The Citizen Advice Bureau Oradea (CAB) is a service of public interest that comes in response to the needs of the citizens for information and counselling, in order for them to receive increased access to information regarding their rights and duties, to benefit from counselling with the possible solutions for the problems they are confronted with and to guide them in using public services.  CAB Oradea was founded by the Ruhama Foundation in collaboration with the Oradea Social Community Administration and Oradea City Hall in October 2002, with the financial support of the European Union, through its Phare program.

Founding the CAB in Oradea comes in support of the citizens, direct and indirect beneficiaries of this service, by facilitating their access to information given in a common language, in order for them to be aware of the rights and obligations they have according to the law and to inform them of the public and private institutions capable of helping them solve the crisis situations they are confronted with.

The activity of informing and counselling done at the CAB Oradea is based on 4 principles that ensure a maximum accessibility for any member of the community:

CAB partnerships

The Oradea Maximum Security Penitentiary - for the information and counselling of convicts in the specified fields, with the objective of preparing them for liberation and social integration;

The Bihor County Police Department - for the mutual information regarding the solving of cases, the mutual furtherance of services, the counselling of citizens in order to prevent victimisation, and common activities that come in support of the citizen;
County Centre for Prevention, Evaluation and Anti-drug Counselling Oradea - a partnership meant to ensure the legal frame for cooperation between the two parts, according to the capacities they set forth through their establishing documents; developing programmes or common actions for the prevention of drug consumption; organising specialist training courses; developing programmes for the evaluation, counselling, treatment, rehabilitation and social integration of addicts;

Pro Deo Foundation - for facilitating the access of disadvantaged teenagers and young adults in Oradea to services of counselling, social assistance and consulting, with the objective of social integration;

Hospice Emanuel - to ensure free information and counselling services to the recipients of the Hospice Emanuel services;

Smiles Association - for the mutual information regarding cases in which the social services created by the two organisations can intervene.

The National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaus 

The National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaus coordinates the activities for the development of services and the promotion of Citizen Advice Bureaus, represents them in front of public authorities and it proposes to elaborate documents with potential impact on the development of social services and policies on the basis of the information supplied by the CAB network. NACAB is comprised of 50 organisations that have set up Citizen Advice Bureaus. The President of the Ruhama Foundation, Marian Daragiu has been elected to fill the position of President of NACAB for two mandates.  CAB Oradea was the first in the country to be accredited as a social service of the 50 CABs that form the NACAB National Network and as well the first social service to receive accreditation on behalf of the County Accreditation Commission for Providers of Social Services within the Department of Work, Social Solidarity and Family Bihor, alongside two other social services provided by the Ruhama Foundation.

Assisted citizens

In 2008, 1025 citizens accessed the individual counselling services of CAB Oradea, with 1225 registered requests. In 2007, 953 citizens accessed the services of CAB Oradea. Since its opening in October 2002 and until December 2008, CAB Oradea has assisted citizens in Oradea and Bihor County in over 5.370 problems they had to confront. Regarding the number of people that have accessed the services of CAB Oradea we can observe an increase year by year. If in 2006, a number of 660 citizens were assisted, in 2007 the number of informed and counselled citizens was 953 and in 2008 was 1025.

In 2008, CAB Oradea provided over 100 group counselling sessions for a number of 3235 people in the Oradea Maximum Security Penitentiary, Multifunctional Centres from Oradea City, Recuperation Hospital Baile Felix and Recuperation Hospital 1 Mai and also in 10 disadvantaged communities of Bihor County: Cefa, Alesd, Sacueni, Gepiu, Ineu, Curtuisni, Tileagd, Osorhei, Dobresti, Lazareni.

Of the over 4000 citizens that have benefited from the services of CAB Oradea, 40% are women and 60% men. According to age 24% of the cases are under 25, 44% are between 26 and 50 years old and 32% are over 50. A high percentage of these are citizens with low incomes (60%), the rest with medium incomes. CAB has serviced Romanians (70%), Hungarians (19%), Roma (10%) but also Germans, Slovakians, Jews, Polish and Italians. With regard to the level of education, 15% of the beneficiaries have primary studies, 54% secondary studies, 24% university studies and 7% are without any. The unemployed and the retired are the categories that most frequently call on the services of CAB.

CAB Contacts

Citizens can access CAB Oradea:

- Monday and Wednesday between 11 and 17, at its location at 21 General Magheru Boulevard, apt. 159, Oradea 410057 or by phone at: 0259 479 454;
- Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between the hours of 8 and 14 direct Ruhama Foundation's website by filling in the Formularul online BCC  or by e-mail at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .