Moldova: Social protection and inclusion

The Russian Federation’s invasion of Ukraine on the 24th of February 2022 resulted in a rapid deterioration in the safety of the civilian population. As a result, over a quarter of Ukraine’s people left their homes. As Ukraine’s neighbour, Moldova has been under constant pressure from the movement of refugees from Ukraine. Although most Ukrainians are only transiting through the country, 95,728 refugees—almost 4 % of the Moldovan population—have settled and are registered in the Republic of Moldova. Most of the refugees are mothers with children, and over 90% of the children prefer to continue online education in Ukraine rather than enrolling in local schools; therefore, there is a need for a digital learning centre which offers Ukrainian children the opportunity to study online in a safe space and with the aid of trained facilitators.
People in Need (PIN) proposes a project that addresses the educational needs of Ukrainian children seeking refuge in Moldova. The main area of intervention focuses on creating a digital learning centre to ensure continuity of education for Ukrainian children and provide a child-friendly space to allow refugee and host community children to heal and learn. All activities are closely coordinated by PIN’s education and protection advisors and implemented in cooperation with local partners. Thus, PIN aims to improve access to quality education and psychosocial support for displaced Ukrainian children in Moldova and contribute to better social cohesion by involving host community children. 

Social services should meet the real needs of people, including the vulnerable groups. That is why the local people need to be involved in planning of services at the community level. This project supported local public authorities from Cahul, Glodeni and Strășeni districts to plan the social services together with the beneficiaries and representatives of civil society, using the principles and advantages of a public inclusive dialogue.  

The main activities that were implemented within the project included: sharing the experience of Czech public authorities with the community planning of social services; analysis of capacities and resources for planning and providing social services; preparation of the methodological guide for community planning and its dissemination among authorities and social services providers; training of public administration staff responsible for the preparation of community plans; involving the public into the process of planning social services; approving the community plans; capacity building of local civil society organisations on strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, participatory budgeting and advocacy.  

The project was implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection. 

The goal of this project was to contribute to better integration of persons with disabilities into Moldovan society. Due to the high level of institutionalization and lack of support from state, persons with disabilities face prejudices from the majority society and several types of discrimination. The project aimed to provide adequate material and personal conditions for three new houses with supported living for persons with mental disabilities and to support their active engagement in community and professional life in the North of the country.