• Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family of the Republic of Moldova, contact person: Mr. Corneliu Tarus
• Universitatea de stat din Moldova, contact person: Ms. Diana Cheianu Andrei
• Child Rights Information Centre from Moldova (CRIC Moldova), contact person: Cezar Gavriliuc
• IOM Moldova, contact person: Ms. Natalia Moysevic

Project focus: Systemic improvement of the situation of abandoned children in Moldova through creation of a national concept of social care.

 

1. Established institutional strategy/concept of social care based on the vital needs and problems of abandoned children (particularly of children abandoned as a result of migration)
2. Raised awareness of parents and carers about the problems and needs of abandoned children
3. National methodology for surveying the number of abandoned children, their problems and needs, including a functioning database that will be a part of a database module MPS0R

• Ministries responsible for the work with children and relevant authorities at the level of districts, cities and villages
• Social orphans, particularly children abandoned by their migrant parents
• Parents, especially those planning to emigrate for work, and careers

Description of project: In the European context, Moldova is – besides poverty – characterised by emigration for work.  In 2008, migration of active inhabitants grew to 16% and as a result, approximately one or both of 170’000 Moldovan children’s parents are abroad. Twenty percent of children live in households without the support of adults. At the same time, less than 6% of children registered with the respective authorities take advantage of some sort of state care services, i.e. a guardian or live-in institutions providing social care. Other children remain completely out of the state social care system: they live with their relatives or older family members, or they live on their own or in households where the ‘head of the family’ is also a child.

 

Children without adequate adult support are more prone to hazardous behaviour. According to schools, children who are neglected, abused or exploited in their families or whose parents migrate, play truant more often and  are in danger of becoming addicted – e.g. to alcohol, cigarettes or gambling – and can develop psycho-emotional and adaptation problems. They also become victims of human trafficking, violence and other forms of abuse more often than others.

 

The Moldovan government reacts to this situation by creating an integrated system of social services. It launched a social aid system reform programme in 2008 by adopting a social aid law. Until now, social aid has been provided through benefits to eleven categories of people. Such a way of providing social aid does not always reach the ones who are most in need of it. A part of the integrated social aid system should be social services provided according to the needs of the communities and individuals. On the basis of the surveyed needs, Caritas CR will provide different social groups, including abandoned children, with relevant social aid services.

 

The developmental aim of the project is systemic improvement of living conditions of abandoned children in Moldova by supporting the development of a national concept of social aid, which in the future will represent a part of an integrated system of social aid. Building the capacity of the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family (MPSOR) is  a principled approach of the project. The input activity is a survey of the needs and existing services for abandoned children, which will be succeeded by a national census of abandoned children in Moldova and a communication campaign aimed at parents and their careers of abandoned children.

 

The benefits of the project will especially be the following:

• A database created on abandoned children, including a methodology of data collection
• Training social workers to maintain the database and data analysis
• A document containing a social care strategy for abandoned children and the output of the communication campaign

As a result of the project, a nation-wide response to the phenomenon of abandoned children will be aroused, which will be part of a broader whole of social care system reforms in Moldova.

 

Total budget: 427 603 EUR

 

Donor: Czech Development Agency