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Stories from diaspora/ Cătălina Dumbrăveanu: “Take the feeling of home with you, otherwise you can’t find it anywhere.”

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Every day, we get inspired by people and their stories. Especially, fascinating and inspiring are the stories of the persons that left their home, started from scratch, faced a lot of challenges and ventured out into new worlds.

Moldova.org decided to bring to you a series of such stories. These are stories of sparkling personalities, people that live far from their homeland – Moldova, but have never forgotten about it. Such people contribute to the prosperity and a good name of their homeland, despite the distance. They are little ambassadors of their country (as the protagonist of our today’s story usually says). They dedicate their time and efforts to something they truly believe: a country is made not only of people that live in it, but also of the people that chose to live far from it.

Meet Cătălina Dumbrăveanu, a girl born in Moldova, passioned by people and cultures. You won’t find her résumé anywhere: neither on social media, nor on public platforms. She is the most modest and discreet person you could ever come across. However, she has a lot of stories to tell the world. Being a specialist in international management and public policy, she gathered an experience of more than 7 years in the non-governmental area and in project management.

Cătălina reads a lot, having an affinity for biographies and existentialist authors, speaks 5 languages, improvises new cooking recipes, makes a lifestyle out of yoga, and every time her lungs and thoughts ask for more fresh air, she ventures into hiking or solitary travel.

Cătălina is grateful about everything she has. She believes that happiness can’t be programmed or planned according to a standard strategy. “For me, happiness is an intense and full emotion that you feel at some point, when all the stars are aligned according to the scheme that you had in your own mind,” she states.

Photo source: Facebook

About her work  and life philosophy

Over the years, her home was shared between 7 countries. At the moment, she lives in Berlin, being involved in several activities. Most of her time is dedicated to working in an organization that facilitates the implementation of digital health reforms in Germany. Cătălina is also doing research and, in parallel, co-manages a daring storytelling project called “Edges of Europe”, a project that wants to bring to the international audience the stories of young people from countries neighbouring Europe in a creative multimedia format. Catalina is one of the authors of a lovely multimedia story about Ocuppy Guguță, a viral movement of young activists that fight for democracy and a better future in Moldova, and about some of the Ocuppy Guguță key characters. Check it out here.

Cătălina is an archetype of the most dynamic and energetic young generation. She always has something to do. Moreover, she is absolutely in love with everything she does: public policy, health management, population development and sustainability. “My interest for these areas appeared during my master studies at the Erasmus University Rotterdam and Bocconi University Milan,” says Cătălina.

Photo source: Facebook

Cătălina aspires for a more conscious and sustainable thinking in the future. “Everyone could do something: including more fruits, vegetables and grains in the diet, to the detriment of the meat; waste recycling; conscious shopping and spending less on unnecessary items. These are just a few simple, necessary and beneficial changes for everyone,” states our protagonist.

Some time ago, she was more intrigued by international relations, communication and journalism. These were the areas she explored while being in the Republic of Moldova, by taking part in volunteer activities, internships and study exchanges. Cătălina Dumbrăveanu was a member of the National Youth Council of the Republic of Moldova, as a board member and later, coordinator of the project “Intercultural Dialogue in Moldova”, as well as, program coordinator of the Young Journalist Centre of Moldova. “I am grateful to the experience at the Young Journalist Centre, where I encouraged and supported young people from across the country to pursue their dream of exploring the media, and also to the National Youth Council, alongside which I went through a practical school of public policy, advocacy and good governance,” she confesses.

Photo source: personal archive

The idea with which she always resonated is to return the whole goodness that universe blessed her with, or, in other words, to contribute to positive changes, regardless of the existent context and circumstances. “That’s what excites me and what I try to achieve continuously – the concept of effective altruism,” says Cătălina.

Her entire activity is nourished by Cătălina’s fondness for human interactions, especially in a multicultural context.

“Perhaps tolerance, respect for diversity, openness to the unknown, the courage to believe in adventurous ideas, and the feeling of belonging to the European cultural family that I display today are rooted in both the education I received at home and in volunteer activities. I started to be engaged in volunteer activities at the age of 16 and grew up with them.”

Cătălina has a vast international volunteer experience. She participated in many Erasmus + projects, in an EVS (European Voluntary Service) and, for 2 years, she was a member of the European Youth Press, an umbrella organization of more than 50,000 of young people passionate about media and communication.

Photo source: personal archive

Still, one of the most memorable experiences she had, was the moment she received a scholarship of the Global UGRAD academic exchange program, supported by the US State Department. “Thanks to it, in the 3rd year of my bachelor’s degree I had the chance to study at a university in the USA and to discover the American culture. It was the experience that marked many beginnings in my life,” claims Cătălina.

When asked about what she learned from her volunteering activity, Cătălina mentions the feeling of belonging to an idealistic team, in which one can learn from mistakes and develop multilaterally. “I am grateful for each of my experiences and I am aware of their role in defining what I am today,” Cătălina says.

Photo source: Facebook

Generally, she thinks that a daily gratitude exercise is useful for becoming fulfilled. Cătălina advises “To stay alone for a few moments, to gather your thoughts and to remember the good that happened in your life, being thankful for what you are, what you have, and any experience of yours… And there is something else – living now, because that moment alone belongs to us.”

About her connection with Moldova

She misses Moldova. But even living in another country, she still believes something could be done.

“I think that every person living abroad is a non-formal ambassador of his country. That’s a responsibility and an opportunity at the same time. Everything we do and say can cause an outsider to love our country and perhaps possibly visit it. That, indirectly, is a contribution to the development of tourism.”

Then, Cătălina says that every Moldovan that lives abroad could promote local producers by simply buying and including the products/services from Moldova in their daily life. “From my own experience, I can say that it is more than enjoyable to hear some admirable commentaries addressing the products from Moldova,” says Cătălina while cheerfully smiling.

Moreover, according to Cătălina, there are a lot of examples of young people that invest their time and efforts in home projects, which they coordinate remotely, through regular returns, or through social networks. Last but not least, by discussing with the relatives that live in Moldova and providing a new perspective, different from the one inoculated by most sources of information in the country, one can contribute to a small change of mentality.

Photo source: personal archive

Cătălina already does all of this and is encouraging other people that live abroad to contribute with the little they can. “I meet people that don’t know much about Moldova. The good part in this case is that I can create a first positive impression. I try to motivate them to discover the charm of our authentic cuisine, the nature that harmoniously blends with villages forgotten by time, the traditions I remember from my grandparents (which, unfortunately, started to fade away) and the uniqueness of our bilingual folk. Initially, I try to omit the complicated political issues and try to avoid the label of poorest country in Europe that is often assigned to Moldova by media.

Featured photo source: Facebook

Jurnalistă that speaks English very well. De aia Maria are grijă că prietenii noștri străini să nu piardă nicio informație valoroasă despre actualitatea din Moldova.

Society

“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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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

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Featured

FC Sheriff Tiraspol victory: can national pride go hand in hand with political separatism?

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A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.

International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.

Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.

Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.

Is it Moldova?

First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.

At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”

What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.

“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.

Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.

Is it a victory?

In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.

Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.

“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”

Is it only about football?

FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.

The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.

Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.

Photo: unknown

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Elections

Russia’s legislative elections: Why are there 27 polling stations in Transnistria?

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Legislative elections are currently being held in Russia between September 17-19, as 450 new members in the State Duma need to be elected.

The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Russian Federation decided to open a record number of polling stations in the Transnistrian region – 27 polling stations, in addition to only 3 polling station opened on the right bank of the Dniester in such big cities as Chisinau, Comrat and Balti.

That is the largest number of polling stations opened by the Russian CEC in a foreign country, and five polling stations more than in the 2016 elections. Two of the polling stations were established in Tiraspol, being open from Friday to Sunday. The rest of the Russian polling stations on the Transnistrian territory are opened on Sunday only. The most astonishing fact is that no state other than Russia has ever opened polling stations in the separatist region of the Republic of Moldova. Actually, no polling stations are being opened on the Transnistrian territory when it comes to national elections of the Republic of Moldova either.

Therefore, one could say that the stakes are high when it comes to Transnistrian voters, especially since, most likely, the hopes of Russian authorities are not necessarily based on a large turnout and their real support, rather on the real possibility of electoral fraud on a territory that is not controlled by the constitutional authorities in Chisinau.

Before the presidential elections in 2018, Russian authorities announced that there are 220 thousand Russian citizens living in the Transnistrian region. That time, 24 polling stations were opened in the separatist area. Despite the fact that the Tiraspol Electoral Commission announced that, in the last year and a half alone, the voter turnout has officially fallen in the region by more than 7 700 people, the Russian CEC still decided to establish a record number of polling stations this year, which strengthened the argument about the possibility of election fraud.

Both Tiraspol’s administration and the regional media campaigned for the ruling political party United Russia and called for a high turnout at polling stations. Transnistria’s leader, Vadim Krasnoselski, urged the people on the left bank of the Dniester to come to the polls “because despite all the difficulties, Russia does not forget Transnistria and helps it as much as possible.”

It seems that the campaigning, along with the Russian sponsorship in the region, show great results during every election ballot, as Russian citizens voting in Russian elections in Transnistria are a more active electorate than Moldovan citizens residing in Transnistria and voting in the Moldovan elections at the polling stations arranged on the other bank of the Dniester, especially for them. In the previous Russia’s legislative elections, 56 thousand people voted in Transnistria, while just under 29 thousand inhabitants of the Transnistrian region voted in the recent Moldova’s parliamentary elections.

Before every election ballot held in the Russian Federation, Moldovan authorities make statements, suggesting the Russian side to abstain from opening polling stations in Transnistria, whereas Russian authorities ignore them every time.

This year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova also sent a note of protest against opening the polling stations in Transnistria. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration regrets that, despite the position consistently expressed by the Moldovan authorities, the Russian side acted in a manner that does not correspond to the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova and the bilateral legal framework.”

The Ministry representatives noted that Russian authorities were informed of the lack of impediments to open polling stations in localities under the control of Moldova’s constitutional authorities and requested the Russian side to refrain from opening the 27 polling stations in the localities of the breakaway region, given the impossibility of ensuring the necessary security conditions for the current elections.

Moscow’s Central Election Commission also opened nine polling stations in Abkhazia and ten in South Ossetia – two disputed territories that were internationally recognised by Russia and a few more countries, while considered under military occupation, according to the Georgian Government. These lands, that are under the exclusive control of Russia, offer good opportunities to ‘correct’ any uncomfortable results obtained in the country, where the ruling political party no longer enjoys as much support as it wants to appear.

Photo: wjct.org

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