To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, the Chisinau City Hall and the Mihai Eminescu National Theater are offering a free play for 300 people with disabilities.

This will be the comedy “Take, Yanke and Kadyr” by V.I. Popa. Before the performance proper, a motivational and awareness-raising ad by Virgil Mărgineanu’s OVH Studio will be presented, showing that people with disabilities are just like everybody else.

Mariana Buga, deputy head of the municipal Health and Social Assistance Directorate, said that today’s event is one of the many organized by the City Hall for people with disabilities. Later this month, district head offices will partner up with local businesses to provide food and personal care packages.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, there are over 168,000 people with disabilities in Moldova, or 6.5% of the total population. Among them are over 10,000 children. The leading causes of disabilities include tumors, diseases of the circulatory system, diseases of the osteo-articular system of muscles and connective tissue, mental and behavioral disorders, diseases of the nervous system. In 2021, almost 16,000 people with disabilities received personal home care services and another 13,000 enjoyed hot meals in social canteens.