WJR launches training programme in Moldova
Sandwiched between the Ukraine and Russia, Moldova is the poorest country in Europe with a high percentage (38% in 2004) of single parent families. As unemployment soars and more of the population (25% in 2008) leave their homeland to eke out a living on the construction sites of Europe, many women are left to manage alone. With minimal to no state support and even counting small amounts sent home by some fathers and husbands, the situation is bleak for many families and the cycle of poverty seemingly impenetrable.
In response to this dire need, WJR - in partnership with World ORT - is coordinating a training programme for vulnerable women (predominantly, but not restricted to, single mothers) in Moldova, in a bid to permanently improve the quality of their lives and increase family wellbeing.
Last month saw the official launch of the initiative, which has so far attracted 60 Jewish women who often live alone in hostile environments and come from low-income backgrounds.
The programme is taking place in Kishinev (Chisinau), the capital of Moldova, and aims to ensure that women can acquire vital skills that will allow them to return to, or enter, the work force and be in a position to support their own families. The course also aims to assist single-parent, or otherwise vulnerable, families to support themselves so as to reduce the burden of welfare provision within the Moldovan Jewish community.
The course takes an holistic approach; trainers will help participants learn basic communication, office, management and language skills, while mentors will ensure that each woman masters self presentation, confidence and interview techniques. The programme will help the women to prepare their CVs and understand how to communicate effectively with potential employers and colleagues. Once in gainful employment, the women will be able to access additional support and guidance to ease the difficult adjustment into a career and the experiences of working life.
Cassie Williams, Programmes Manager at WJR, commented:
"WJR is very proud of this initiative. The Moldovan population has experienced intense isolation, trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and hardship. Although the world's economic crisis has not yet hit Moldova as harshly as it has in neighbouring Ukraine, life in Moldova is already showing signs of becoming more and more difficult.
"The training programme will not only benefit the women short-term -- giving them something to aim towards -- but will also have a long-term impact and allow them to have a more dignified and independent existence."
Moldova is home to an estimated 23,000 Jews -- most of who are depending on external support -- and it is thought that up to 65% of the Moldovan population live on less than $2 per day, with 32% of people lacking access to basic sanitation.
WJR has been working in Moldova for four years in Kishinev (Chisinau) and in other major towns as well as in outlying villages. WJR provides deprived individuals and families with critical humanitarian and welfare support, through its community centres, street kids centre as well as other projects including the charity's Gifts in Kind (GiK) programme.
