Ora International & Love and Care for Moldova

Yesterday I went to visit Catalina at her office and she told me all about the work she does for NGOs and charities in Chisinau. She definitely keeps herself extremely busy. She works for Ora International and also for the British charity "Love and Care for Moldova." Here are the links to the two websites.

http://www.love-and-care-for-moldova.co.uk/home/
http://www.ora-international.org/index.php?orga_id=30&setcookie=Go

She showed me a couple of movies they made and it was very eye-opening to see what life is like in the poorest villages in Moldova. She took Christmas gifts to children in one village that you can't access by car; they went by horse and carriage. The children she visited were dirty, had no adult supervision, and had only the clothes on their backs. Some of the young children can't go to school because they have to tend to the animals. It's a pretty dismal picture. She invited me to go along with her on one of her trips and I think I will do that at some point this year.

At her office building they also have a tailor shop where young women from the villages come to learn how to tailor and start their own businesses. They also have access to a psychiatrist and they teach English in the building. They are involved in many other projects, including managing an orphanage and nursing home. Catalina and I talked for a while about the work people are doing at NGOs in Chisinau. In her opinion, there is not enough coordination between organizations. It is difficult to do very much with minimal funding, and there could be a bigger impact if organizations joined forces more often. Instead, there is a feeling of competition that doesn't really benefit anyone. She also said that she's learned that the most beneficial aid she can give is education. A one-time donation of some books, food, or clothing is much appreciated, but won't make much of a difference in the long-term. A lot of the young people she has seen already have rotting teeth just because they haven't learned about personal hygiene.

Catalina is very interested in women's issues and empowering young women to change their lives, which is an important aspect of my research as well. Hopefully we will be able to work together on a project at some point during my time here.