Keystone Human Services International

Bacioi Children and Family Center:
Vis Community Center

The Vis Community Center in Bacioi, Moldova provides support and services for children from vulnerable families, children from single parent families, children with disabilities, and social orphans (those whose parents work abroad). Bacioi is a relatively large village whose close proximity to Chisinau, the Moldovan capital, generates a higher cost of living than the community can sustain. A significant portion of population lives in poverty, and many children lack education and developmental support. In 2006, Bacioi was identified as a region in great need of services for children when, encouraged by the success of the Children and Family Center in Tudora, the Moldova Association sought to repeat the model in another part of the country.

Romanian for "dream", Vis is the realization of a great dream to continue advancing the spirit of children and families in Moldova. With grant funding from the European Commission, the Vis Community Center was founded in 2006 by the Moldova Association in partnership with local authorities in Bacioi and the Speranta Day-Care Center, a support center for children with physical disabilities in Chisinau. A primary objective in the design of the center was to expand upon services for children with disabilities, such as support programming in education, as well as speech and multifunctional rehabilitation therapies. Other services provided at the center include educational, psychological and socialization support for children at risk of or undergoing significant familial hardships.

History

In 2006, KHSIMA received grant funding from the European Commission, whose TACIS (Technical Aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States) program provides grant assistance to support initiatives in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Entitled "Community Based-Supports to Children and Families in Difficult Social Situations," KHSIMA's 18-month TACIS project was designed to fortify the supports provided at the Children and Family Center in Tudora and to establish a second Children and Family Center.

After performing a series of needs assessments in Moldova, Bacioi was identified as a community in need of specialized services for children with disabilities and those whose development had been impeded by sickness and poverty. A primary emphasis for the new children and family center was the social integration of children with special needs and those at risk of institutionalization. KHSIMA's then-executive director Lucia Gavrilita was also the director of the Speranta Day-Care Center, a support center for children with physical disabilities in Chisinau, and she connected Speranta with the new center to provide training and infrastructure support.

Partnering with Speranta, local authorities in Bacioi and the European Commission, KHSIMA began center construction and staff development in 2007. Consisting of a coordinator-teacher, psychologist, social assistant, teacher and doctor-physical therapist, the Bacioi team conducted home visits and worked with children at school until the center was completed. In May 2007, the "Vis" Children and Family Center officially opened its doors, providing education support, psychological counseling, hygiene, vocational therapy and nutrition enhancement, as well as English and music classes.

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