Breanne, me and Irina walking to Cupcui

The Casa de Copii in Cupcoi

With the primary school children (orphans and villagers) in Cupcoi.

First, let discuss my visits to Case de Copiii (chidrens homes).  I have visited four since coming to Moldova and would have gone to more if access had been easier.  Conditions vary widely depending on whether or not the institution has a sponsor or not.  Those that had sponsors (either local businesses or outsiders such as mission groups) were in far better condition than those run by the government alone.  Some had progressive ideas and others were closed to outsiders--a full range of facilities were evident (from filthy outhouses to brand new washing machines).  Overall, I found that the people taking care of the children cared about their welfare and generally treated the children well.

The first home I visited was in the village of Cupcoi.  My friend Irina made arrangements in March for us to visit and we were joined by Irina's sister, Nadia and a Peace Corps volunteer, Breanne Svethla.  We made a short presentation on the U.S. and common English words (a presentation we repeated in other places).  And then gave the children drawing supplies and watched them draw.  In Cupcoi, the orphanage was also the village primary school so the orphans mixed freely with the village children in school.  One thing that is somewhat misleading about the orphan population is that many of the "orphans" still have families but their relatives do not have enough money to take care of the children so they go away to the orphanage as a sort of "boarding school."  Even so, about 50% of the children ranging from 7 to 17 in this particular orphanage were claimed by no one.  The facility had been modernized through gifts from a Christian mission organization based in Scotland and Alabama.

The second trip included three orphanages, all in the self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria.  Here the conditions varied widely and at our first stop, we were turned away because the director was worried that we might be disruptive (maybe she thought we were spies).  The second facility was a campus of 3 or 4 buildings and had the smell of an institution.  There were around 200 children, many of whom needed to touch us and crowd in with us.  It was fairly typical of the descriptions that I have read about Eastern European orphanages and the children, while adequately provided for, did not seem to be well socialized.  The buildings were in fair condition despite the odor and the meals looked good (we came unannounced).  But it was a tragedy seeing so many children without families and the Transnistrian authorities do not allow adoptions unless the child is very sick.  We were told that the children were educated just like any other child in the region with the exception that they were not taught foreign languages or science, reason being was that they could learn these subjects (but I wonder if they could learn them if they had some individualized attention).  Finally we visited a home built by a local woman with support from Ireland that was lovely.  She cared mostly for babies and toddlers and had several other people playing with the children and the home was in nice condition.

The orphanages tend to be located out of the cities and it was quite an ordeal to make arrangements to visit them.  My friend, Irina Nicorich, really was an angel in setting up the visits and she also introduced me to a local non-profit organization, Clipa Siderala (Star for a Moment).  I will talk more about Clipa in another blog but they are good people not only trying but actually making a difference in Moldova.  Salavat Jdanov, the founder of Clipa facilitated our visit to the Transnistran homes--which is not easy.

How did these visits effect me?  I guess as I try to put the pieces of the puzzle together, I come to two thoughts one, personal, the other more broad.  Personally, it is overwhelming to think about children abandoned and having so little to hope for in their futures and it makes it hard for me to understand why I have so many advantages.  That said, the second issue is more universal for me as an American, you realize that we have so many opportunities in the U.S. and that many, many people waste them.  Here, there are few opportunities and for orphans even less, it is hard to see this reality and live with all the privileges that come from my own reality.  My two trips to Western Europe have confirmed this frustration for me.  I find myself thinking about the orphans quite a lot, wishing to make an impact but not really knowing how.

Among the 200+ children living in a government home in Transnistria

. Kids waiting for the candies Salavat brought.

Entrance to the orphanage.

Art drawn by orphans in my apartment and a special dance by a little fellow.

Staff and volunteers at Clipa Siderala