Software Eases the Trail for Romanian Conservation Group
The Adept Foundation's mission in Romania is to protect Transylvania's unique landscapes and the farming communities who live within them. Ten full-time employees work to benefit more than 27,000 residents of the Sighisoara–Tarnava Mare area. Besides advocating for preserving the biodiversity of this region, the foundation promotes rural tourism and supports farmers in producing and selling local products. It has even developed a mobile application designed to guide tourists who want to visit these marvelous Transylvanian landscapes.
One of the foundation's most ambitious projects is to build a network of about 60 miles of mountain bike trails to help attract visitors to the area and to stimulate the local economy. This year, with the help of local residents, it will build about 10 miles of these trails. They will link three villages with 70 green tourism providers, five schools, and hundreds of small-scale farming families.
Through TechSoup Romania, Adept Foundation was able to request an array of Microsoft and Adobe software that has not only helped the organization save money but also increased its workflow. "We had before different types of Windows and Office, and we had problems when opening different files," says Cristi Gherghiceanu, project manager with the foundation.
"The technology is indispensable for us," adds Gherghiceanu. "We work on 14 projects, and 10 of them are with international partners. For financial reasons, many of our meetings take place online. We share information, documents, and forms and organize conferences. We depend on online communication."
