A "Rainbow" of Hope in Moldova
Wednesday, May 16, 2007By: Nadia McGill, public relations assistant, ADRA
The smell of fresh paint and the happy, hurried pounding of children’s feet filled the halls of the new rehabilitation center for street children in Moldova, as the new residents enthusiastically inspected their new home this past fall. “The children couldn’t believe their eyes,” recalls Andrei Girleanu, country director for the ADRA office in Moldova. “Everywhere you looked, you could hear children yelling excitedly, “This is our HOME!”
The children are not the only ones excited about the new center. “This is a new page in the history of the ADRA Street Children project,” declares Girleanu. “Rainbow,” the name of the new rehabilitation center, is a dream that has been a long time coming for ADRA Moldova and the 31 children that now live at the center.
The dream germinated one evening in 1999 when, as she was returning home after a long day of work, Tatiana Vorona noticed a group of children digging in the garbage for food close to a nearby market. Moved with compassion, Tatiana opened up her home to the children, offering them a warm meal and a shower. “In the beginning, it was really difficult,” confesses Vorona. “The children were very wary of us.” In time, however, the children began opening up to Tatiana and her husband Igor. “We soon found out that all of them were homeless, with several of them living in abandoned basements, elevators, and some even in old crypts at cemeteries.” The Voronas decided something had to be done.
They organized a small shelter, which provided for the basic needs of the children—most importantly, a hot meal. “In the beginning, it was really difficult,” admits Girleanu. “For an entire year, we struggled to provide enough food, clothing, and medicine. Many of the children also suffered from various psychological and general health problems.”
Concerned with the pressing needs of the children, Tatiana and Igor approached Andrei Melniciuc, then country director for ADRA Moldova. With the support of ADRA International and ADRA Sweden, they officially organized the “Street Children” project. ADRA Moldova originally established the children’s center in a kindergarten building in the capital city of Chisinau, where the municipality gave them free rent. Project funding provided the new center with books, furniture, games, and other necessities. Specialists were hired to meet the physical and psychological needs of the children. “Things were really looking up,” Girleanu says, remembering.
However, the center’s “new” location soon proved problematic. The heating didn’t work properly and the building was very old, with structural problems with the roof. Once repaired, the problems quickly returned. “It is always better to begin with something new than to repair something old!” Girleanu advises wisely.
In spring 2006, ADRA Moldova found a group of Moldovan businessmen who were willing to invest in building a new rehabilitation center for the children. The businessmen purchased land deep in the heart of nature, in the idyllic rural setting of Vadul lui Voda, a resort town located about 10 miles from Chisanau. Construction moved quickly, and the center—complete with an outdoor playground and a fish tank in the playroom--welcomed the children home in November 2006.
Many of the children who come to the center bring with them a variety of different health and psychological concerns. To meet their needs, ADRA Moldova retains essential staff, including a physician, a nurse, a psychologist, and a social worker. In addition, the children are divided by age into groups of six or seven, where educators offer homework help and teach the children about hygiene, etiquette, and conflict resolution.
With a music school and an elementary school nearby, “There are a lot of possibilities to develop these kids,” notes Girleanu. The center, too, helps stimulate the children’s interest and foster a sense of family with a newsletter that chronicles the children’s daily activities. “We also organize various workshops so that every child can find himself, and develop his inner power of creativity,” Girleanu continues. ADRA will help those who finish school find work or encourage them to strive towards higher education opportunities.
“We realize that this new home comes with a lot of new expenses, and we want to thank all those people who supported the project from the beginning, especially ADRA International. In the end, we know it’s worth it,” says Girleanu. “These children definitely deserve it.”
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