Romania - Pro TV
ProTV prides itself on being more than just a television station. ProTV’s philosophy is to be responsible, to get involved and to help those in need. This means paying attention to what is happening in the community and taking the initiative.
In 1996, "Give and Win" was the first social campaign launched by ProTV. It supports very poor families who lack elementary resources to live a decent life, families with no shelter, talented children who cannot afford studying or old, sick people who can’t afford medical treatment. Every year in December, the daily TV program "Give and Win" is devoted to fundraising in order to help those in need. It has reached the hearts of millions of viewers and has had an incredible impact. After 11 years, the campaign is still running on ProTV, supporting all the people that deserve a chance and a better life.
In 1997, ProTV was Pro NATO, along with the entire country. It was probably the biggest campaign ever launched by a television station in Romania. Mihai Tatulici - one of ProTV’s main hosts at that time and a well-known journalist in the 1990’s in Romania - coordinated the entire social campaign both in Romania and outside its borders. Tatulici and his team travelled across Europe with the objective of convincing the authorities that Romania deserved to become a NATO member.
ProTV has always been there for young and talented people, supporting them and helping them to fulfill their dreams. For this purpose, in 1999 ProTV founded the "Pro College", the first institution of e-learning in Romania, dedicated to discovering and supporting young talents. Pro College established the first form of virtual and interactive training in Romania. It is an experimental educational program and a complementary form of education designed to identify and support young talented people with special skills and abilities, who excel in various study disciplines. Pro College is funded by the Foundation for Education and Development MediaPro, the umbrella organisation for the research and academic projects of MediaPro. It gathers together brands such as The Media University, The Pro Institute and Pro College.
At the beginning of 2000 ProTV said "We care" – and turned a successful campaign into a real social phenomenon overnight. "We Care" campaigned for the victims of the violent floods that left thousand of people without a shelter. ProTv was the link between the people who needed help and the ones who were eager to help and got involved by collecting help for flood victims: food, clothing, blankets, building materials and well as money. The campaign became a synonym for charity, involvement and help.
ProTV is involved in sustaining and promoting the education among impoverished children and their families, and became one of the most important partners of Ovidiu Rom, a non-profit organization founded in 2004 by Leslie Hawke and Maria Gheorghiu who had both worked for the Peace Corps Volunteers at Fundatia de Sprijin Comunitar in Bacau - Romania, where they had set up a welfare to work program for impoverished mothers. The "Every Child in School" program was launched by Ovidiu Rom in 2006 and is a national initiative to get every child in school and give them a chance to become high school graduates. Pro TV supported the initiative by involving ProTV hosts and news anchors in organizing charity events and promoting the activity of the Foundation.
Together with "Save the Children" organization, ProTV fights for children rights through its social campaigns and tries to create real and lasting change for children. Pro TV supported "Save the Children" in 2007 by volunteering ProTV hosts and anchors to participate in events initiated by the "Save the Children" Foundation.
In 2007 ProTV was the first television station in Romania that said "Stop Torturing the Animals" and began a long fight to protect animals’ rights. The campaign was initiated in response to the acts of violence against animals. News stories with such acts of violence got people’s attention and made hundreds of thousands of people sign the petition for the creation of the Animal Police and the initiation of the Animal Protection Law. Probably the most important outcome of the campaign was the fact that ProTV and its viewers made the government and parliament members understand the need for such a law which led them to start taking the necessary steps in this direction.
ProTV realizes that the future of Romania is in the hands of our children. This is the reason why on first of June 2007 ProTv asked its viewers "Do you know what your child is doing?" – a social campaign that raises serious question about the way Romanian children are educated, helped…and loved. The campaign is an on-going project that will address major concerns in the Romanian society – from child abandonment and orphanage life to school reform and the future of the country itself if children do not become our main priority. The campaign "Do you know what your child is doing?" made the state institutions in charge with child protection pay much more attention to children left at home by parents who leave Romania to find jobs in Spain or Italy. The phenomenon was neglected by the authorities until it was brought to light by ProTV news reporters. As a result of the campaign, many more foundations became involved in helping children who are abandoned by parents trying to make a bettre living away from this country but also far away from their children.
