Diaspora
Moldovan-American Convention at the second edition. Interview with Elena Dragalin
On May 2nd 2015, the city of Chicago will host the 2nd Moldovan-American Convention, the annual event that brings together the brightest minds and most enthusiastic hearts of Moldovan diaspora in North America, as well as representatives of US and Canadian companies, organizations and government bodies that have established relationships with the Republic of Moldova.
Elena Dragalin, Founder and Chairperson of Moldova AID, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to the independent Republic of Moldova, for the second year in the row plays the leading role in the Moldovan-American Convention organizing committee. As a member of the Moldovan diaspora since 1993, Mrs. Dragalin has an inside perspective for the talent and skills of the community. Through Moldova AID, Mrs. Dragalin has mobilized the Moldovan diaspora to leverage its knowledge, expertise and experience for the benefit of the Republic of Moldova. We asked Mrs. Dragalin to share some insights about the upcoming Moldovan-American Convention.
What goal do you want to accomplish by organizing the Moldovan-American Convention?
The vision is to build a strong and united community that is capable of improving the lives of Moldovans in North America and help people in Moldova at the same time, by mobilizing all the existing resources. The Moldovan-American Convention is a platform to achieve this goal. We identify as many people as we can, and we pursue them to obtain their support and for them to get involved. We meet, we discuss, and we brainstorm. The expected outcome is to develop strategies, find solutions, and implement what we propose. Not just talk the talk, but to firmly walk the walk. We don’t need another convention to just exchange pleasantries and take pictures to post on social media. We mean business. We mean changing lives for the better. Whether that means one life or many, this depends on our ability to work together, but I am confident that with every year the Convention will attract more and more people and we will be able to achieve our continuous goal.
This is the 2nd edition of the Convention; how is this edition different from the previous one, organized in Washington D.C.?
The first Moldovan-American Convention was held in Washington D.C. at the initiative of the Moldovan Embassy and organized by Moldova AID, Moldova Foundation and the Association of Moldovans in Chicago.
In my opinion the event was very successful from the start. Communities in nine states were represented and dignitaries from Moldova and the U.S. Government were among the speakers. The politicians were given most of the time to speak, and they talked enthusiastically about the changes and transformations that they said were about to happen in Moldova. The local D.C. community and participants that came from other states were also involved in expressing their opinion, but had little time to do so. The feedback from participants prompted the decision to make the convention an annual event and put the focus on the community instead. We did not want to be repetitive and decided to host the event in a different city. Chicago seemed like a good choice, given the fact that a significant number of Moldovans reside in the area.
In my opinion, the conventions should be different every year because the conditions are different and we always strive to improve. But the most important thing is to have a vision and work on accomplishing that vision.
Who are the main partners in the Convention? How do you engage them?
We have the support at the local level from the Honorary Consulate of Moldova in Chicago, at the government level from the Embassy of Moldova in the USA, and at the national level from the Bureau for Relations wit Diaspora (BRD).
Moldova.org continues to support the event by being our informational partner at this second edition. Noroc Events and Promotions is one of the organizers and it is also helping to put together a team of volunteers from all of the US.
Also, a number of individuals and corporate sponsors are contributing to the event, but we hope to raise more funds before the convention and will name them all at the event.
Is the Moldovan community involved in the Convention? How do they support your activities?
The Convention is a great example of community involvement, especially at the local level. Since we plan on having the Convention in a different city every year, the organizers decided to rely mostly on the local community.
The agenda includes two panels and both chairs are from the Chicago area. A large part of the attendees will also be local. The Association of Moldovans in Chicago is one of the organizers of the Convention and has done a tremendous amount of work in mobilizing local volunteers and sponsors. Recently, the Convention Organizing Committee welcomed a newly registered organization, Community of Moldovans in Chicago. They debuted by organizing Martisor celebration for the local community on March 1st this year and the Convention will also benefit from their active involvement. We are very proud of the community that will host the event and hope that we can get the same support in the years to come in other areas.
Who are the main beneficiaries of this Convention?
I think it is us, the people from Moldova that live in North America and want to have the sense of a united, functional and active community. It is also the people in Moldova that can benefit from our collective efforts to make Moldova a little better.
How can Moldovan diaspora in North America support Moldova? How can Moldovans in the U.S. get involved?
This is exactly what we want to discuss at the Convention. We all have our own ideas on how to do that, and most of us are already actively involved in supporting Moldova. Now we want to share the ideas and come up with collective resolutions and plans in hopes to have a bigger impact. It is unknown how many Moldovans reside in the U.S. and Canada. I can only guess that we are talking about at least one hundred thousand, but this is definitely an underestimate. The potential that lies here is tremendous. We have scientists, professors, and researchers that could help bring the education system in Moldova to the level of most developed countries. We have doctors and people that work in the pharmaceutical industry that could help modernize the health system. We have potential investors that are eager to help create a healthy business environment. We have young people that gained the experience, made some money and are ready to return to Moldova, providing the security of a legislative state.
Moldovan Diaspora has enormous potential, no doubt about it, and now, for business and altruistic reasons, has the desire to be involved in political, social, and economical spheres in Moldova. We cannot be spectators anymore. Our Diaspora is young, and we needed time to get on our feet. But now we are ready. And the country needs us more than ever.
What other activities do you organize in the U.S., other than the Moldovan-American Convention?
Moldova AID started in 2011 and in addition to the Convention, we are involved in other projects that have the same goal: to mobilize the Moldovan Community in North America and use our collective strength in helping R of Moldova.
A Book to Share is one of these projects. With the help of supporters in Chicago, New York, Raleigh, Philadelphia, Toronto, Washington D.C. and other places, we were able to collect and transport over 3,000 books and opened an English reading room at the B. P. Hasdeu Library in Chisinau.
A project that I am particularly proud of is the Virtual Learning Center. Members of the Diaspora offer free online courses, seminars and public lectures, sharing their knowledge and experience with the public in Moldova.
We are also offering scholarships for the fourth year in a row to three underprivileged students in Moldova. Two of them are graduating this Spring, and the third has one more year to go in the College of Medicine.
Moldova AID is also one of the initiators of and a contributor to the Resource Center for Children with Autism in Moldova, with 35 children enrolled and its doors open to everyone in need. These and many other projects are our small contribution in addressing the needs of people in Moldova. Now, the Convention is presenting the opportunity to communities to come together and develop and implement projects on a bigger scale.
A message to the Moldovans who might want to attend the Convention…
We invite everyone who shares the love for the people in our country of origin and who has a desire to offer their services to join us. We invite everyone that can help our Moldovan community in the US and Canada to share their information and knowledge. We invite those that need help to approach us. Be proactive, and get involved. Join us in the effort of building a strong and solidary community here, in North America, to our benefit and the benefit of others.
Stay informed about the upcoming 2nd Moldovan American Convention that will talke place on Saturday, May 2nd, 2015, in Chicago, IL, via its official website www.moldovanconvention.us, official Facebook page: Moldovan-American Convention, or by sending an email to [email protected].
Society
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
At the Government’s ground floor, the phones ring constantly, the laptop screens never reach standby. In one corner of the room there is a logistics planning meeting, someone has a call on Zoom with partners and donors, someone else finally managed to take a cookie and make some coffee. Everyone is exhausted and have sleepy red eyes, but the volunteers still have a lot of energy and dedication to help in creating a safe place for the Ukrainian refugees.
“It’s like a continuous bustle just so you won’t read the news. You get home sometimes and you don’t have time for news, and that somehow helps. It’s a kind of solidarity and mutual support,” says Vlada Ciobanu, volunteer responsible for communication and fundraising.
The volunteers group was formed from the very first day of war. A Facebook page was created, where all types of messages immediately started to flow: “I offer accommodation”, “I want to help”, “I want to get involved”, “Where can I bring the products?”, “I have a car and I can go to the customs”. Soon, the authorities also started asking for volunteers’ support. Now they all work together, coordinate activities and try to find solutions to the most difficult problems.
Is accommodation needed for 10, 200 or 800 people? Do you need transportation to the customs? Does anyone want to deliver 3 tons of apples and does not know where? Do you need medicine or mobile toilets? All these questions require prompt answers and actions. Blankets, sheets, diapers, hygiene products, food, clothes – people bring everything, and someone needs to quickly find ways of delivering them to those who need them.
Sometimes this collaboration is difficult, involves a lot of bureaucracy, and it can be difficult to get answers on time. “Republic of Moldova has never faced such a large influx of refugees and, probably because nobody thought this could happen, a mechanism of this kind of crisis has not been developed. Due to the absence of such a mechanism that the state should have created, we, the volunteers, intervened and tried to help in a practical way for the spontaneous and on the sport solutions of the problems,” mentions Ecaterina Luțișina, volunteer responsible for the refugees’ accommodation.
Ana Maria Popa, one of the founders of the group “Help Ukrainians in Moldova/SOS Українці Молдовa” says that the toughest thing is to find time and have a clear mind in managing different procedures, although things still happen somehow naturally. Everyone is ready to intervene and help, to take on more responsibilities and to act immediately when needed. The biggest challenges arise when it is necessary to accommodate large families, people with special needs, for which alternative solutions must be identified.
Goods and donations
The volunteers try to cope with the high flow of requests for both accommodation and products of all kinds. “It came to me as a shock and a panic when I found out that both mothers who are now in Ukraine, as well as those who found refuge in our country are losing their milk because of stress. We are trying to fill an enormous need for milk powder, for which the demand is high and the stocks are decreasing”, says Steliana, the volunteer responsible for the distribution of goods from the donation centers.
Several centers have been set up to collect donations in all regions of Chisinau, and volunteers are redirecting the goods to where the refugees are. A system for processing and monitoring donations has already been established, while the volunteer drivers take over the order only according to a unique code.
Volunteers from the collection centers also do the inventory – the donated goods and the distributed goods. The rest is transported to Vatra deposit, from where it is distributed to the placement centers where more than 50 refugees are housed.
When they want to donate goods, but they don’t know what would be needed, people are urged to put themselves in the position of refugees and ask themselves what would they need most if they wake up overnight and have to hurriedly pack their bags and run away. Steliana wants to emphasise that “these people are not needy, but these people need help. They did not choose to end up in this situation.”
Furthermore, the volunteer Cristina Sîrbu seeks to identify producers and negotiate prices for products needed by refugees, thus mediating the procurement process for NGOs with which she collaborates, such as Caritas, World Children’s Fund, Polish Solidarity Fund, Lifting hands, Peace Corps and others.
One of the challenges she is facing now is the identifying a mattress manufacturer in the West, because the Moldovan mattress manufacturer that has been helping so far no longer has polyurethane, a raw material usually imported from Russia and Ukraine.
Cristina also needs to find solutions for the needs of the volunteer groups – phones, laptops, gsm connection and internet for a good carrying out of activities.
Hate messages
The most difficult thing for the communication team is to manage the hate messages on the social networks, which started to appear more often. “Even if there is some sort of dissatisfaction from the Ukrainian refugees and those who offer help, we live now in a very diverse society, there are different kind of people, and we act very differently under stress,” said Vlada Ciobanu.
Translation by Cătălina Bîrsanu
Important
#WorldForUkraine – a map that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression
The international community and volunteers from all over te world have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against the Russian aggression. In a digital world – it is an interactive map of public support of Ukrainians under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.”
„Today, along with the political and military support, emotional connection with the civilized world and truthful information are extremely important for Ukraine. The power to do it is in your hands. Join the #WorldForUkraine project and contribute to the victorious battle against the bloodshed inflicted on Ukraine by the aggression of the Russian Federation”, says the „about the project” section of the platform.
Go to the streets — Tell people — Connect and Unite — Become POWERFUL
Volunteers have launched #WorldForUkraine as a platform that shows the magnitude of the world’s actions against Russian aggression. In digital world – it is an INTERACTIVE MAP of public support of Ukrainians worldforukraine.net under the hashtag #WorldForUkraine – rallies, flash mobs, protests around the world. In the physical dimension – it is your opportunity to take to the streets and declare: “No to Putin’s aggression, no to war.” There you may find information about past and future rallies in your city in support of Ukraine. This is a permanent platform for Ukrainian diaspora and people all over the world concerned about the situation in Ukraine.
So here’s a couple of things you could do yourself to help:
* if there is a political rally in your city, then participate in it and write about it on social media with geolocation and the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
* if there are no rallies nearby, organize one in support of Ukraine yourself, write about it on social media with geolocation adding the hashtag #WorldForUkraine
The map will add information about gathering by #WorldForUkraine AUTOMATICALLY
Your voice now stronger THAN ever
All rallies are already here: https://worldforukraine.net
Important
How is Moldova managing the big influx of Ukrainian refugees? The authorities’ plan, explained
From 24th to 28th of February, 71 359 Ukrainian citizens entered the territory of Republic of Moldova. 33 173 of them left the country. As of this moment, there are 38 186 Ukrainian citizens in Moldova, who have arrived over the past 100 hours.
The Moldovan people and authorities have organized themselves quickly from the first day of war between Russia and Ukraine. However, in the event of a prolonged armed conflict and a continuous influx of Ukrainian refugees, the efforts and donations need to be efficiently managed. Thus, we inquired about Moldova’s long-term plan and the state’s capacity to receive, host, and treat a bigger number of refugees.
On February 26th, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Moldova approved the Regulation of organization and functioning of the temporary Placement Center for refugees and the staffing and expenditure rules. According to the Regulation, the Centers will have the capacity of temporary hosting and feeding at least 20 persons, for a maximum of 3 months, with the possibility of extending this period. The Centers will also offer legal, social, psychological, and primary medical consultations to the refugees. The Center’s activity will be financed from budget allocations, under Article 19 of Provision no. 1 of the Exceptional Situations Commission from February 24th, 2022, and from other sources of funding that do not contravene applicable law.
The Ministry of Inner Affairs and the Government of Moldova facilitated the organization of the volunteers’ group “Moldova for Peace”. Its purpose is to receive, offer assistance and accommodation to the Ukrainian refugees. The group is still working on creating a structure, registering and contacting volunteers, etc. It does not activate under a legal umbrella.
Lilia Nenescu, one of the “Moldova for Peace” volunteers, said that the group consists of over 20 people. Other 1700 registered to volunteer by filling in this form, which is still available. The group consists of several departments:
The volunteers’ department. Its members act as fixers: they’re responsible for connecting the people in need of assistance with the appropriate department. Some of the volunteers are located in the customs points. “The Ministry of Inner Affairs sends us every day the list of the customs points where our assistance is needed, and we mobilize the volunteers”, says Lilia Nenescu.
The Goods Department manages all the goods donated by the Moldavian citizens. The donations are separated into categories: non-perishable foods and non-food supplies. The volunteers of this department sort the goods into packages to be distributed.
The Government intends to collect all the donations in four locations. The National Agency for Food Safety and the National Agency for Public Health will ensure mechanisms to confirm that all the deposited goods comply with safety and quality regulations.
The Service Department operates in 4 directions and needs the volunteer involvement of specialists in psychology, legal assistance (the majority of the refugees only have Ukrainian ID and birth certificates of their children); medical assistance; translation (a part of the refugees are not Ukrainian citizens).
According to Elena Mudrîi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Health, so far there is no data about the number of Covid-19 positive refugees. She only mentioned two cases that needed outpatient medical assistance: a pregnant woman and the mother of a 4-day-old child.
The Accommodation Department. The volunteers are waiting for the centralized and updated information from the Ministry of Labor about the institutions offering accommodation, besides the houses offered by individuals.
The Transport Department consists of drivers organized in groups. They receive notifications about the number of people who need transportation from the customs points to the asylum centers for refugees.
The municipal authorities of Chișinău announced that the Ukrainian children refugees from the capital city will be enrolled in educational institutions. The authorities also intend to create Day-Care Centers for children, where they will be engaged in educational activities and will receive psychological assistance. Besides, the refugees from the municipal temporary accommodation centers receive individual and group counseling.
In addition to this effort, a group of volunteers consisting of Ana Gurău, Ana Popapa, and Andrei Lutenco developed, with the help of Cristian Coșneanu, the UArefugees platform, synchronized with the responses from this form. On the first day, 943 people offered their help using the form, and 110 people asked for help. According to Anna Gurău, the volunteers communicate with the Government in order to update the platform with the missing data.
Translation from Romanian by Natalia Graur
“They are not needy, but they need help”. How Moldovan volunteers try to create a safe environment for the Ukrainian refugees
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