Preventing Family Abandonment
Every year, we prevent the family abandonment of approximately 180-200 children. On average, the intervention per child costs us 21,000 lei. Meanwhile, the state spends between 81,000 and 338,990 lei per year to keep them in residential institutions (children's homes, orphanages, placement centers).
WE BELIEVE IN THE POWER AND LOVE OF THE FAMILY
For children from poor backgrounds, sometimes the only asset, the only certainty, is the love of their parents. When poverty leads to their separation from family, their whole world falls apart.
Ionuț was only four years old, the eldest of Viorelia's three children, when his fate and that of his siblings was being discussed in the large hall of the village hall. It was the beginning of winter, and their mother had no way to heat the house or provide food for them. She came to the attention of the authorities because she had just given birth to her third child. Viorelia had such a beautiful relationship with her little ones that your heart would break at the mere thought of them being taken into state care during the winter.
We were there for them that winter and for another year after. We collaborated beautifully with the children's mother so that even today, when Ionuț is a school student and the others are already in kindergarten, things are still going well. We invested both material support and a lot of counseling and guidance. Even after the first year of help, Viorelia became more confident, informed, and determined. Today, she is raising her children independently. Our life is full of challenges, and Viorelia feels the economic crises quite acutely, but she faces them all and knows where to turn in certain circumstances.
This is what we have been talking about for 20 years: empowering families, eliminating risks, and supporting them towards an independent life according to their individual potential. We are firmly convinced that timely intervention can prevent and solve many problems that could negatively mark the lives of thousands of children at risk.
Through the Child Separation Prevention Program, the CCF Moldova team works on the causes that put families at risk, by providing financial support to families as well as counseling.
We also develop community support services, both social and educational. We develop and expand family-type alternative services to eliminate any form of child abuse. We train and mentor system specialists to be as effective as possible. We advocate for better, more accessible services, coherent policies, and sufficient funding.
This program complements the orphanage closure program, as when we work to close an orphanage, it is important to ensure that no more children are taken away from their families. All this support is provided to the Government of Moldova in promoting and implementing child care system reform.
WHY WE DO THIS:
Because we cannot be complicit in the serious violations and abuses committed by separating children from their family environment and placing them in residential institutions. Hundreds of years of research show that separating children from their families is a trauma and abuse. Did you know that until 1946 there were no boarding schools, children's homes, or other institutions in Moldova? We don't need them now either. Maintaining a child in an institution costs the state between 81,000 and 338,990 lei per year.
By supporting this program, you become part of a process that changes lives and brings a positive impact on the country's situation, as well as on the future economy and business environment.
