The paper explores to what extent the Transnational Humanitarian assistance for the Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s shaped the post‑communist transformations of the social sector, using as case study the humanitarian aid for children and the government politics towards institutionalized children in Romania (1990‑2007). By humanitarian aid I refer to the material or logistical assistance provided for humanitarian purposes, as it evolved during the twentieth century and culminated with the emergence of a new, transnational humanitarianism, with permanent, professional actors. For this study the social sector includes the policies regarding health, education and sanitation. The paper discusses how the humanitarians understood to work (or not) with the Romanian partners, what was the response of the Romanian government and with what consequences. The text analyses the first and only official scientific tool meant to solve the trust issues of all the parties involved in the humanitarian aid to Romania after the fall of the communist regime (Study on the difficulties of the Alliance between Romanians and Westerners).