Twenty four persons with mental disabilities in Moldova to be integrated into community with support of Czech Republic

Chisinau, 19 July /MOLDPRES/ – A total of 24 persons with mental disabilities will soon leave the residential system and will be integrated into the community with the support of the Czech Development Agency (CDA). A memorandum of cooperation between the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family and the nominated agency was signed in Chisinau today.

According to the Memorandum, the CDA will provide support to authorities in implementing the deinstitutionalisation reform of persons with disabilities in residential institutions. Thus, the Czech side will contribute to the implementation of the transformation projects of the residential institutions in Brinzeni, Cocieri, Balti and Badiceni, develop social housing services protected by purchasing four houses for the beneficiaries of the institutions concerned and train the staff of the new-founded ones.

The document was signed by Minister of Labour, Social Protection and Family, Stela Grigoras, and Czech Ambassador to the Republic of Moldova, Zdeněk Krejči.

The Minister thanked the Czech party for support in the process of deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities. "An inclusive society means a society in which all persons have equal rights. Through consolidated efforts and joint actions we will be able to provide persons with mental disabilities with independent living in the community," said Grigoras.

Also at the event, Czech Ambassador, Zdeněk Krejči, handed over the keys to the first house purchased after signing the memorandum, hosting six beneficiaries of the psycho-neurological boarding school in Badiceni.

According to the data of the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family, currently, there are 1536 persons with mental disabilities in the psycho-neurological institutions in Badiceni and Brinzeni and 476 persons in the Hincesti and Orhei boarding houses.

(Reporter A. Zara, editor M. Jantovan)