Number of Moldovan migrants rose by 10-12% as a result of last year’s drought

The number of Moldovan migrants increased by 10-12% as a result of last year’s drought, shows a study published by the sociological companies CBS–AXA and “Sociopolis”, based on information collected from towns from southern Moldova. The research was carried out with the financial support of the Czech Embassy in Chisinau, Info-Prim Neo reports. At a news conference on February 11, the Czech Ambassador to Moldova Petr Kypr said that the largest part of those that received humanitarian aid to overcome the consequences of the drought were farmers and villagers. The study reveals yet that the drought had also an enormous impact on the urban residents, who also should benefit from aid from the state and donors. According to Petr Kypr, the studies of the impact of the drought in Moldova are not complete because they did not establish the secondary victims of this phenomenon that include the deprived groups of people from urban areas. The diplomat said that on February 18 the Czech Embassy in Chisinau will hold a meeting of donors to consider offering support to the secondary victims of the drought, who suffer the consequences of the rise in the prices of food products. Diana Cheianu, president of the Investigations and Consultancy Centre “Sociopolis”, said that the first finding of the study was that southern Moldova witnesses a phenomenon of rural urbanisation, where 48.6% of the families on low incomes keep birds and animals to earn additional incomes and to maintain themselves, while 38.8% work the land for the same purpose. The study says that 61% of the poor urban population from Moldova’s south have meals three times a day, while the rest only two or one time a day as they save money to heat the house. Some of them interrupt the medical treatment. 41% of the families with children in the first-fourth grades said the children are not fed at school and they do not receive the proper food at home. According to Diana Cheianu, only 16 of the 100 respondents from the urban areas asked for help and only seven of them received aid, mainly financial resources from the National Population Support Fund, money for treatment and packages with food products. Ian Cernik, representative of the Czech organisation “Caritas”, said that the authorities and donors should provide the children from schools and kindergartens with free meals with a diversified menu. The vulnerable persons should be fed in specially set up canteens free of charge, while the poor urban population should benefit from the same humanitarian aid as the rural population. The study cost about 500,000 lei and included interviews with local experts, mayors, representatives of economic divisions, doctors and school heads. There were questioned 1,400 household living on incomes lower than 574 lei a member. The study was conducted between December 18 and January 12 in 14 towns from southern Moldova including Vulcanesti, Cimislia, Cainari, Leova, Comrat, Stefan Voda, Cahul, etc.