Our work in Moldova & Transnistria

Moldova

In Moldova, we have had an integral role in the creation of a national network of 53 Small Family Homes, which provide a stable, caring environment for children without parental care.

2007 was an especially important year for our work. We were invited to join a working group alongside The Ministry of Education, UNICEF and three Local Authorities. Together, we are working to reform the entire Moldovan childcare system so that more children can grow up in families.

We also are also working with other Government Ministries and NGOs. Together, we will prevent children with special needs from being sent to live in institutions, by developing the necessary community based support services, such as Small Family Homes and Day Care Centres.

As a result of this collaboration, we have already identified that the Orhei Institution will be the first to close. 321 boys, all with varying degrees of special needs, currently live in the institution, and one carer looks after as many as 25 children at a time. We plan to move all of these children into caring family homes.

Transnistria

In 2000 a journalist alerted the Western media to the plight of a group of girls with special needs in Transnistria. They were living in appalling conditions in a large neuro-psychological hospital called the Bender Institution. The public outcry was strong and because of our expertise in deinstitutionalisation, we were invited into Transnistria to help the children.

Some of the girls have been relocated to Small Family Homes, so they can live in a caring, stimulating environment where they can reach their full potential. The other girls are living in a new Rehabilitation and Resource Centre, which we have recently renovated and adapted.

The Centre provides a short-term alternative to institutional care whilst their long-term individual needs are addressed. It offers services such as remedial therapy and medical care. Additionally, it provides support to local families with children who have special needs, thereby helping to prevent child abandonment.

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