When the needs are too high, a hand of help means a lot

Out of 390 families with children aged 0-17 years, about 60 families raise three and more children.

Alexei and Marina Otgun represent one of those families. The spouses have three children: Olesea - 3 years, Alexandru - 2 years and Mirela - 1.5-year-old.

Some kilometers away from the village center, on a winding unpaved road, Olesea welcomed us joyfully in front of a green gate. 'We are only five, but we have many chickens,' she told us enthusiastically. And indeed, one can confirm the numbers once inside the yard. Since the other two siblings are way too young to tell us anything about their yard, toys and birds, Olesea easily assumed the role of the guide and told us a lot about their household.

The family lives in a house offered by some villagers who live overseas. Although extremely modest, the house is clean inside, and the garden is neat and full of vegetable beds. A lump of freshly made cheese hangs under the shed.

They have a small monthly income; hence Alexei and Marina do their best to have as much as possible grown in the garden so that they can buy less.

'When I was a child, I was hit by a horse,' told us Alexei. I received a life-long disability; hence I cannot travel far from home. I must do regular medical investigation and treatment. What do I do? I do renovations for villagers, I work in the garden together with Marina, I fixed the house so we can live until we have our own. We keep goats, pigs, rabbits, chickens to feed ourselves.'

They can hardly sum MDL 10 thousand a month from social benefits and Alexei's earnings. After they divide this for nappies, electricity, wood for winter, medicine and hygienic products, bread and other needs for children, the money is gone. There is no money left to be put aside  for their own house or to buy something that is more costly. It is even more difficult in winter because Alexei is a seasonal worker.

'If we get stuck in problems, our brothers who live overseas may help us. But we turn to them only when this is really needed. This spring, for instance, one of the grandmothers could watch the children so Marina could harvest the strawberries. But who would you ask to watch these young children for a long period of time?!,' asked Alexei.

The oldest daughter is the only one who goes to kindergarten. Alexandru and Mirela are always at home, taken cared by Marina.

'Having three young children, it is very difficult without a washing machine,' told us Marina. When we were told that we would get the assistance, we decided to get it because otherwise we would not be able to save this amount. Hence, we bought a washing machine for MDL 4900 that we received. Ours. When the needs are high, such an assistance is much appreciated...'

This is one of the 56000 vulnerable families, who received emergency financial assistance in the amount of MDL 4900 (MDL 700/month) during November 2022 - May 2023 within the UN Moldova Solidarity Program guided and supported by the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova.

The project was implemented by five UN Agencies: the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN World Food Program (WFP), which ensured project' s good functioning and coordination. The total value of the financial assistance provided to vulnerable families was USD 14 million.

Due to this support, the families could meet their essential needs in the cold period of the year.

Note: Families selected to receive cash assistance had to meet at least one of the following criteria: one member/member(s) with disabilities, pregnant or breast-feeding women, single parent families or families with many children.

 The story in Russian language can be accessed here.