Every child must have a family and a happy childhood – message of Abracadabra holiday

During a day, the Public Garden “Stephan the Great” has been the place of childhood and magic and an immense family for children from boarding schools and for other children from Chisinau. The sixth edition of the holiday “Abracadabra – a Family for Every Child” was held in Chisinau on May 18, Info-Prim Neo reports. The main aim of the holiday is to bring joy, especially to the children from the 12 Chisinau boarding schools. On the last but one Sunday of May, almost all the children from boarding schools come to the Public Garden “Stephan the Great” to take part in different activities intended for them. Most of the activities are organized by the children from the community for children from boarding schools. Together, they communicate and establish long-lasting relations of friendship. Together, they can overcome certain complexes and barriers. Tatiana Lungu, president of the Association “Children’s Friends”, has told Info-Prim Neo that at such activities and holidays like Abracadabra, the children from boarding schools feel happy and feel that they can have a happy childhood, with the same rights as the rest of their fellows. “That’s why we come here to dedicate this day to all the children, but especially to the children from boarding schools. We come here first of all to play with them and to make them feel that they have the right to a happy childhood and to a family that will love them and offer a proper education,” Tatiana Lungu said. During Abradcadabra, all the children could take part in workshops set up in the central park. Those that wanted to draw on asphalt or material, went to a creative art workshop. Those that like face painting, gathered around the professionals in face painting and got drawings on their faces. A group of actors of Gagalici Theater invited the children to take part in a workshop, where they could dance, sing and play with puppets and dolls. The Ludobusul was a novelty of this year’s Abracadabra. Stela Vasluian, director of the Chisinau branch “Amici dei Bambini”, said that the Ludobus is a microbus outfitted for a number of games for children. Those that wanted to play chess, build, play with the ball or other interactive games went to the Ludobus and played together with the volunteers. Stela Vasluian said that the Ludobus is part of the project “LudoFriends” financed by an Italian TV channel. Ludo means game, while Ludobus is a microbus intended for children’s games,” Stela Vasluian explained. According to her, every Saturday and Sunday as from this week, the Ludobus will go to different regions of Moldova, where the volunteers will play with the children from residential institutions. Abracadabra also hosted a drawing exhibition themed ”A Family for Every Child” with drawings made by children from Chisinau schools and boarding schools. The best works were awarded. The parents that attended the event as well as the rest of the visitors could learn about the methods of protecting the children in difficulty. The informative booths set up in the park shared brochures and different materials about the Family Type Children’s Homes, Foster Families, Professional Parent Assistance, Family Reintegration, Adoption and other services intended for the children in difficulty. Small artists from Chisinau education establishments sang songs and danced, especially for children from boarding schools. The concert lasted for more than three hours. Two more Abracadabra events will be organized in Moldova in 2008, outside Chisinau – on May 25 in Ungheni and on June 1 in Leova. The organizers planned three big holidays in order to offer the children from the given towns the possibility of interacting and playing with the children from residential institutions so as these could easier integrate into the society and feel happy. A magic moment of the holiday was the launch of tens of colored balloons that carried a massage addressed to the children from institutions. “Abracadabra – because we think that some day the number of children in boarding schools will maximally decrease and the number of children that will find a family will grow. We believe in magic,” Stela Vasluian said. Abracadabra is a holiday organized simultaneously in 18 Italian towns and in 29 countries where the International Association “Amici dei Bambini” carries out activities. The event in Chisinau was organized by “Amici dei Bambini", Children’s Friends Association and the General Division of Education, Youth and Sports.