Posted on 27/12/2023

Improving care for vulnerable children in Moldova

Fondation Dora supports a new project by Lumos, www.wearelumos.org, which aims to address the needs of vulnerable young children in Moldova and prevent family separation.

One of the poorest countries in Europe, Moldova has a high child mortality rate and over 13’000 children are at risk of family separation. With many parents having to seek work abroad, thousands of children live in households without one or both parents. Many vulnerable children, for example those with disabilities or developmental disorders, have no access to appropriate health services, particularly in rural areas. Consequently, families are often forced to send their children to live in orphanages or institutions in order to access such services.

Working with the Moldovan government, Lumos aims to develop and implement high quality Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services offering appropriate support to at-risk children at national level. The three-year pilot project will test and refine a model for community-based services in two regions with high poverty rates and high numbers of vulnerable children. The individual needs of families will determine what services will be developed and may include assessment tools, occupational therapy, speech therapy and physiotherapy.

Among its key activities, the project will establish ECI centres in each region, promote the inclusion of at-risk children in kindergartens, support parents of children with disabilities to provide appropriate care, and train professionals in ECI, primary healthcare, social and educational services. 

The overall impact of the project will is to reduce mortality rates of children under five in the pilot districts and prevent family separation for young children at risk. 

Founded in 2005, Lumos is committed to ending the institutionalisation of children.