The 11th Volunteering Week began with an hour of community service at the waste sorting station “ABS” in Bubuieci commune of Chisinau municipality. Several dozen people and members of nongovernmental organizations helped employees of the company to separate waste. The organizers aimed to highlight the necessity of sorting and recycling waste and to promote the more active involvement of authorities in solving the municipal waste problem, IPN reports.
Antonita Fonari, director of the Platform for Active Citizenship and Partnership for Human Rights, which is a member of the Coalition to Promote the Volunteering Law and Activities, said volunteering activities are now carried out nationwide. During the Volunteering Week, activities in which the people become involved to help the community are staged practically in each settlement. “The people combine forces to solve a problem, to create something together,” stated the activist, adding that the goal is to show that volunteering means social cohesion that can encourage the change of things at legislative level as well.
In parallel with volunteers who worked together with employees of the company, other volunteers – persons with reduced locomotor disabilities of the Association “Motivatie” – took part in a workshop centering on the waste sorting process. Victoria Botan, PR specialist of “Motivatie”, said the collected information will be disseminated online by motivational messages so as to make the people realize the necessity of sorting waste. “When you help sort waste, you understand how hard this thing is and realize it is better to know how to do it and to be an active citizen and take care of the environment,” stated Victoria Botan.
Ina Coseru, head of the National Environmental Center, reminded that the Law on Waste that obliges all the citizens of Moldova to collect waste separately takes effect this December.
During October 2-8, the public authorities, civil society organizations, initiative groups and others will stage awareness-raising campaigns, debates, charity, training and cleanup activities in connection with the National Volunteering Week 2017. The event is organized by the Coalition to Promote the Volunteering Law and Activities and is supported by the project “NVW 2017 – Join the Volunteers” of the 2017 Grants Program of the central body responsible for youth and sport of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research.
