Moldova is one of the poorest countres in Europe, second only to Ukraine. And now with the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Moldovan economy has been hit bad, really bad. More than financial problems, Moldovans face a whole host of problems in their country: a corrupt government, sweeping health issues and lack of employment opportunities. All common to third world countries, including the Philippines of which our founders grew up in.
Interestingly however, in a recent talk with a moldovan family, they said the greatest problem that most moldovan face is the lack of fathers who are willing to step up to provide and protect their families. According to them, most fathers simply just want to get drunk - sometimes even at the sacrifice of money to keep his family warm during the winter. There are children walking the streets who are bone-skinny. Sami, our Moldovan volunteer said they were not different from “WW2 starved children in the camps”.
These problems are heightened the closer you get to the border of Ukraine, as tensions in the area rise as refugees in swaths pass through the country. Its these areas that Sami and His wife, Valeria are going to help.
Our focus for this mission is to deliver charity packages of various necessities to 25 moldovian families on the southern side of the country bordering Ukraine. These charity packages consist of laundry detergent toilet paper, cooking oil, and various fruits and vegetables. These should last one month for an average sized family.
To maximize the funds from the donations to Aspire to Dream, we partnered with people who live within the village and know the specific needs of the families in the city - the village priest.
Ultimately, this mission into Moldova is propelled by our love for suffering people and desire to see any amount of distress alleviated. The need is great in places like these, but it is our mission to connect those whom have with those whom need.
