For the holiday season, the State Chancellery’s Bureau for Diaspora Relations is organizing the first edition of the Diaspora Biannual Meeting. The event will take place at 18:00, on December 26, at the Republican Palace, IPN reports.
The Biennial will receive awards in five categories: “Journalists in the diaspora,” “Doctors without borders,” “Home again,” (emigrants who have returned home and achieved success in various fields); “The talents of DOR” (participants in the DOR program who have achievements in various fields and have contributed to the promotion of the Republic of Moldova) and “Out of love for home” (locals involved in the Mainstreaming Migration into Local Development Project).
Valentina Geamănă, a participant to the event, immigrated to Italy 18 years ago, and for ten years has been attracting funds for 20 projects implemented in Moldova. She started with project that concerned schools and kindergartens, after which she focused on alternative schools and schools for children with special needs. Those were followed by projects in prisons for minors and women, then on to boarding schools, etc. Valentina Geamănă says that her most desired import to Moldova is social entrepreneurship. “This event is important, because we get to observe our co-nationals’ activity in other countries. We exchange results and good practices, information on our ongoing projects,” says Valentina Geamănă.
Ion Poia, an Ungheni native, has lived in Ireland for a long time. He returned home eight years ago, and currently heads the “Ungheneni de Pretutindeni” CSO (Unghenians from everywhere). “I sincerely wish to help preserve the relationships between the Moldovans at home and those abroad. Maybe that way more would return home. The true wealth of a country lies in its people,” says the young man.
Svetlana Lisagor Vergis is the founder and president of an association of Moldovans in Greece, which has been active since 2010. She is a correspondent from Greece to several Moldovan editorials. The Diaspora Biennial, she states, is a beautiful initiative, and the objectives set by the organizers are welcome, especially the networking format, which could develop initiatives and cooperation between the organizing institution and the diaspora. “Those of us who have overcome the experimental phase in organizing events in culture and customs, are on different level of promoting the Republic of Moldova. I dare say we do it with utmost dedication,” added Svetlana Lisagor Vergis.
According to Victoria Eșanu-Gavriliță, head consultant at the Bureau for Diaspora Relations, the event list has 31 high-profile invitees, among whom are state officials, representatives of the diaspora, returning immigrants, some of whom have already confirmed attendance. The event aims to become a communication platform for those who intend to return home for the winter holidays, appreciate members of the diaspora who hold achievements in various fields, encourage immigrants, but also intensify the dialogue between the Government and the Diaspora.
