Moldova

As the impact of the pandemic is felt across the world, the most vulnerable families are feeling it the most. Having worked in Moldova for the last 7 years our local partners are expressing the very real and growing need.

The head of child protection in Cahul has said they are fearful more foster families will need to hand the care of the children back to social services because they can’t afford to look after them. This is purely down to a lack of resources and not a lack of care.

Our goal is to help carers keep their children warm and our contribution to this is two fold:

1. Send winter clothing packs for each child - Coat, Hat, Scarf, Gloves, Socks, Jumper and Blanket to every child in Cahul foster care, children’s homes, mother and baby unit and and to children in the most remote and poorest villages of Cahul region. We have a solid supply of winter clothes but the impact of Brexit and the increase in fuel prices have dramatically increased our logistics costs.

2. Purchase and deliver fuel to heat their homes - Soaring energy prices mean that during the coldest parts of winter, many homes will be freezing as families can’t afford the bills. There are 12 foster families in Cahul and our goal is to deliver a minimum of 1m3 of fire wood to their home as a free contribution towards these costs. 1m3 of wood costs 950 lei (£40). the more funds we have the more wood we can provide.

To donate towards helping us keep these children warm please click the donate button.

100% of these funds will be used to deliver the above goals.

Context

Due to macro geopolitical forces, the economic development of the country has been restricted. This has resulted in around 50% of the children growing up with grandparents, extended family or neighbours because their parents have relocated abroad to earn money. Those that remain find themselves working for very little in comparison to the high cost of living. For example; a head teacher earns between £150-£200 a month and a labourer earns around £60 -£75 per month.

When winter comes, many have to choose between heating their home or feeding their family. Our clothing distributions have alleviated this pressure for many, making it possible for their little ones to stay warm in these freezing winter months, which can sometimes plummet as low as -30°C.

To put things into context, the cost of a 4-5 year old boy’s winter coat being sold in the regional capital’s market was around £30.

We have formed a strong working relationship with a local NGO called Pro Lumina. Vasile helps us to legally bring the clothing and aid into the country and together we ensure everything reaches the children.

We have also forged a great relationship with Cahul Social Services and the child protection department. Through them we provide support to the two children’s homes and the mother and baby unit in Cahul. We also include nappies and sanitary products in each shipment for the mother and baby unit.

Process

The relevant information for every child that will receive winter clothing is sent to the UK and our team of volunteers prepare each shipment with enough clothes and items for every child. These items are sent directly to Pro Lumina and are distributed to the children under the supervision of our team.

The winter fuel will be purchased in Moldova with funds we send across to Pro Lumina and the local merchant will deliver the items under the supervision of the team.

None of this would be possible without Victor and Yolanda. Victor was born in Cahul and now lives in the UK. Their passion and commitment to help his people is truly inspiring.