Tabita Association
Dancu church founded the Tabita Agricultural Association in 2002, initially to help poor farmers to farm their land and to become self sufficient. With the support of Breadline and other charities, it has developed to include various businesses and social ministries. The vision is that the businesses become sustainable, enabling them to fund their own social projects and become independent. This was the dream of senior pastor Dumitru Cravcencu (right in photo). He works closely with his is son-in-law, Slavic Duman (left), who oversees all these projects.
Tabita Businesses
There has been a dairy farm in Dancu since before Moldova gained independence in 1991. It used to be one of the biggest co-operative dairies in the country, producing milk for drinking and a soft, traditional Moldovan cheese called Brinza. Following independence, the economy collapsed and unfortunately many of the businesses ceased to function, including the Dancu dairy farm. Moldova rapidly became Europe's poorest country, and people began leaving in search of work elsewhere. When Pastor Dumitru had his vision of creating sustainable businesses to help the community to flourish again, he naturally thought about restarting the dairy farm. The first dairy opened in 2003 with 20 cows but unfortunately had to close in 2007 following a severe drought. The current dairy opened in 2011, and today (2023) has 50 cows which are a mixture of Jersey cows, Holsteins and a traditional Moldovan breed. The dairy continues to develop, and currently has a new barn under construction which will enable them to expand their herd with cows that they have bred themselves.
Today, the dairy farm produces milk to make five types of cheese - Cedar Classic, Geak Classic and Geak Picante, Gouda Favorite and Gouda Premium. As well as selling locally, they have contracts with supermarket chains in Chisinau, attend Farmers Markets and Food Exhibitions in both Moldova and Romania, produce gift sets for special occasions, and are increasingly visited by organised groups of tourists. You can find out more here from their website here https://www.dancufarm.com.
Whilst Pastor Dumitru still makes the cheese and oversees the work, his daughter, Natasha, is becoming more involved as the business manager. (see photo)
Horticulture
In 2017 and 2018, Breadline supported Tabita with its horticultural project by funding the purchase of two polytunnels. Since then, they have had increasing success in growing vegetables, especially cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and aubergines. This produce is used either fresh, or preserved in jars to supplement other projects run by Tabita, including the Inn of Love. This is a feeding program supported by Link to Hope, which provides hot meals for 60 elderly people three times a week.
Tabita Social Projects
Hope Club
In 2014, our partners in Dancu became aware of the lack of services for children with additional needs and their families, and realised that they often lived isolated lives with little support. They began to meet once a month with the children and their parents and carers. They played games, did craft, shared food, had fun, and made friends. This club has transformed the lives of these families, as many of them had previously experienced discrimination and rejection from their communities. This is the testimony of one mother: “I thought I was living in an evil world, then I came here and went home with tears in my eyes. For the first time I felt that me and my daughter were loved and accepted. This group has changed my world”.
The Hope Club has grown since then, and now has a specialist space of its own attached to the community centre in Dancu, which includes a therapy room and a sensory room. It is run by a team of volunteers led by two women, one of whom is a teacher and speech and language therapist, and the other a social worker. The club meets with children once a week, and there is also a monthly support group for parents and carers. It is their dream to employ someone on a part-time basis to run these meetings and to be able to expand the use of the centre by organising training workshops and therapy sessions throughout the week.
Education Project
Although the government provides education for young people up to the age of 18, many schools in rural areas do not have a provision for those aged 16 - 18. The children either stop going to school, or they go to live in towns to finish their studies. This could be in an upper school to complete a baccalaureate, or a college which has fees attached. Many young people prefer going to college because they can choose a vocational course that would provide work experience. A young person with qualifications has more opportunities in life, and those with a reference from work experience even more so. If they leave school at 16 with neither of those things, they have few prospects and are very vulnerable. Further education is expensive, and many families living in villages simply cannot afford it. The Education Project began in 2014, supporting one sixteen year old girl to do an accountancy qualification. The Project has steadily grown and in 2023, Breadline supported 35 students through further education! Over the years, the young people have gone on to be teachers, mechanics, dental technicians, accountants, hairdressers, translators - to name but a few. All of them are deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work hard, gain qualifications and employment and to be given the chance to improve their lives and the lives of their families and future generations.
Girls in Action
The Girls in Action Club began in 2009 to support girls between the ages of 7 - 14 years old. It meets every week, and is currently attended by 10 - 20 girls. They have the opportunity to learn life skills such as crafts and cooking, to play games, and to make friends. It also provides education about keeping safe. The club is run by a dedicated team of volunteers from the church. They build good, trusting relationships with the girls, which enables them to identify those who live in particularly vulnerable households. In these situations, the team may provide additional support such as home visits to take food parcels, clothes and shoes. The club is advertised through the school and the church, and is welcoming to any girl who wants to attend.
