Moldova World Children's Fund

02/23/2023

Yes, You Can Make a Difference on the One-Year Anniversary of the Russian Invasion

As we reflect on the one-year anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we remember the countless innocent victims of this conflict and the devastating impact it has had on vulnerable communities in Moldova. As a past supporter of the Moldova World Children's Fund, you have helped us make a significant difference in the lives of children and families in need.

Today, we urgently need your help once again.

The prolonged and devastating conflict has caused a massive refugee crisis in Moldova. Ukrainian refugees, majority women and children, are in desperate need of assistance. Your donation can help us provide critical resources such as food, shelter, and medical care to those who have lost everything.

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the crisis and wonder whether our individual actions can make a difference. But we are reminded of the story of the boy and the starfish: As the boy picked up one starfish at a time and threw it back into the ocean, a man asked him why he bothered. "There are too many starfish," the man said. "You can't possibly make a difference." The boy picked up another starfish, threw it back into the ocean, and said, "I made a difference to that one."

Unfortunately, we can’t save all Ukrainians. But together, we can make a meaningful effort. We can make a difference for many that depend on the generosity and kindness of people like you.

Your donation will make a difference to the many Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. It can help provide a sense of hope and relief to those who have been forced to flee their homes. Your support can give them the resources they need to begin rebuilding their lives.

We ask you to join us once again in supporting the Moldova World Children's Fund.

Your donation will make a difference in the lives of those who need it most.

Together, we can make a significant impact and provide critical support to those impacted by this crisis.

Thank you for considering a donation, and for continuing to stand with us in our mission to help children and families in need.

Donate Today: https://moldovawcf.org/

Thank you for your continued support,

07/18/2022

Dear friends, we haven’t posted in a while but for the last two months we worked tirelessly as our dear president of Moldova World Children’s Fund- Ray West visited Moldova. We would like to share with you the most critical moments of his visit.
First of June - on the occasion of International Children's Day in the park of the Technical University of Moldova, was organized a wonderful party for children from Ukraine who have taken refuge in the Republic of Moldova and live inside the 4 student dormitories of TUM.
Mrs. Olesia Shevchenko, the wife of the Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Moldova, was the guest of honor next to the families from Ukraine. It was a wonderful day thanks to the bighearted people who dedicate their time every day so that nothing misses in the placement center, respect, and congratulations to Mr. Anatol Alexei and Mrs. Elena for everything you do! This party was organized and funded by Peace Winds Japan, they made it a real celebration with everything needed: fun, sweets, toys, bicycles, and cartoon characters! A wonderful team that has several projects around the country and is always where it is needed. The party was closed with a surprise Mrs. Olesia Sevchenko together with Ray West, President of Moldova World Children's Fund in North Carolina, made the children. So many beautiful and good people from different countries and continents work to create a happy and peaceful environment for children!
On June 2, Ray West, President of Moldova World Children's Fund, and Irina Rusanovschi- in-country manager had an official visit to the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova. They had the honor to discuss with His Excellency Ambassador Marko SHEVCHENKO, the completed projects and the possibility to collaborate in the future to help the people of Ukraine. They also talked to the ambassador's wife, the esteemed Mrs. Olesia Shevchenko, about visits to refugee centers and the necessities for children.
The people of North Carolina have always been by the side of the children of Moldova and now together we will be by the side of Ukrainian children. For a happy future, we need happy children!
Another wonderful project is to improve the conditions in the refugee centers. One of the problems is the sanitary conditions. During Ray West’s visit, the first container with 4 shower cabins and a container with toilets were installed at the Placement Center in Costesti. This project is carried out in partnership with Momentum Solutions, SmartAid, Moldova World Children's Fund, and CICD "PHOENIX". Beautiful things are done together!
Another donation (food, pillows, blankets) for the Moldova Film warehouse, was made, where hundreds of refugee families come every day to receive humanitarian aid. All the respect to Mrs. Natalia Rahmistriuc and the team from Moldova Pentru Pace, who do great things!
The second trailer with solar panel was installed at the Institute of Mother and Child, where from the first days since the war began in Ukraine were hospitalized over 500 refugee patients, mothers, and children out of which over 50 mothers from Ukraine gave birth here and have received all the necessary prenatal and postnatal care. This donation was possible thanks to partners and sponsors: SmartAid, Footprint Project, Lifting Hands International, Moldova World Children's Fund, and CICD PHOENIX. Beautiful things are done together!
Also, we would like to mention that since the beginning of Russian aggression in Ukraine, Moldova World Children's Fund in collaboration with the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova has provided assistance to temporarily displaced Ukrainian citizens in Moldova and to those that are still in Ukraine, civilians, and militaries- with food, medical supplies, recovery equipment, etc.
Let it be peace on earth!

05/21/2022

The week started with a new achievement. We think communication and information are vital nowadays, especially for refugees. Therefore, a Starlink set was installed at the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, so that refugees waiting in line at the Consular Section can have free internet access.
Thank you, SpaceX, for this donation and for making refugees’ lives a bit brighter!
This project was possible thanks to the partnership between Moldova World Children's Fund, SmartAid, and CICD PHOENIX.
This week we visited Cojusna Refugee Placement Centre. John Maxemchuk, Vice -President of Moldova World Children's Fund, gave an interview about MWCF’s partnership with GEM, SmartAID, CICD PHOENIX, and other foundations to carry out various humanitarian projects for the Ukrainian refugees, one of which is the provision of laptops for the established classrooms.
We were happy to see that the students from Ukraine continue their online courses, a beautiful project that grows every day, soon we will open the third classroom. MWCF also donated canned meat/fish, cookies, and tea.
Irina Rusanovschi, our in-country manager, is always on the go, she visited for the third time "Altruism.md" and made a donation of baby food, diapers, wipes, and many others for the refugee babies in Chisinau. Also, she managed to receive another truck from Moldova World Children's Fund that reached Moldova.
Another project we are proud of is the Solar energy for Palanca Refugee Centre. This week, we delivered the solar panel to Palanca, where John Maxemchuk, MWCF vice-president with our engineer, installed it. Now the refugees from the Palanca placement centre have solar energy. This project was carried out by MWCF & CICD PHOENIX, in partnership with SmartAID and Footprint Project.
It’s beautiful to realize how many good people are joining forces to help the people of Ukraine.
We have a lot of projects and we would like all of them to be successful but what we want the most is Peace!

05/14/2022

We continue to share/distribute donations to people in need. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, our prime focus is the refugees, most of which are women, children, and old people. People that left everything behind and sought shelter in Moldova. We do everything humanly possible to help our neighbors.
This week, in-country manager Mrs. Irina Rusanovschii visited Anenii Noi Refugee Center and donated 20 beds, 24 mattresses, blankets, and pet food.
This project was carried out in partnership with CICD “PHOENIX” and SMHO from the Netherlands. Thank you very much for the beautiful collaboration!
Let there be peace in the world!

05/01/2022

As you probably got used to every weekend, we would like to share with you our latest projects and activities.
We started the week with a visit from two representatives from SMARTAID, Moldova World Children's Fund - main partners in the implementation of various humanitarian projects for Ukrainian refugees (30 Starlink sets, batteries and solar panels, generators, over 21000 kg of food, 35 laptops for 2 classrooms, 3000 pillows, 2500 mattresses, 1000 folding beds, 2500 duvets, etc).
During the two days, we visited the “Constructorul” Sanatorium Placement Centre, the Lukoil Cinema Placement Centre, the Palanca border, the Cojusna Placement Center, and the humanitarian aid distribution depots from “Moldova Film”. Instead of writing too much, we’ll let the pictures speak for us. Many thanks to Shachar Zahavi and the SMARTAID team for this collaboration and for the immense work you are doing to help the Ukrainians!
Our in-country manager Irina Rusanovschi – works for over 20 years in the humanitarian field. What she likes the most in this activity is the human. She always visits people in need, this time she visited refugees from Ukraine accommodated in families in the Ukrainian village of Ivancea, in Moldova.
A total of 39 people from different regions of Ukraine, with different histories, out of which 13 children and a pregnant mother. I gave them a nice surprise for the occasion of the holy Easter.
- a duvet and hygienic products received from “Good Morning” from Romania
- food, canned food, coffee, tea, cookies, rice, pasta, toys, hygiene products received from SMHO from the Netherlands
- one Easter cake, oil, canned fish and pampers from Moldova World Children's Fund.
Many thanks to the Ivancea local administration, to the mayor for the receptivity to collaborate, and to Mrs. Anastasia and Mrs. Margareta for joining Irina in visiting each family!
This week we got a phone call, that there is an urgent need for 100 folding beds, mattresses, blankets, pillows, and bed linen. We organized and sent it to the Placement Centre on site of the USM student dormitory. Since the beginning of this relentless war, most of us didn’t have a day off or weekends, and we don’t complain about it, we just pray for peace.
With CICD PHOENIX’s help, we sent food (sugar, oil, corn, rice, pasta, canned food, and tea), diapers, blankets, pillows, and some mattresses to Ukrainians living in Balti. As well, we donated food for the Placement Centre on site of the Lukoil Cinema and a batch of humanitarian aid was sent to the north of Moldova to the General Directorate of Social Assistance Drocia, which in addition to food received hygiene products, bed linen, pillows, blankets, mattresses.
Thank you very much to all for the beautiful collaboration to help the people of Ukraine: Moldova World Children's Fund, SMARTAID, GEM, and Operae Life Onlus!

Visiting the Moldova Film warehouse, where more than 400 refugees come every day to receive food, hygienic products, clothes, and other goods, I learned from young volunteers from Ukraine that there is a need for baby strollers and other necessities. So, we donated 11 baby strollers, baby chairs, baby beds, toys, baby cribs from the Netherlands, clothes, children's masks, bed linen from Italy, and 324 packets of baby porridge. Thank you very much, SMHO from the Netherlands and Operae Life Onlus, for these goods!
Thank you, Moldova World Children's Fund, SMARTAID, and GEM, for your cooperation and care for refugees from Ukraine!

04/23/2022

During this difficult time due to the relentless war in Ukraine, there is a continuous need to manage the flow of refugees and provide them with everything they need.
Thanks to John Maxemchuk, vice president of Moldova World Children's Fund in collaboration with SpaceX, Starlink Internet Services Limited has donated 30 sets of Starlink user terminals, which will be installed at placement centres and at the country borders where is the highest flow of refugees. These sets have been received by AO CICD PHOENIX and later transferred under the management of the Information Technology and Cyber Security Service of Moldova.

A batch of food donations, folding beds, mattresses, blankets, pillows, and more got to Soroca Refugee Management Centre. Another batch of food products (rice, pasta, oil, cans, corn, sugar ... also blankets, pillows, mattresses) was delivered to the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Family Protection Floresti, to be distributed to refugees from Ukraine. Many thanks to the sponsors of Moldova World Children's Fund, SMARTAID, and GEM, Operae Life Onlus for their help!

This week, John Maxemchuk, Vice-President of Moldova World Children's Fund, and Irina Rusanovschi in-country manager established the second classroom for online courses, with 15 laptops, for students from Ukraine, in the village of Cojusna, Straseni district.
John has been living in Moldova for the last 23 years and is fluent in Romanian. Something makes us believe that due to his tight interaction with Ukrainian children, shortly, he will be fluent in Ukrainian, as well.
The children are excited that the courses will take place in a bright, fully equipped classroom. Big thanks to the sponsors SMARTAID and WereldWijd voor Kinderen!
This project was carried out in partnership with the General Directorate of Social Assistance and Family Protection Straseni, Moldova World Children's Fund, and AO CICD PHOENIX.
Recently we managed to import the 10th truck of humanitarian aid for refugees from Ukraine.
This time two trailers with solar panels, solar systems, and a portable power plant.
Thank you very much, Footprint Project, SMARTAID, Lifting Hands International, for the beautiful collaboration and care you have for the people of Ukraine!

At the Chisinau municipality's request, we sent to the “Orion” culture and creation center, 120 folding beds, 120 mattresses, 120 pillows, and 120 beds. This centre is newly established for refugees from Ukraine.
We thank the sponsors, SMARTAID, and GEM for this beautiful collaboration!

04/17/2022

Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, our team worked tirelessly every day including weekends to help Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter in Moldova. Last week we received the 8th truck with humanitarian aid within a month. We purchased from Romania, in partnership with SMARTAID and GEM, over 20T of food products (pasta, rice, sugar, canned meat and fish, pasta, sunflower oil, etc.) A part of these products has already been distributed in various localities across the country for Ukrainian refugees. A batch of humanitarian aid with over 5000 kg (food, hygiene, baby diapers, blankets, pillows, etc.) was sent to Balti, 5000 kg of food products (corn, rice, sugar, pasta, preserves, sunflower oil ...) to the Placement Centre from the Lukoil Cinema in Chisinau and, over 1000 kg to the Church of St. Cuvios Vasile from Poiana Marului from Orhei. These products have been distributed to Ukrainian refugees hosted by Moldovan families.
This was possible thanks to the fruitful collaboration of AO CICD PHOENIX, Moldova World Children's Funds, SMARTAID, and GEM. Also, we continue distributing food products and other goods offered by Operae Life Onlus from Italy and SMHO from the Netherlands!

Recently we started a new project – establishing online classrooms for Ukrainian refugee children. This week took place the opening of the first classroom.
Until now every student taking online classes had to look for a quiet corner with a good Wi-Fi connection and attend them using mobile phones, now the students accommodated in the temporary placement centre at the Sanatorium “Constructorul” have a classroom equipped with 20 new laptops.
Thank you very much, John Maxemchuk MWCF Vice President for this beautiful project!
Many thanks to SMARTAID, Meliora IT, and all those involved to make this possible! The students' joy inspired us to continue this project and establish more classrooms in other placement centres.

04/10/2022

Good deeds continue… Our team works everyday overtime, till late at night, on weekends to help everybody in need. Over the weekend, we bought 600 packs of "Huggies" baby diapers of all sizes, that will be delivered to several refugee placement centres in the country. This was possible thanks to the financial support from Moldova World Children's Fund, SMARTAID, and GEM.
Also, John Maxemchuk, Vice President of MWCF, and Irina Rusanovschi- in-country manager made a donation of juices, milk, fruit, and vegetable puree for babies from Ukraine.
Thank you very much, SMARTAID, GEM (Global Empowerment Mission) for the financial support and care you have for the refugees from Ukraine!
Big thanks to the “Moldova Pentru Pace” team, which will distribute these goods!
Every day, over 1000 packages of food, hygiene products, etc. are distributed from the warehouse on 61 Hincesti Street located on the territory of “Moldova Film”.
Only together can we do beautiful things!
Let there be peace on earth!

04/08/2022

On 24 February, the first day that Russian missiles began raining down across Ukraine, the Moldova World Children’s Fund (MWCF) team on the ground in Moldova started clearing our storerooms of blankets, soap, clothes, wheelchairs and personally delivering the aid to the first refugee relief stations outside of Chisinau.

In the days since, MWCF has raised a flood of individual gifts, received a large grant from Global Empowerment Mission, and collaborated with SmartAid to purchase and deliver: 2,500 mattresses, 1,000 folding beds, 2,600 additional polar blankets, 3,000 pillows, 400 sleeping bags, dozens of space heaters, refrigerators of various sizes, bottled water, hot water kettles, juice, baby food, yogurt, and diapers.

John Maxemchuk, MWCF Vice President for Moldova Operations, and Irina Rusanovschi, President of International Center for Collaboration and Development “PHOENIX” are working long days everyday leading the MWCF response in Moldova.

MWCF has purchased over $91,000 of high nutrition food bars, canned fish and meat, other long-shelf-life items with pop-top lids, and other food items for the refugees passing through, and transporting into Ukraine for the desperate people there.

We have provided transport or managed country clearances and distribution of ten large humanitarian aid trucks from Romania, Italy, Switzerland, France, Poland and The Netherlands…one of which involved driving from western Europe over $1million of battlefield medicines such as antibiotics and painkillers directly into Ukraine.

Elon Musk, through his Internet provider Starlink, has contributed to MWCF 30 dedicated satellite dish units, power supplies, routers, and cables along with free internet for the refugee camps. We are now equipment owner and technical contact for the setups.

MWCF is working with another NGO, Lifting Hands International, to provide large 1.5 ton 6.75 kWp mobile solar generators for the camps. We are having constructed multi-shower stalls and multi-toilet mobile buildings plus water and sewage infrastructure.

MWCF is working with Dell Technologies and WereldWijd Voor Kinderen of The Netherlands in setting up classrooms in Moldova for refugee children to continue their schooling. Each classroom is being equipped with school supplies, laptops, internet connections, salaried Ukrainian language teachers, and teacher aides.

With having been actively engaged in Moldova for over 20 years, MWCF is ideally suited for rapid response to

the crisis…unlike governments and large international charities with their slow-moving bureaucracies and limited on-the-ground capacity whose refugee relief aid has yet to show up on the scene.

Cash gifts can be made using the donate link on the moldovawcf.org website or by postal checks to MWCF, P.O. Box 548, Hendersonville, NC 28793-0548 (USA).

Respectfully,

Ray West, President, MWCF

https://moldovawcf.org/2022/04/08/ukraine-refugee-relief-update/

Ukraine Refugee Relief, update - Cash gifts can be made using the donate link on the moldovawcf.org website. Thank you.

04/03/2022

This week Moldova World Children's Fund together with AO CICD PHOENIX has donated 200 folding beds, 200 mattresses, 200 pillows, and 100 sets of bed linen (sheets and pillowcases) to the Temporary Placement Centre for Refugees from the cinema “Lukoil”.
Many thanks to the sponsors, GEM-Global Empowerment Mission, and SmartAid, for this collaboration!

Also, we made a donation of food to the Altruism Association, which will be distributed to refugee families from Ukraine. Thank you very much to Liuba Ceban, for this collaboration and for helping refugee mothers with babies!

Dear friends, we would like to share with you Ukraine's Embassy in Moldova's message regarding our activity. The was posted on their page after John Maxemchuk, Vice President of Moldova World Children's Fund, and Irina Rusanovschi- in-country manager met with the ambassador of Ukraine in Moldova and respectively made a considerable donation:
“Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, ordinary people in Chisinau, representatives of Moldovan charities and non-governmental organizations, and private companies have been appealing to the Embassy every day to sincerely offer their help to Ukrainian children and adults affected by the war.
Thanks to them, we have made many new friends both from Moldova and from citizens of other countries who live and work in this hospitable land.
Therefore, today we are especially pleased to introduce Mr. Ray West, President of Moldova World Children's Fund, Ms. Irina Rusanovschi, President of AO CICD PHOENIX, and Mr. John Maxemchuk, Vice President of Moldova World Children's Fund.
Thanks to their tireless work, several hundred Ukrainian children who have taken refuge in Moldova from the horrors of Russia's war are now receiving additional support and assistance. “

Friends, only together we can build a better world, without wars and poverty. Change begins with us, within us! Thank you for being part of those that care and do!

03/29/2022

New reception centres continue to be created for the incoming refugees fleeing their country because of the war. The new refugee center that will be opened within the center “Speranta” (Hope) in Chisinau, received tables and chairs. Big thanks to SMHO from the Netherlands, for this donation!
The placement centre from Anenii Noi received from our team 14 mattresses, the placement centre from Purcari 20 sets of folding beds, mattresses, duvets, pillows, and bed linen.
Thanks to the project carried out with the financial support of GEM and SMARTAID, MWCF received a donation 3000 pillows.
These goods will be distributed to temporary placement centres for refugees.
Also, our team in Moldova – the vice-president of Moldova World Children's Fund - John Maxemchuk, and Irina Rusanovschi- in-country manager, managed to deliver some of the goods received from SMHO from the Netherlands to 5 placement centres for Ukrainian refugees, as well as to 6 refugee families who asked for different things such as mattresses, personal hygiene products, diapers, etc.
We thank the people of the Netherlands for their help and support during these difficult times!
MWCF paid for transportation, warehouse rent costs, and management costs for this project!

The 5th humanitarian aid truck arrived in Moldova from Italy.
Many thanks, Laura Bellamoli, and the Operae Life Onlus Association, for this donation and the care you have for refugees in Ukraine! Again, Moldova World Children's Fund took care of the logistical costs. We started distributing the goods right away.
The 6th truck with humanitarian aid also reached Moldova, this time 7000 kg of food products from Moldova World Children's Fund.
These products are intended for the refugees from Ukraine.
Another nice project we had was in collaboration with Mrs. Olesia Shevchenko and her wonderful team from the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Moldova, who prepared a donation of basic needs products for the refugees. When we meet such big-hearted people, with noble spirits and eager to make a change, we have the confidence that things will get back to normal and everything will be all right.
Many thanks to the people of North Carolina for all the donations they made, for the care and support they showed us now when we need it the most!

03/20/2022

Acts of kindness continue.
The vice-president of Moldova World Children's Fund - John Maxemchuk, and Irina Rusanovschi- in-country manager visited the Manej Sport Arena in Chisinau which had been transformed into a refugee shelter for Ukrainian Refugees. We learned about the key urgent necessities: a refrigerator (several medicines, including insulin, need to be stored in a refrigerator), 10L electric kettle (there were only a couple of small kettles, making it very difficult to boil water for tea), mops, brooms, cleaning products...we brought the necessaries and installed the refrigerator in the doctor's office. Little by little, we try to help the people who left their homes, their country and fled to save their lives. We are happy that so many volunteers work there and wear jackets with the inscription "MOLDOVA FOR PEACE", to meet Gabriela and Andrea, two hard-working girls who do volunteer work to maintain the centre clean.
In collaboration with wonderful people, we managed to come to the aid of the citizens of Ukraine who took refuge in the Republic of Moldova. AO CICD "PHOENIX" received a truck with humanitarian aid from the “ZI DE BINE” Association from Romania, necessary goods for refugee centres (blankets, diapers, toiletries, food, clothing, sanitizers, medical masks for children). Moldova World Children's Fund, paid for the transportation service to get the truck from Bucharest to Chisinau. We are thankful to everybody involved in this collaboration and making it possible, to all the people and sponsors from Romania who contributed to this donation. Also, big thanks to Mia Ian and the Ave Children Association for cooperation and distributing these goods to refugee centres!
Recently we received other two trucks with humanitarian aid, from Romania, for refugees. We received 1000 folding beds, 2600 blankets, and 400 sleeping bags. Also,840 mattresses have been produced in Moldova in record time for this project. The goods will be distributed to new centres that prepare to receive refugees. This was a donation from Moldova World Children's Fund in North Carolina in partnership with GEM Global Empowerment Mission, SMARTAID, and AO CICD PHOENIX.
Many thanks to the people of North Carolina and to all those who contributed financially to enable Moldova World Children's Fund to carry out these acts of charity.
May there be PEACE in the world!