asociația Grupul Verde: 43 programme lines in which young people build technology for nature, protected species, climate and democracy, with partners from Romania and the EU through Horizon Europe, LIFE, Erasmus+, the European Solidarity Corps and CERV.
Technology, AI and resilience
Resilience of rural communities to shocks
Villages learn to withstand drought, floods, price shocks and isolation. Young people map local resources and build simple alert tools.
Target programme: Horizon Europe
Linked to: Resilient Communities, Clean Energy for Villages
Democracy, memory and citizenship
Intergenerational communities
Young people teach grandparents to use a phone safely; grandparents give them the stories and crafts that young people digitise.
Target programme: Horizon Europe · NEB
Linked to: Active ageing, Intergenerational Network
Democracy, memory and citizenship
Town twinning
Citizens’ meetings between twinned towns, where young people present the technical solutions they built for their own town.
Target programme: CERV
Linked to: Civic and legal education, Partners & UNESCO
Erasmus+ and mobility
DiscoverEU travel for young people with fewer opportunities
We help 18-year-olds from villages apply and travel; when they return, they tell the story of their trip on a digital map.
Target programme: Erasmus+
Linked to: Inclusion for Every Child, Second Chance
Erasmus+ and mobility
Green sport and rural inclusion
Running and cycling trails in nature, mapped by young people, that bring village children together and clean the area on every outing.
Target programme: Erasmus+ (EACEA)
Linked to: Inclusion for Every Child, Environment & biodiversity
European Solidarity Corps
Solidarity projects — spring round
Youth groups that start a project for their village in spring, with a technical prototype at the end.
Target programme: European Solidarity Corps
Linked to: Young Innovators Incubator, Funding
Support Rural communities
Keep this programme free.
Your donation goes straight into the activities of Rural communities in Vrancea — materials, kits, trainers and transport for children and young people. Every amount counts.
Bank transfer with no fees · 3.5% of your tax · sponsorship with a contract