Moldova is a country where you don’t need to make any sociological researches to see the problems of people, especially if you move to the countryside. In the situation of low opportunities for job, high rate of poverty and alcohol addiction, YMCA is an organization which opens doors for young people to live in a better world.
A program "Voievod", which deals with Martial Arts, works for bringing up healthy, strong, patriotic, active citizens. More than 3 000 young people are taking part in the program now, more than 20 000 have come through it.
In several small cities where drug addiction rate was high, YMCA Moldova, while working with youth through sport, helped the police to discover and close several drugs’ distribution "points". They saved several young people from drug addiction by involvement them in the programs, working with people surrounding them, cooperating with a medical rehabilitation center for addicts, providing mentors to them.
Every week volunteers of YMCA Moldova visit young prisoners (read full article here). They run there different kinds of activities so youth keeps somehow connected to the external world. After long terms of being imprisoned these people don’t know what to do when they are free. Mostly they come back the same day they are released. YMCA Moldova works with each of them. They try to find a place for several months of their rehabilitation – a family (if there is), a monastery; include them in sport programs. If they can stand for several months without commitment of any crime, they help them to find job.
These are several examples of unique work which YMCA Moldova is doing. We can tell more about ecological events, camps, cooperation with Youth Parliament, work with Gypsies, historical tours, Tensing, highly important work in Transnistria, etc.
1-5 July Olga Lukina (YMCA Europe Regional Assistant for Movement Strengthening and Project Management) visited YMCA Moldova for discussion of issues of movement strengthening, developing project, new ways of cooperation, etc. A training about work of YMCA Europe and volunteerism was delivered to young leaders together with World YMCA representative Dr. Mikhail Guskov. It was pleasant to be there at the National holiday of Moldova – a day of Saint Stefan cel Mare. Together with the volunteers we put flowers to the monument in the center of the capital.
YMCA Moldova’s leaders kindly ask other YMCA movements in Europe to include them in the projects you are applying. It will help to educate and develop youth of the organization. Constant partnership with YMCA Romania has proven the importance of such opportunities. Please, send the mandates to Nicolae Pascaru voievod@mail.ru
YMCA Moldova has big and important goals. They have started building YMCA Youth Center, which will be a place for YMCA’s activities and a source for further development. They will be happy to all kids of partnership for this initiative. Please, contact Olga Lukina (olga@ymcaeurope.com) for any questions and suggestions for the development of YMCA Moldova.
