Thousands of families from Moldova receive assistance to overcome energy crisis

Chisinau, 29 March /MOLDPRES/ - Over 44,000 vulnerable households from Moldova have received direct financial assistance, which is to allow them easier overcome the energy crisis. The support was provided by the European Union and the People in Need Moldova organization, during 16 months, starting from December 2021.   

The families with many children, lonely elderly people from the rural environment, people with disabilities and the low-income people benefited from support. The money was distributed in two rounds. At the first stage, the low-income families from all over Moldova received financial assistance worth 1,000 lei each in March 2022. At the second stage, by 700 lei was distributed to the groups which are worst-hit by the energy crisis from southern Moldova, during five months, on the period November 2022 – March 2023. The value of the financial support provided by the European Union directly to families and households amounted to over three million euros.     

The European Union’s assistance comprised grants, provided for 15 organizations of the civil society and providers of social services from different regions of Moldova. Due to this support, the organizations active locally were able to distribute warm lunches, packages with food and hygiene products, as well as materials for heating – coal, wood, briquettes – for hundreds of families at risk. The grands, which exceeded 620,000 euros in all, were provided quickly, in order to anticipate the effects of the energy crisis, triggered by the 2022 and 2023 cold season.    

„In the last year, the European Union developed the relations with Moldova much more intensely; yet, nobody was able to imagine that we will face so many overlapped crises. Due to our joint interventions, in the context of the energy crisis, we were able to reduce the financial burden on the vulnerable families and people. The European Union will continue mobilizing funds to support Moldova and its capacity to go through this difficult period,’’ European Union’s Ambassador to Moldova Jānis Mažeiks said.   

All this assistance was possible due to the project, We together support the vulnerable population hit by the energy crisis, financed by the European Union and implemented by the non-governmental organization, People in Need Moldova. The overall value of the European Union’s support, allocated to this project, is of five million euros, provided through the Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI).   

Photo: People in Need Moldova