Salvati Copiii Moldova: September 2007

The summer has drawn to an end. The children are back from summer camp and as with any child, they’re anxious about starting school. After the debacle over the renovation project, we’ve had to set our sights towards meeting the children’s immediate needs.

We hope and pray we’ll receive help to get the bathroom renovation completed soon, as our mutual concerns mount over the condition of the wood beam joists that serve to support the flooring of the bathrooms. And from a psychological point, it’s a dark corner where the children must bathe, which can have other consequences when dealing with traumatised children.

Veronica and Inna have been packing up school supplies; ring-binders, rucksacks, pencils, pens, paper pads, everything a child would need for school. Those items will be distributed in the villages during the next few weeks. The UNHCR provides a small grant to support refugee children in the villages, but the amount is too small to reach everyone. In Aschiuta home, we must rely upon direct support.

Shoes are at the top of the list. Winter comes fast and it’s important for the children’s young feet to have comfortable and appropriate new shoes to help their developing feet. Whilst I’ve never been opposed to ‘used’ shoes, I recognise there are several considerations; firstly, there is the physiological consideration. A growing child places extreme pressure on a small shoe. It can actually be damaging to a child’s foot to place them in a shoe that has already formed itself to a previous owner. I must be honest, I wasn’t aware of this until several years ago when a paediatric orthopaedist told me of the number of children who later in life have problems with their legs and backs as a result of adapting to hand-me-down shoes from the family.

The other issue, which is equally important, is the intense peer pressure a child faces in school and other settings involving children. Within their own confines, the children of Aschiuta easily identify with the traumas and losses that each of them has encountered. Therefore, there is seldom any taunting or arguments. In fact, quite the opposite. The children are amazingly docile and adaptive to any setting.

It’s important to a child’s development and recovery to provide as much ‘normality’ (if there is such a thing) in their lives. It would be cruel and unfair to prepare a child for school in such a way that they stood out among the other children and became targets of cruelties that only children can manifest.

Clothes for school also play an important role. Thankfully, there are no obsessions with branded clothes as there is in the west. All that's required is that the children’s clothes are neat, clean, and presentable.

I’m most thankful to the manager of Priceless Shoes in Bexhill, who has provided me a small discount on cases of new winter shoes. But the list of needs far exceeds what we can supply.

I’m often asked how people might help. As always, I encourage organisations, businesses, or civic and church groups to come out to Moldova and see what our needs are. Anywhere you turn, you’ll see a need.
Getting employees involved in social responsibility projects can have a powerful positive impact on staff morale. For young people it can educate and inspire them to understand more about our world and our social system.

For anyone who would like for me to speak with their church, business, or civic group about how you might become involved, it would be my honour to do so.

I won’t mask the fact that the work can be challenging at times. But I can promise you the rewards are priceless!

If you would like to learn more about the needs of Aschiuta Home at Salvati Copiii Moldova, please scroll to the bottom of this blog. Thank you!

The Childrens Story