Moldova’s Strategy for Community Action for Children in Difficulty Goes Online

The webpage www.snac-md.org, dedicated to the promotion of the National Strategy for Community Action for Children in Difficulty covering the period 2007-2009, has been launched today. According to Graham Chandler, the developer of the webpage and also education consultant of the High Level Group for Moldovan Children, the site contains a large variety of materials in three languages (Romanian, Russian and English), multimedia files (audio and video tracks), and links to other useful web pages. The site has been conceived in a way to encourage interactivity and stimulate the interest of children and teachers that are already involved in community actions as well as of persons that are not familiar with such actions, said Graham Chandler. Minster of Education and Youth Victor Tvircun stated at the launch ceremony that this webpage will offer the entire society the opportunity to join community-based actions. Any cause, no matter how noble, cannot be promoted unless all the members of the society lend a helping hand, Victor Tvircun said. At the same time, Muir John Potter, representative of the Children’s High Level Group, remarked that Moldova is the only country in Europe to conduct a pilot project and adopt a national strategy for children in difficulty in just one year. Moldova is an example to follow also because the web-site launched today provides versions in three languages. The National Strategy for Community Action for Children in Difficulty was adopted in 2007. The goal of the Strategy is to develop and promote a community-based network that will ensure social inclusion for at least 20 percent of the children in difficulty. The community actions are coordinated by the High Level Group for Moldovan Children, founded in 2006 by Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev and Baroness Emma Nicholson, a Member of the European Parliament. In January-April 2007, the Group conducted a pilot project, involving children from 10 residential institutions and 10 public schools.