A small room for big beginnings

The paved streets of Cimișlia eventually meet a country road that winds through fields of wheat and sunflowers. The path, barely wider than a car, leads directly to the gate of the Javgur Health Center - the first building that catches your eye as you enter the village. The one-story building, modest but well cared for, has gathered over time countless stories of local families - some joyful, others heartbreaking.

At the entrance, we meet Dr. Elena Ciobanu - a mother, a wife, a family doctor for three villages, and the Head of the Javgur Health Center. After completing her residency in 2018, Elena returned to her hometown, which she had left before the age of ten. She came back not out of obligation, but out of gratitude and a desire to restore people’s trust in medicine.

“I felt I had a moral duty to the people in my village,” Elena says. “I studied for free, and it only felt right to give something back to those who, indirectly, contributed to my education.”

An old room, a new life

In April 2024, one of the Health Center’s former treatment rooms was transformed into an Early Childhood Development Office, set up by UNICEF, in partnership with Lumos Moldova, and with the financial support from the Government of Germany through the German Development Bank KfW.

In the most colorful room along the right-hand hallway, children take their first steps toward a healthier future, while parents discover what it truly means to have the support of medical professionals close to home.

“For isolated communities, any kind of help feels like a blessing. We are genuinely happy when someone remembers us - when someone thinks of a healthy future for children in our villages. I was overjoyed when I heard about this project. I never once thought of saying no,” she recalls.

The room is more than just a space - it’s a living, breathing place where children come to play, mothers seek advice, and prevention becomes a natural part of daily life.

“We’re happy that we can now provide care differently than before - in a friendlier, warmer environment. Some children come just to play. It’s a place where health is learned step by step. We had a little girl who always asked me to check her heartbeat with the stethoscope, even when she wasn’t sick. That’s how children should see doctors - not with fear, but as friendly people,” Elena adds.

From early screening to early intervention

Currently, 37 children under five are monitored at the Childhood Development Office in Javgur, and seven of them have been referred to the Early Childhood Intervention Center in Cimișlia. There, children and their parents - including those from refugee families living in Moldova - benefit from personalized counseling and rehabilitation programs such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sensory room therapy, and massage.

With the financial support from the Government of Germany, UNICEF and the Ministry of Health have inaugurated two Early Childhood Intervention Centers - in Cimișlia and Fălești. In both districts, five Early Childhood Development Rooms were opened within rural Health Centers and Family Doctor Offices - in Cimișlia, Fălești, Javgur, Batîr, Satul Nou, Gura Galbenei, Scumpia, Albinețul Vechi, Pîrlița, and Răuțel.

“One child from our village is already in the second round of therapy. The most common challenges are speech delays, but we also have more complex cases like autism. We try to support these children while also encouraging the parents,” Elena explains.

According to her, developmental delays can often be noticed “right from the doorway” - in the child’s behavior, gestures, or reactions.

“It’s rare for parents to come with clear concerns. The hardest thing is when they struggle to accept their child’s diagnosis. We had a case of autism - clear from about one and a half years old - but the parents only accepted it when the child turned three and a half. Now he goes to therapy and is making progress,” Elena adds.

The golden window: the first three years of a child’s life

Elena knows how important early screening and working with parents are.

“The first autism screening is done at around one and a half years old. That’s when parents can notice the first signs - repetitive movements, playing alone, lining up toys, or having tantrums when routines change.

I know that the official diagnosis can be made only at age three, but in my opinion, if you wait until then, it’s too late. Much too late. This period - from birth to three years - is what we call the ‘golden window.’ Once it’s lost, it’s hard to intervene effectively and get the best results,” Elena explains.

Education for teenagers and support for refugees

Even though this Early Childhood Development Office is primarily meant for young children, its doors are also open to teenagers - providing a safe and private space for discussions and counseling.

“I prefer to work with them early on, especially after a painful experience - a ninth-grade girl who became pregnant and couldn’t finish school. That’s when I decided to take on the responsibility myself and start talking to students about sexual education.

Starting from seventh grade, the girls come for discussions - we draw the menstrual-cycle calendar together, and every three or four months, they come back to update it,” says Elena.

When the war in Ukraine brought refugees to the villages of Cimișlia district, the Javgur Health Center was one of the first places where mothers and children found help and comfort.

“We checked the immunization records and filled in where necessary. The mothers were very cooperative - none refused vaccination. We discussed nutrition, immunity, vitamins. It was a truly beautiful experience.”

A small space, a big impact

Today, the Early Childhood Development Office in Javgur shows how a small space can make a big difference - a place where health care meets education, and prevention becomes a natural part of village life.

“Unfortunately, as a society, we are still not ready to fully accept and include children who are different. Too often we label and marginalize them - and that’s what we need to change,” says Elena, looking toward the colorful drawings on the wall.

At the end of the day, when calm settles over Javgur, the door of the room remains open. A mother might stop by with a question, a curious child might come to be “examined,” or a teenager might arrive with new feelings to share.

Here, every small step matters - and every big beginning is quietly written within these blue walls, in the heart of a village that has learned that early childhood development is not a luxury, but a right for every child.