Well, I started work last Sunday and I wanted to post a little bit about the work I have been doing with CCF (Children, Communities, and Families) Moldova, an NGO which partners with the Moldovan Department of Child Protection, Hope and Homes for Children UK, Unicef, ECPAT International, and Caritas Switzerland, among other partners. As I understand it, CCF does not have authority in child protection cases, but offers the practical expertise, logisitcs, human and capital resources to get the job done. So they are working very closely in partnership with the Moldovan authorities in child protection cases.
The director, Liliana Rotaru, has told me that 90% of the work that CCF is doing involves de-institutionalization of children in Moldova. Basically what this involves is starting a process of case managment for the children who will be either re-integrated into their birth/extended families, or placed in liscensed foster families. There is also a strong prevention component to the work CCF is doing, in order to prevent new cases from using the country's institutions (as there is currently no moratorium on new placements.) The main goal of CCF now is to see as many institutions as possible closed. In addition, this goal is an anti-trafficking strategy, as many vulnerable children and young adults from Moldova are being trafficked to other countries in Europe and abroad.
Some highlights of my week were:
*Visiting Cupcini, an institution with a capacity of 450 children, which is now down to only 21 children. The institution will close permanently in June. Ana, the leader of this project, spoke to me about the importance of closing the insitutions, even in the face of protest from the staff. Ana subtly pointed out to me that the staff were wearing the same sandals as the children, which had obviously been taken from a donation intended for the children. Staff members had been given the option to become liscenced foster parents for some of the children, but chose not to. Seemingly, the institutional model is still embraced by many as a reasonable solution for children's needs.
*I also was able to participate in many home visits with the staff social workers and psychologists. One example was a family with two HIV positive parents and three young daughters. CCF had helped the family to improve their living conditions enough to keep their chilren at home, as well as educating them about health issues associated with HIV and implications for raising their children.
Another family we visited was a case of two children who had been reintegrated to live with their Grandmother. CCF was assisting with medicine, food, and reparing the apartment which had a mold problem.
I had the great privilege of visiting a foster family who had taken two young siblings into their home from the institution. The foster mother expressed concern that the boy was hiding food all over the house and even in his cheeks after meals, and that the younger daughter had been extremely malnourished. But the kids were beautiful and seemed so healthy and happy. It was amazing to see, in comparision to some of the children at the institution.
*Lastly, on Friday, I was able to participate in a project with ECPAT international called YPP (Youth Partnership Program). This is a peer education program, where young people are trained to educate others on the rights of children and other issues relating to trafficking in Moldova. About 15 young people participated, and it was interesting for me to hear the discussions about what constitutes abuse. For example, one of the questions was, if a 12-year-old girl is sleeping in the same bed with her father, is it abuse? Or if a 7-year-old is selling newspapers, is it abuse? It was thought-provoking for me to hear these high schoolers arguing with each other about their different conceptions of abuse, especcially because it is so difficult to untangle poverty from abuse.
It was an amazing week so far, and I am impressed with the professionalism and aptitude of my colleagues here, who face monumental tasks in child protection.
On a more personal note, I have been enjoying the beautiful sunshine and I found a great park to run in, which is a memorial with an eternal flame, constantly guarded by throngs of uniformed men (again, purpose of uniform thus far unclear.) This morning it was just me and my ten park "officials" as I ran and contemplated such eternal questions as: How do you store a bag of milk in the fridge? How many stuffed animals can possibly fit inside one glass case (this had been bothering me since all my home visits)? Am I really buying towels by the kilogram? (Yes.)
And most importantly, how is it possible to decorate an eternal flame with streamers, ribbons, and plastic flowers, without creating an incendiary device of magnificent proportions? Answer: it takes alot of manpower.
