A day nursery has been opened in Chisinau, where needy mothers can leave their children during the day and take them home in the evening. The service is available for mothers with children aged between 5 months and 3 years. The creche is placed in Chisinau's Botanica district. Svetlana Chifa, head of the Municipal Department for protection of children’s rights, told Info-Prim Neo that the center’s goal is to prevent the abandonment of young children by families in strained circumstances. Mothers who have to work because of their difficult financial situation can bring their children here during the day. Applications can be submitted to the district children’s rights departments. Initially, the nursery will take care of only 10 children, but the project will be extended depending on the number of applications. The social service was launched by the Municipal Department for protection of children’s rights and the non-governmental organization CCF Moldova, in partnership with the British organization Hope&Homes for Children. The latter contributed about 400,000 lei to the project. The money was used for repair, buying furniture and equipment and staff training. The center’s activity will be financed by the municipality. According to Svetlana Chifa, the number of abandoned children in Chisinau dropped from 217 in 2001 to 40 in 2010.