40% of Moldovans live in poverty: research

40% of the Moldovan population lives in poverty, as other 5% – in extreme poverty, shows a study by the IDIS Viitorul think tank, Info-Prim Neo reports. The experts Diana Cheianu-Andrei and Nicolae Sadovei illustrate the extreme poverty phenomenon in Moldova through the situation of a family in Balti town. The only income source of theirs is the pensions lifted by the mother and and grandmother. The family's youngest daughter is aged 19 and has mental disorders. She has always been nursed at home and never hospitalized. She does not get disability pension. The conditions this family lives in are dramatic, although they get social allocations from time to time. The maintenance debts keep on growing. They haven't had a TV set for 30 years. They switch on the light several hours only, and eat the cheapest food. When taking her daughter for a walk, the mother avoids passing by shops as she cannot afford the luxury of buying a sweet to her daughter. The study's authors remark that the state is obliged under art. 47 of the Constitution to make efforts that everyone lives a decent living, insuring his/her welfare and health. Migration is a way out from poverty since the foreign earnings keep alive many families, Diana Cheianu-Andrei said. According to her, the people working abroad provide for 40% of the Gross Domestic Product. The world economic crisis will trigger even more poverty in Moldova. “A significant part of our migrants will lose their jobs in Portugal, France, Italy or Spain and will have to return.” “If there is economic growth and poverty is up, it means the wealth is distributed unfairly,” says Arcadie Barbarosie, the director of the Public Policies Institute (IPP). The IDIS experts think the situation can improve by supporting the people intent to start their own businesses.