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"It's the end of another incredible day in Moldova. None of us have come away unaffected by this trip; certainly no more than after today. First thing we had a meeting with Mrs. Svetlana Chifa, the Head of the Child Protection Department in Moldova. Recently she helped Hope and Homes for Children by lobbying at Chisinau's City Hall, and as a result the city awarded Hope and Homes for Children 30 yards of prime city land to build a new home for disabled children who are unlikely to be fostered or adopted. She spoke to us at some length about the projects they have undertaken and their three main aims: identifying the children at risk, evidencing that risk and protecting the children. It's obvious they face many obstacles along the way - the State in theory support these principles but are reluctant to fund any work at this time. There are hundreds of complexities, but to me the key issues seem to be around training and educating the carers, lack of State support and monetary issues. We were made very welcome, and at the end of the meeting Mrs. Chifa gave each of us a ceramic medal in recognition of our support and for visiting them - we all felt that the medals should have been given to them for all their hard work!
 After the meeting we headed to the Institution for babies and young children in Chisinau. This institution has slowly, with the help of Hope and Homes for Children, moved from being simply an institution to a centre which houses a nursery, a day centre for both able and disabled children and a mother and baby unit (for mothers at risk of giving up their children). Astoundingly, this is the only public facility of this kind in the whole of Moldova (there are other which are private, and therefore costly). As you can imagine, places are highly in demand and families have to apply in writing and are assessed on a case by case basis. Places are very limited. Hope and Homes for Children are working to close the Chisinau Institution for Babies and will work to strengthen and promote the alternative family services such as the mother and baby unit and day care that have been developed.
Unfortunately, the centre still have children who live there permanently. We visited these children, and I cannot, in writing, express the emotions I felt when a small boy cam running up to me and held out his arms to be picked up. He was as light as a feather, and I guessed him to be about 18 months old due to his stature. He was in fact five - it was clear that his development had been stunted by lack of nutritional food and exercise. He craved love and affection - I had to stop myself from tucking him under my arm and running off with him to the airport! This little boy had been up for adoption for three years - he had yet to have any interest because of his disabilities, albeit slight (he had issues with his eyes).
We also visited the severely disabled children who were permanent residents, and never likely to be adopted. In one cot lay three boys, on their backs. Their bodies were practically rigid and very stiff. I held one boy's hand and his face lit up in delight. I'm not an expert - I didn't know the extent of their disabilities nor the exact kind of care they needed, and I truly believe the women were trying their best to care for them, but it's clearly not enough. These children need one-to-one care at the very least; undivided love and attention which they just aren't getting at the moment. The future looks a little brighter however, with the new home that Hope and Homes for Children are building, these children should have a better quality of life.
Finally we visited the baby unit. In 2001, 215 babies were abandoned by their mothers in hospital. Thanks to Hope and Homes for Children and greater social awareness, only 40 were abandoned last year. That's still 40 too many. The babies were housed in small glass rooms - it was very clinical, and quite stuffy. We passed a toddler who was standing up in her cot. She was very pale and stared at us with huge eyes. The nurse told us that she was HIV positive, and she had just celebrated her first birthday. She had been in that room pretty much all of her life. We all found it very difficult - we felt anger, sadness, shock - it was clear that the institution had improved, but there was still huge holes in the system, and so much room for improvement.
The answer? It's such a complex situation that I'm not sure I know. There are plenty of things that need changing and plenty of ways which we can help. Perhaps the clearest answer I got was this afternoon, when Huw, John and I travelled to the suburbs to visit a little girl. She had been institutionalised for two months by her mother who had difficulties. With Hope and Home for Children's help, the grandmother and grandfather had taken her home with them and are going to bring her up. They obviously adored her, and she was clearly a happy, confident little girl. It's love, attention and care that make children happy and well adjusted. The difference between the girl and her grandparents and the boy I held in my arms this morning was astounding.
Late afternoon we went to Hope and Homes for Children's HQ, and met with the team. They are a group of driven and passionate people - incredibly kind, hardworking and positive - amazing considering the cases they must deal with (about 40 each). It must be a heartbreaking job, I asked. How do you all deal with it? Lots of chat, wine and BBQs, was the answer. It's Huw's birthday today, and Hope and Homes for Children magically brought out local champagne for us to celebrate. I've never met such a thoughtful and lovely group of people - I hope I can stay in touch.
After such an intense day, we headed into the city and went to Beir Platz - a German pub - where to the sounds of an Oompah band we tried to come to terms with the things we had seen. A truly memorable day." Stef |
