The Charity Mission for People with Disabilities
The Charity Mission for people with Disabilities (CMD) was founded in 2002 by Petru and Antonina Chirica, based in the town of Straseni near the capital city of Chisinau. In 2005, Petru became director and in 2016 their daughter, Doina, joined them as the project manager (see photo from left to right, Antonina, Petru and Doina). Antonina is now qualified as a psychologist.
Petru and Antonina’s youngest son had been born in 2002 with Down Syndrome and Autism. Their experience made them aware of what little information was available to parents of children with disabilities and what few services existed, leaving the children and their families living isolated lives and suffering unnecessarily. This was mainly due to ignorance, lack of funding and lack of resources. Petru, Antonina and Doina are determined to do what they can to change things, and to demonstrate the love of Jesus in words and action to people with disabilities and their families throughout Moldova. Their mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of everyone with disabilities and additional needs by promoting inclusion and supporting them to reach their full potential. They run several projects to achieve this.
"A New Hope" Day Care Centre, Straseni
Schools in Moldova are required to be inclusive for children with additional needs, but in reality, many of them do not have the training or the resources to accommodate the children. In response to this, the Charity Mission set up their day centre in 2006 to provide education for children aged 3 - 16 years who otherwise would be isolated at home. They also receive speech and language therapy and hot meals at lunchtimes, which for some is the only hot meal they have each day. The centre offers places to 10 - 16 children depending on their needs. The Charity Mission also runs a support group for parents and carers throughout the region. In 2023, they are supporting 62 children and their families, providing resources such as: clothes, linen, blankets, pillows, mattresses and furniture; financial help for health care such as medication, surgery or massage; and psychological and spiritual counselling.
This centre is a life-line to these families, providing the children with the opportunity to make friends, have fun, develop their skills and to reach their full potential. It also means that parents can go to work in the knowledge that their children are being well looked after.
Summer camp for children with disabilities
This residential camp began in 2008, offering children with disabilities and their families the opportunity to have a holiday together. It is attended by about 135 people every year. Each child is accompanied by a parent or carer, and siblings can attend as well. Activities include: crafts; bible lessons for children; swimming; outdoor physical exercises and games; bible study groups for parents; parent support meetings to network and share advice; evening entertainment including singing and drama. Life can be isolating for children with disabilities and their families, but this camp gives them the opportunity to meet with others who are living in similar situations to themselves. They can make new friends, laugh together, cry together, encourage one another and generally feel more included, understood, accepted and empowered.
Summer camp for young adults with disabilities
The summer camp for adults with disabilities began in 2006 and is attended every year by about 100 people with disabilities and their carers coming from all over Moldova. Many adults with disabilities are isolated at home and struggle to get out to access their communities. This camp provides the opportunity for them to meet with friends they have made over the years and enjoy each other's company. They attend bible study groups, discussion groups, do crafts and engage in outside games and exercise. Each evening, they can attend a worship session when everyone has the opportunity to participate in singing or drama. When the camp ends, the participants are already looking forward to the next year when they can all meet again!
New Day Care Centre for Children and Adults with disabilities
Once the children at the New Hope Day Care Centre reach the age of 16, they have to stop attending as this is a service only for children. Unfortunately, there is currently no other day service they can access, and these young people find themselves isolated at home. They lose the skills they have learnt at the centre because they are no longer using them and they miss their friends. They become bored and feel hopeless - some are depressed and have even said that their lives are not worth living. The Charity Mission has a vision to provide a service for these young people, as well as having the capacity to accept more children. In 2019 they purchased a large building close to the current day centre in Straseni which they are in the process of converting into a new centre. This is a huge project, but once finished, it will have the capacity for 50 children and young adults with disabilities to attend. They will provide a wide range of services including: speech-therapy; physiotherapy; hydrotherapy; psychological services; parent counselling and training; art-therapy; occupational therapy and the opportunity for work experience. They hope to enable young people to reach their full potential and to become better integrated and accepted within their community.
