New social services launched in central Moldova city

Chisinau, 25 January /MOLDPRES/- The centre for rehabilitation and social integration of elderly people from the central Ungheni city on 24 January inaugurated a new service of social care for old persons with severe intellectual, psycho-social and motor disabilities, shelterless people, as well as certain categories of elderly people.   

The hygiene services will be provided at a renovated and equipped centre, where a bathroom, a hairdresser’s, a washhouse work. At the same time, a mini-bus was purchased to provide the carriage of beneficiaries from the Ungheni district settlements to the centre.  

The social care service is developed by the Social Alternative Public Association, in partnership with the Ungheni district council, with the financial support of the European Union and co-financed by the Soros-Moldova Foundation.

”Many times, people do not enjoy the family’s support; they have to cope with the challenges of the life in loneliness. In cooperation with community social assistants, we identify people eligible for the service we provide. It is quite important that we have a vehicle offered from European funds, as in this way, we go to rural settlements, where the needs are really pressing,’’ the director of the public association, Social Alternatives, Andrei Chiorescu, said.  

The social care service has capacity to serve about 44 people per month. The centre’s team is made up of social workers, a hairdresser, driver and social assistant in charge of the record of beneficiaries from the district.

”The European Union will continue earmarking financial means for the creation and development of social services in Moldova. In the next years, we will implement services of social canteen and repair, equipping the centres for children and elderly persons. I am sure that this service will be taken over by the local public authorities, as this is in the benefit of the citizens from the Ungheni district,’’ European Union Ambassador to Moldova Peter Michalko said at the inauguration of the service.    

The Ungheni-based social care service can be taken over as a model of good cooperation between the civil society and local public authorities. According to the executive director of the Soros-Moldova Foundation, Petru Culeac, ‘’the project’s success is due to the fact that all local actors are motivated to make a change for the better in the district.’’   

The Social Ambulance project is implemented from money provided by the European Union within programme, Better social services through sustainable partnership between the civil society and the government. The project is co-financed and implemented by the Soros-Moldova Foundation, in partnership with the Keystone Moldova Association, Alliance of NGOs active in the field of Social Protection of Child and Family and the Alliance of Organizations for People with Disabilities.