Republic of Moldova

TWO GENERATIONS ENTERED INTO COMPETITION

Chişinău, 10 May 2010 – The children whose parents are abroad and grandparents looking after them from Carabetovca village, Basarabeasca district, took part in a sports contest „Happy starts”. This activity aims at reducing the impact of migration phenomenon upon multi-generational families and strengthening ties between the younger and the elder.  

The competition included seven sports tests and dancing for the entire audience. During the event, grandparents provided children with useful pieces of advice and ideas for various situations, whereas children, to their turn, helped the grandparents jump with skipping ropes, play with the ball, assemble pyramids etc. Claudia Cârjă, Head of NGO „Comunitate” (main organizer of the event), stated the tests were not by far selected randomly, but chosen in order to promote the efficient communication between generations, correct decision taking, team work, attention and intellectual capacity development. „Certainly, while performing such activities, the participants spend their leisure time having fun and loading themselves with positive energy. You should have seen how well the grandparents jogged and how intensely the children supported them!”, Claudia Cârjă added. 

„Happy starts” stands for one of demonstrative activities foreseen by the project “Strengthening community-based support to multi-generational households left behind by migration in Moldova”, implemented in consortium by Second Breath and HelpAge International, and assisted financially by the EU-UN Joint Migration and Development Initiative.

The event was unfolded in the building of theoretical high-school „Ştefan cel Mare” from Carabetovca village, the latter collaborating actively with NGO „Comunitate” and supporting the concerned project activities. Since February 2010 a series of other interesting events are being organized in this locality, such as the Discussion Club, School for Grandparents, Social Theatre, drawings on migration topic etc., attended regularly by children left behind as a result of migration and their grandparents.

„Taking part in the contest was really interesting and useful; it raised my good mood, although I admit taking a pill for blood pressure before the competition. I haven’t taken part in such contests for more than 20 years, since the time I used to work. I did my best to succeed in all tests as I could not let down my 13-year old grand-granddaughter. As ex-teacher, I believe such contests should be organized more often as they make us, aged people,  more active, they develop intellectual capacities and maintain the health of our children”, Maria Chirtoca, aged 74, declared.
The participation of the two generations in joint activities aims at strengthening relationships between grandparents and children, developing life habits and diminishing the negative influence exerted by the migration of parents upon these family members. This contest is an educational one and it managed to gather together both grandparents and children for setting up efficient communication models. In the end, all attendants received sweets, books, magazines with intellectual games and application sets. The children requested the repeated organization of similar activities on June 1, International Children’s Day.     

The project “Strengthening community-based support to multi-generational households left behind by migration in Moldova” covers ten localities from Moldova: Satul Nou/Cimişlia, Cazangic/Leova, Carabetovca/Basarabeasca, Manta Paşcani/Cahul, Lăpuşna/Hânceşti, Trinca and Corjeuti/ Edineţ, Ialoveni town, Comrat town, Orhei town and city of Baltsi. The main project goal is to reduce the negative impact of migration phenomenon upon the rights of family members from Moldova. The project aims at defending the rights of Moldovan migrants’ families by means of building capacities of elderly people, NGOs and state authorities for supporting multi-generational families. Direct project beneficiaries are 613 multi-generational families, in which aged people raise and educate children whose parents have left abroad. In Carabetovca, the number of families benefiting from the project amounts to 60.

For contact: Doina Munteanu, Portfolio Manager Civil Society and Transnistria, tel.: 220218, doina.munteanu@undp.org or Irina Lazur, Information and Communication Coordinator, tel. 232523, e-mail: irina.lazur@undp.org

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The European Commission-United Nations Joint Migration and Development Initiative (JMDI) reflects the acceptance of and growing interest in the strong links between migration and development. The programme is implemented by the UNDP Brussels Office in partnership with the EC. Four agencies - UNHCR, UNFPA, ILO and IOM - are directly engaged in the management and direction of the programme and contribute their institutional knowledge, expertise and extensive networks to ensure its success.