• Phase II of the Opening Doors for Europe’s Children campaign is launched in Chisinau
• Moldova will continue developing community-based social services for children and their families in the context of decentralization. Limited local budgets will be campaign’s main focus in Phase II in Moldova 

Launch of the second phase of the Opening Doors for Europe’s Children campaign in Moldova has been supported by a press club targeting journalists and bloggers as key opinion influencers in the country and the online press conference that has been broadcast at web portal www.mama.md.

On …. December 2016,  a press club targeting journalists and bloggers as key influencers in the country (according to most recent ‘Barometrul Opiniei Publice’ opinion poll, media is maintained its highest position in ranking of most influencing institution in Moldova). The launch event was attended by EU Delegation, UNICEF and the the Alliance of NGOs working in the field of child and family social protection (APSCF) representatives. The EUD Project Coordinator, Iuliana Stratan stressed out the EUD will continue to support the national DI efforts of Moldova in line with the Common European Guidelines on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care.

Online press conference to support general public awareness raising efforts in the country was organised by campaign’s National Coordinator in Moldova in partnership with ‘Simpals’ online media holding, which owns around 60 Moldavian websites targeting the general public. The press conference was broadcast live on a few social media and web portals, and gathered over 1 000 views in one hour.

The speakers, Mrs Liliana Rotaru, the President of CCF/HHC Moldova and Mrs Mariana Ianachevici, the President of APSCF addressed to the general public in a very interactive and easy to understand manner about the child protection reforms, progress, results, challenges and the way forward to end the institutionalization of children in Moldova once and for all.

‘Family is the best environment for growth and development of the child, no institution or professional can replace it’, said Liliana Rotaru.

‘Every child has the right to family based environment, services and policies which would act for his/her best interest’, added Mariana Ianachevici.

Both hosts of the press conference helped the public to understand better the progress of child protection system reforms and why is important to close the institutions and develop community based social services to support the families, despite the challenges of decentralization reforms and the insufficient local budgets.

‘We strongly advocate for feasible solutions to continue the development of community based social services to support children and their families’, Liliana Rotaru noted.

‘We want money to follow the children, to be invested in services. The children need this now, and this is an obligation of local communities’, Mariana Ianachevici pointed out.

The speakers have interacted with the public and have answered their questions, including what would be the benefits and advantages of becoming foster parents, why and how to be active citizens and other important details for the public.

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In Moldova, the second phase of OD campaign is coordinated by CCF/HHC Moldova and is supported by the following civil society organizations: APSCF, Amici Dei Bambini, AVE COPIII, Keystone Human Services International Moldova, Partnerships for Every Child and ‘Speranta’ Resource Centre.

In the next phase, campaign supports the 2014-2020 National Child Protection Strategy and its Action Plan, development and appropriate funding of minimum package of social services to support the de-institutionalisation in the context of decentralization reform.