Over 70 boarding school graduates helped to integrate socially

More than 70 boarding school graduates have benefited from professional orientation, scholarships, accommodation and other advantages within a European project implemented by the Association “Amici dei Bambini Moldova” over three years. The results of the project were presented in a news conference on December 12, Info-Prim Neo reports. The project started in December 2009 and was now completed. It was implemented in Moldova and Ukraine. Stela Vasluian, director of the “Amici dei Bambini” branch in Moldova, said that such a project was needed given the problems faced by the graduates of residential institutions, who have no home and no support. Four macro-activities were carried out during the three years. The first activity centered on the examination of the situation and ended with the publication of a common study for both of the countries. The second activity focused on the training of the personnel involved in activities intended for the final beneficiaries and in experience exchange. “As it is a rather new area, it is important to train the personnel involved in this field,” said Stela Vasluian, adding that there were staged international training seminars and fact-finding visits, one in Italy and another one in the UK, where the specialists were familiarized with European services provided for young boarding school graduates. The third component of the project, which can be considered the most important one according to Stela Vasluian, consisted in the provision of services for the beneficiaries. At this stage, there was created a multidisciplinary team that worked out an intervention plan together with the 72 beneficiaries. A large part of them were admitted to studies, while others were employed. The young people received food and hygienic packages, domestic appliances, clothes and supplies. The graduates also benefited from scholarships for the first three months at work. The fourth macro-activity refers to lobby and advocacy. “We aimed to promote the rights of the young people and to present the project activities to all those interested. There was produced a monthly electronic bulletin that was distributed to the local public authorities and NGOs. By this bulletin, we permanently informed the people about the activities performed within the project,” said Stela Vasluian. The conference to sum up the results of the project “Strengthening of Capacities of Nongovernmental Organizations and Local Public Authorities of Moldova and Ukraine with a View to Promoting the Social Inclusion of Ex-Institutionalized Young People” is held on December 12 and 13.