Society
The hidden heroes of Moldova
This week we celebrate the vital role played by British charities and NGOs and their Moldovan partners in protecting and improving the quality of life of vulnerable people in the Republic of Moldova. Around a dozen of the most active will participate in the third annual forum for UK charities at the British Embassy on 18 November. This year the focus is on increasing the dialogue between the charities and Moldovan policy makers and the donor community.
We have a saying that ‘charity begins at home’ i.e. you look after your family and friends first. So why are there so many British charities working in Moldova? There around 40 British charitable organisations or individuals working in Moldova. Some, like Help Age International or the Salvation Army, work in scores of countries and have done so for years. Other medium sized organisations such as Lumos, ChildAid, Link to Hope and Hope and Homes for Children/Copil Communitatea Familia (CCF) work in a handful of countries or a region. These type of organisations not only work in the field targeting vulnerable individuals or groups of people, but they also work at a policy level with the national and municipal authorities.
Some organisations are faith-based (Salvation Army, Christian Response to Eastern Europe (CR2EE), Blythswood Care) which have close links to local churches. Blythswood is an amazing story of church-to-church assistance over the last decade between a small community in the island of Stornoway in the far north of Scotland and Nisporeni. But it is a link that has also benefited road safety in Moldova as a whole with the provision of 12 fire engines from Scotland equipped with vehicle cutting equipment and 6 ambulances too. When you put this alongside the 8 fire engines with cutting equipment provided by Fire Aid and EASST, nearly 1 in 10 of Moldova’s fire engines come from the UK.
There have also been dedicated missionaries such as Chris and Helen Ducker in Dancu and Sarata Razesi who left Moldova last year after 7 years and Matthew and Helen Skirton who earlier this year left Moldova after 20 years. Their dedication helped revitalise their communities and provided essential ‘life support’ in the form of hot meals and warm clothes for the elderly. They also encouraged small enterprises by securing start-up funds because people couldn’t get small loans from Moldovan banks. Only one British missionary is left here now, I think, and that is Sharon Eason in Balti who has done some amazing work protecting young women and the elderly in Riscani and Risipeni respectively.
Others specialise in providing support to particular groups of vulnerable people such as children at risk (CCF, Lumos, ChildAid) who are working to close down children’s institutions and provide alternative family-based care systems so that children can grow up in a loving family. MAD-Aid’s Phoenix Centre in Riscani and the Tony Hawks Centre in Chisinau work with children with disabilities and are the only two modern day-care centres in the country that offer services along Western standards. And Hospice Angelus, whose UK partner is Hospices of Hope, is the main provider of palliative care and support in Moldova for children and adults with life-limiting diseases. Other charities such as CR2EE and The Moldova Project target individual families that often fall through the cracks of social support provided by local social services.
There are other voluntary organisations (including schools) who do not have a permanent presence here, but who come back year after year to deliver aid or support a local community. For example, TEECH have been coming to Moldova since 2008 to dig latrines for schools and kindergartens and build indoor, modern toilets and showers in neglected villages. There are two schools Willink in Berkshire and Abingdon in Oxfordshire who, with their Moldovan partner AGAPE, bring around 20 sixth formers (17-18 year olds) here every July to look after children in the local school in Tintereni and Ialoveni and teach them English and supervise other activities for a week in the long summer holidays.
Last Christmas at least five charities (Salvation Army, CR2EE, TEECH, Link to Hope and Blythswood Care) delivered between them over 25,0000 Christmas presents to children and adults across Moldova who would otherwise not receive anything at Christmas. These presents are shoe-boxes filled with small presents and essentials (including soap, toothbrush and toothpaste) that have been donated and prepared by hand by ordinary British people. So that’s around 10,000 people all across Britain put thought and care into preparing such presents for Moldovan people who they have never met, including my own family in the UK.
Why do Brits prepare Christmas gifts for people they’ve never met, or give up their fortnight summer holiday building toilets in the heat of summer, or spend every day raising money for the underprivileged for people 2,000 km from the UK? Why did members of the UK’s postal workers’ union drive lorries packed with specialist equipment from the UK all the way from the UK to the Tony Hawks Centre in Chisinau and the Phoenix Centre in Riscani? Why do they give so generously?
Maybe it’s in our nature, or in our values such as tolerance of others and participating in community life. Certainly many people who give up their time to come to Moldova and help those less fortunate than themselves do so because they want to give something back to society. But there is also a tradition in British culture: charities such as the Salvation Army and Barnardo’s date back to the 1860s as does the Trades Union Congress which started to lobby for improvements in working conditions during the Industrial Revolution. In the mid and late Victorian era, whilst social commentators such as Charles Dickens and the German philosopher Friedrich Engels shone a light on the shocking conditions of Britain’s working classes, altruistic entrepreneurs such as the chocolatiers Joseph Rowntree and George Cadbury and Unilever’s British founder Lord Leverhulme, built model villages for their workers and initiated social improvements.
And so when I see the continued cycle of corruption in this country , the lack of political will to reform and I contrast it with the children in villages that I’ve met who can’t afford shoes or live in hovels, it makes me angry for two main reasons. First, because thousands of ordinary (not wealthy) British citizens are trying to make this country good. Second, because this country is not short of money. I just have to look at the luxury cars in the car park of my local gym to know that. The problem is that it is concentrated in the hands of the few and there is not enough money for social or infrastructure programmes. The introduction of a much fairer and equitable tax system coupled with more accountability and transparency in Government departments and agencies would go some way to alleviating the situation.
There’s one more problem. Whilst I’m immensely proud of the role of ordinary Britons in the development of Moldova, I do feel that a dependency culture is developing here that is worrying. It’s at a local level: poverty-stricken villages who hope that someone will come and make things right for them. And it’s at a national government level: which asks for even more money from the international community, instead of reforming the institutions to deliver more efficient and better services to the public. So may be charity does begin at home after all, that is that Moldovans can play just as an important role as the charities – its hidden heroes – do in improving this country.
If you would like more details of UK charities and their Moldovan partner organisations please go to www.charities4moldova.com
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
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