YMCA Europe in partnership with YMCA Moldova held on the 2nd and 3rd of November visits and meetings with key private and public institutions in Moldova as part of the ongoing projects aimed to support not only the Ukrainian refugees, but also to the whole community, especially in the most vulnerable ones.
For the first part of our meeting in Chisinau, our delegation was received by the Vice President of the Parliament Mr. Vlad Batrincea and then by the former Prime Minister Mr. Ion Chicu.
We also met with partners, members, staff team, volunteers and the governance team of YMCA Moldova. As a movement, we are forever grateful for their continuous effort and quick response in mobilisation of resources and involvement in our mission to bring forth change for the vulnerable ones.
Our Secretary General Juan Simoes Iglesias and Dumitru Roibu, YMCA Moldova President attended a news conference – organised by the local press agency, IPN, emphasising the urgent need for active collaboration between state institutions and NGOs to increase our outreach and collective know-how.
Our delegation also attended the official signing of the agreement between YMCA Moldova and the Municipality of Chisinau to streamline the access of young people to education through digital tools and create a better communication avenue between the state institution and the organisation.
The Mayor and the Deputy Mayor of the Capital city, together with the YMCA delegation agreed that this is a very relevant step to promote youth development and opportunities for children, young adults and teachers alike.
We had the chance to visit the eDU hub of the "Refugee Skilling and Support” project financed by YMCA Europe, project addressing an immediate and clear need for digital and employability-skills building, mental health and legal support, enabling over 10,000 beneficiaries from the communities affected by the war in Ukraine and in the neighboring countries of Romania, Moldova and Slovakia.
The final step of the journey led us to the National Employment Agency. Our programs are designed to provide employability and career training sessions to the local community, therefore discussing the opportunities for cooperation with the Director of the National Employment Agency was part of the plan.
YMCA can be a reliable partner in providing expertise and support for different projects, especially those involving the Ukrainian community. This aspect would facilitate the leading of the skilling sessions and ensure a qualitative standard of the delivery of the programs for the beneficiaries.
As part of the last leg of our journey, we also had the chance to meet the President of Anenii Noi county and the Mayor of the city, identifying common fields for cooperation.
We had the chance to examine the local wants and needs, intending to set up local education centres – eDU hubs where young people and their families could access our skilling sessions, psychosocial and legal assistance.
Our mission will continue by establishing new partnerships, and ensuring a closer collaboration with our colleagues at YMCA Moldova.
