our projects
The Love Moldova Foundation has been created to support these projects and more. Each and every one in full support of our our vision, to support the beautiful people of Moldova. Please click on the images to learn more
If you would like to apply for funding in support of your project, please down load the official application form and email to admin@lovemoldova.foundation
Casa Helen
Casa Helen
Because of the migrating population (40% of all working age people) to other countries, many of the aged are left without care. There is no government social provision for care of this group and in severe temperatures of -30 degrees many die, alone and uncared for.
I (Sharon Blyth) lived in a small village in rural Moldova from 2007 and was asked by the Mayor’s office to help some of the elderly people in the village. I began a domiciliary round, cleaning, cooking and more importantly being a companion to 5 elderly people, 4 ladies and 1 man. They were all 80+ in fact the gentleman was 92.
They were gathering wood, lighting fires to even make a hot drink and their food was generally homemade cheese and bread. They had plastic drinks bottles filled with hot water to keep them warm and they were all desperately lonely.
One lady, Lisa was 84 years old and lived alone. She was blind and yet was lighting her own fire. Subsequently she had set fire to herself twice! A young boy brought her water and occasionally she had a visitor but because she was blind they took advantage of her and stole the nice warm cardigans I had provided for her in the winter.
Something had to change.
There was an empty building in the village which had be for the communist working party members would stay when visiting the working co-operatives. I visited the building and could see that it would make an ideal home for 6-8 elderly people on the ground floor. There were three further rooms on the second floor which could be made into flat, living area for whoever was running the facility.
I drew up some plans and presented them to my church in the UK HCC Hitchin, they started a fundraising campaign which resulted in gathering 16,000 euros and a promise from a young man who had been left some money by his aunty Helen and could buy the property for the asking price of 8,000 dollars.
After 18 months of building and refurbishing, the home was build and in March 2010 our residents were moved in. We began receiving calls from across the country to take increasingly elderly, we had never advertised it was all word of mouth. Casa Helen (named after the lady whose bequest had purchased the building) within a year we opened the rooms on the second floor and could house 20 ladies. More recently we have built an extension; a new kitchen; new dining room; constructed our own well in the garden and established a small farm for pigs and chicken, geese and ducks aiming for a more self- sufficient model. The residents give their very small pension which covers almost half of their costs, the remaining sum comes from individuals and HCC Hitchin.
Lisa thrived in Casa Helen, she had no family, no children, no relatives in the village but found a home in Casa Helen. I was privileged to supervise the first shower she had ever had in her life, it was a joyous occasion.
Ana another of our first residents also thrived. Ana had 9 children she had no idea where any of them were. They had left the country in the 90’s and not returned. Her husband had died an invalid; he was a bilateral amputee and was in a wheelchair for many years.
Natalia had two daughters and two sons. Her sons had disappeared and her daughters who lived in a nearby village were not interested in caring for her.
Elaina had been the maths teacher of the local school, a very well-respected lady but had dementia and her husband couldn’t cope. He lived next door to Casa Helen and we took him his lunch and he spent many hours with Elaina in her new home.
Pilgrim House
Girls Shelter
Girls SHELTER Pilgrim House
Trafficking of young girls is big business in Moldova with currently 400,000 girls missing!
Village girls are often poorly educated, if they have parents they are generally drinking to forget their circumstances of hard poverty and no prospect of employment. there are also many young girls in children’s homes until the age of 16 when they are released with no experience of life, nowhere to go and no prospect of gaining work. They are fodder for traffickers who know the children’s homes and are often waiting for the young girls at the gate with a promise of a job, a future and income which is all fictitious.
Working with a group of volunteers from Denmark who have experience in socially housing young girls for many years and teaching them life skills we began t dream of having a refuge that would enable us to establish full time carers who were from the Christian Faith to love and care for these vulnerable girls. The social services in the Riscani Region where we were working were happy to refer young girls who in their opinion were particularly at risk.
We began a fundraising campaign and had soon raised enough funds to buy a small house and refurbish it. In November 2015 Pilgrim house was born and now had 6 girls and 2 full time carers and is referred to as phase one, the acute centre. Phase two has already begun and will be for girls who have finished their schooling, progressed to a degree of independence and will be ready for leadership training for both the girls refuge and the church. This is a very large apartment in the centre of Riscani and is connected to the church building. There will be space for 16 girls to live together with we hope a married couple who will live in an adjacent apartment and be full time supervisors.
Phase three is somewhat down the line, maybe 5 years and will be the establishing of business schools and training for girls to further their careers with local businesses who will work with us on an apprenticeship scheme. There is also vision to produce our own dried fruit on fruit farms and expert to farmers in the UK to create our own product. All proceeds to go to the furthering of the work in Moldova.
Here are some of the girls in the refuge. Two have already been rescued from prostitution, two are from alcoholic parents, some don’t have parents.
Food Parcels
Food Parcels
Working with families in the villages of Moldova taking food parcels. This is a typical family, ten children; mum working in the fields for little money; dad in another country hopefully coming home soon but no guarantees.
Developing Leaders
DEVELOPING LEADERS
Samantha and Leo are resident missionaries with their 4 children in Moldova. They are building relationships in their community and have a huge vision for a Centre which builds and trains leaders of the future. They regularly hold bible studies in their home and reach out to all in need. Whatever need comes along they meet that need to the best of their ability and speak the love of Jesus to all they meet.
Business School and Initiatives
Business School and Initiatives
We are teaching the girls new skills in our SEWING ROOM. We have now a little stall in town with our handmade items and people buy our stuff. We are looking at new ways to expand this initiative.
We have launched two coffee houses and are training the girls to be Barista’s, to be proficient in accounting and business acumen.
From September we launch an entrepreneurship for 25 young people girls and boys will be able to enroll in a program of a year where they will be taught basic business skills. The program consist of App building, Internet marketing, knowledge that will help them to start a business.
The girls academy is residential for vulnerable village girls from the age of 16 years. We have space for 12 girls and two full time carers.