The activities carried out all over Moldova during the National Volunteer Week on October 17-23 came to about 700. The coordinators of the event said the figure is four times higher compared with last year. In a news conference at IPN, Nicolae Procopie, coordinator of the National Volunteer Week in 2013-2016, said for the first time this year the central public authorities and religious organizations became involved to a greater extent.

The volunteering activities covered 33 districts and municipalities, as opposed to 24 districts in 2015 and 10 districts in 2014. The coordinators aim to increase the number of activities not to 100 per district, but to 200-300. At this stage they are yet satisfied. In Romania, which is much larger than Moldova, the activities within the National Volunteer Week totaled 500-600. According to Nicolae Procopie, there is potential at country level to increase the number of volunteering activities. The possibility of doing good and becoming involved is not fully explored yet.

According to preliminary data, 4,760 persons worked as volunteers during the National Volunteer Week in Moldova. The cost of volunteer work was estimated at over 312,000 lei.

NGO Council head Antonita Fonari said there is formal volunteering in which a person can become involved at a ministry or an NGO, for example, for an ecological cause, a healthy lifestyle, etc. There are also informal volunteers who can do the same, but without holding a volunteer permit. Sporadic volunteer work can be thus done.

Volunteer from Orhei Mihaela Puscas spoke about the events staged during the National Volunteer Week. These included a reading club entitled “mother’s school” that was intended for pregnant women. Young people from Orhei mobilized to help socially deprived families from the town and made pies together with a Peace Corps volunteer, which were later delivered to an old people’s home.

In Ialoveni, which was declared the Youth Capital 2016 and where the National Volunteer Week was launched, the young people took part in community life through events and projects. Ialoveni regional coordinator Victor Pletosu said the National Volunteer Week included three campaigns with 40 different activities and involved over 130 young people. By the activities to sensitize the community, the young people showed they know the community problems and look for solutions by cooperation and cohesion of local players.

Causeni regional coordinator Vera Ciuchitu said they staged over 50 community events with an impact on community during the week. These were mainly cleanup activities and events aimed at helping people in need. This year, emphasis was laid on the impact of the initiatives launched earlier, which became examples of good community practices.