A Better Life/Moldova
Sustainable Change for Children
Mission
A Better Life/Moldova was formed in 2003 to raise funds for abandoned and semi-abandoned children in Moldova. Its purpose is to improve daily lives via efficiently managed projects that feature sustainability and/or significant health impacts. To date, ABL has raised and implemented over $180,000 in improvements. We are based in the United States, partnering with domestic and in-country resources. A Better Life seeks to address impoverished circumstances of minors while looking to the quality of their future as adults. ABL's ultimate partnership is with Moldovan youth. Our vision is that an increasing number of Moldovan children will flourish, making substantial contributions as Moldovans and world citizens.
Background
Tucked between Ukraine and Romania, Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. With a population of about 4 million, its death rate in recent years has exceeded its birth rate. This tiny democratic republic is approximately the size of the state of Maryland and, until 1991, was under Soviet rule. Moldova -- formerly known as Bessarabia -- has a rich cultural legacy, an agrarian landscape of vineyards and medieval monasteries, and old-world beauty. Even as it seeks European Union membership, Moldova is unfamiliar to many and often overlooked by media.
Faced with an average income of just dollars per day, many Moldovans seeking subsistence-level employment are compelled to find work abroad. Complex dynamics of poverty result in state boarding schools and orphanages raising thousands of children ("social orphans") along with "conventional" orphans and handicapped minors. Estimates vary but place the number of such children at over 12 thousand. Their residential institutions, located throughout Moldova, often lack adequate medicine, heat, hot water, and food. Children "aging out" of the system are without financial means to attend a university or receive adequate life skills/job training support. At age 17, they graduate onto the streets. Many do not live to age 21.
Approach
Projects. ABL/Moldova supports projects such as: delivery of food and basic supplies; building infrastructure upgrade (e.g., heat, mechanical, roofing, structural repairs); new equipment and furnishings ( beds, furniture, kitchen and industrial laundry appliances); livestock for sustainable dietary improvements; surgery to preserve basic faculties (e.g., mobility, vision); computer installation and connectivity for educational use; equipment upgrade at job and life-skills training facilities; and educational sponsorships.
Project Management. Our priority is efficient project management. ABL members travel to Moldova for needs assessment and project monitoring. Projects are conducted through flexible teams logically designed around desired results and cost-control objectives. ABL often engages in joint-venture projects. This approach maximizes the beneficial outcome to children and capitalizes on the specialized expertise of project partners.
Donations. ABL partners with Wide Horizons for Children Inc. of Waltham, Massachusetts, a non-profit organization in the greater Boston area. Over 30 years old, WHFC is the largest non-profit child welfare agency in New England and one of the largest in the United States. The WHFC Humanitarian Aid Program supports children in 11 countries. (See www.WHFC.org website). Contributions restricted to exclusive ABL/Moldova use are made as tax-deductible charitable donations to WHFC, a 501(c)3 organization.
Project Funds Allocation. ABL/WHFC and its joint-venture partners research, scope, select, and carry out projects in Moldova. Evaluation factors affecting project selection include: Severity of need, project environment (i.e., quality of communications, monitoring capability, past track record/successes), availability of funds from alternative sources, and magnitude/longevity of benefits. ABL strives for a "balance of aid" between urgent and long-term relief, between capital improvements and life skills/education, and aid to various ages of children.
Copyright 2009 ABL/Moldova, WHFC Inc.
Site Last Updated: May 2009