MOLDOVA SEPTEMBER 4, 2017
Today we met with Olga who is the head of the preschool and women's learning center. It is a free service for trafficked women. She is 35 years old and has 3 children herself.
Her dream was for this space to be for women who are isolated so that they have a safe place to go. They can come here and get away from the labels (your stupid, you're a prostitute, etc). They needed this place to be safe and free of guilt and pain where they can find information to help them get out of trafficking. This building helps women improve their life for themselves and their children.
Usually the single mothers that come are girls who grew up in vulnerable families. In most situations, these girls don't have proper school education. They lack integrity which causes the sequence of vulnerability. They are either working illegally or have low paying jobs. During their life they seem to find the social circle who is related to the same kind of people.
When they become pregnant, in the best case, they are left behind. In the worst case, they are beaten and punished. The man does not want to take care of the women or the child and to become responsible.
When they lose their job they have two options. Either to go back and live with their parents who are angry about them and their child or live with others who are like them. That is a messy situation.
Several options that the state provides...
0. 1 time payment after child birth: $250 one time donation
0. During the next two years the state will pay $25 per month for childcare
0. Receive pay for 3 years and 30% of her salary
-Childcare is usually $100/mo in the city
-Feeding a child for a month is $50-$60/mo
-Package of diapers cost $20
-Package of child nutrition for two days is $3
**This is on top of paying rent and paying for themselves to eat and be clothed**
In Moldova you have to have a pile of documents to present to the government which shows that you are starving and need help. There is so much "red tape" up that it is a lot of work and has many obstacles to go through for people. It almost becomes impossible.
⁃ 25/100 people are the only ones who receive help
⁃ if you have a refrigerator and/or cat, then you will get a negative response (because you have the money to feed the cat & money to run the refrigerator)
Ignorance and public representatives is the cause of corruption
A lady was living in a house for two years with 3 children without electricity. They don't know how she and her children did not freeze. The children used just a candle for light to see their homework.
"We are helping women to look at their child as not the problem, but as a gift from God. My doing was not to do everything for them but to teach them how to take care of themselves and their children. We try to create an environment to help restore these women emotionally and spiritually. We want to help heal these women from this attitude. If they are aggressive, then their children will become aggressive. We usually open our doors for everyone. Unfortunately the demands are so big that we can't fill each request. By the word of mouth, our building is referred."
"First thing that ladies come to ask is for physical needs. This is for their survival so the first thing we provide is material to help them. We don't just throw them TJS food packages and let them go. We explain from the very beginning we asses their environment they are living in, how hey can make a change and how we can help them within all of our services within Beginning of Life that can help. After giving the material needs, we explain that we offer services to help them mentally and psychologically."
-Olga
"Our post communism country makes it so that they hide there emotions and pain. That's just the culture. We help them to know that it is okay and safe to show their pain and emotion and that it can be debilitating if they do not deal with it. The restoration process starts right when they come in the door. They immediately know that this is a safe environment for both them and their children."
*They work with 85 children and 70 women
*Training is once a week for two hours. They have 7 groups.
*This center has only been open for 2 years
