Moldova
Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have been working in Moldova since 1998.Moldova has a rich history of winemaking, dating back thousands of years, and is home to the largest wine cellar in the world. The subterranean space stretches about 250km and holds two million bottles.Mission Without Borders
Thanks to our generous sponsors, we have been working in Moldova since 1998. Currently we are supporting 545 families in 12 communities, helping them to develop their potential and find ways to provide for themselves.
Discover how we are helping some of the most vulnerable people in Moldova.
A divided, landlocked nation
Moldova is a landlocked country in southeastern Europe, bordered by Ukraine and Romania.
In 1991, Moldova became an independent republic after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but was ill prepared to take on the mammoth task of reconstructing its economy and transforming its society.
Under communism, Moldova had sent agricultural produce to markets through the Soviet Union and received subsidised energy imports in return. When this arrangement collapsed, Moldova’s economic decline was greater than any other former Soviet republic. By the late 1990s, Moldova's official economy had shrunk to around two-fifths of its late-Soviet size.
Today, politics, media and public opinion remains deeply divided between pro-Russian and pro-Western camps.
Mission Without Borders Moldova begins its work
Mission Without Borders started up in Moldova in 1998 in response to the urgent needs of children living in terrible conditions in state-run orphanages. Registered as Child Rescue International, we helped out with food, clothes and hygiene items, as well as much-needed emotional and spiritual support.
By 2000, Mission Without Borders was present is over 65 institutions, housing about 13,000 children and teenagers in need of God’s love and care. They went on our summer camps, took part in our Bible Correspondence Course, and were blessed by regular visits from our staff and volunteers. We also improved living conditions at institutions by renovating bathrooms and canteens.
The spiritual poverty and hunger in Moldova was pronounced at this time. After 70 years of communism and atheist propaganda, people had very little connection with God’s word, and were eager to hear the gospel.
Strengthening churches and communities
By 2000, children’s homes were gradually being closed down as the government moved towards deinstitutionalisation. Mission Without Borders’s attention turned to families living in poverty, and in 2005, we launched the family sponsorship programme in Moldova.
We began to develop vocational projects as well as offering scholarships to children graduating from children’s institutions and to prospective students living in poverty. This period was also marked by strengthening our links with local churches by supporting their outreach initiatives such as Soup Kitchens and clubs for children.
In 2012, we started launched our child sponsorship programme to provide regular material, emotional, and educational assistance to children in vulnerable communities. By providing support towards a better future, we help prevent human trafficking among vulnerable young people. In 2014, we launched Street Mercy in Chisinau, offering hot meals and help to homeless people.
Discover how Street Mercy transforms lives in Chisinau.
Poverty in Moldova
Moldova remains one of the poorest nations in Europe, second only to Ukraine, and is plagued by corruption, unemployment, and low wages. Poverty is particularly concentrated in rural areas, and families with three or more children are the most vulnerable to hardship.
As Moldova relies heavily on trade with Russians, trade sanctions and inflation as a result of the war have worsened poverty, especially in rural areas.
31% of Moldovans now live below the poverty line.Mission Without Borders
Energy bills take up 70% of people’s income, leaving little left for other necessities. Inflation has led to food prices more than doubling. Moldovans’ life expectancy at birth is 71, among the lowest in Europe.
Migration from Moldova and other social issues
A lack of economic opportunities means that about one million Moldovans do seasonal work abroad, and over a quarter of the nation’s GDP comes from remittances.
As a result of migration, 21% of all children in Moldova suffer from “parent drain”, where one or more parent lives abroad.Mission Without Borders
Many of these children are cared for by grandparents or other relatives, but often they struggle with feelings of abandonment and miss their parents’ guidance and emotional support. Our regular support helps children in these circumstances.
Moldova has the second-highest rate of alcohol consumption in the world after Belarus. Domestic violence is also a deep-rooted problem, and 7 in 10 women in rural areas (6 in 10 in urban areas) have suffered from at least one form of abuse from a partner or spouse. Mission Without Borders’s staff and volunteers are aware of how these issues affect the children and families we work with, and are experienced in offering guidance and support.