Traditional dishes from 20 countries, confections, yuletide souvenirs, clothes, cosmetics and toys are just some examples of the many items exhibited on Saturday, December 6, under the same roof at the 12th Annual Winter Charity Bazaar, organized by the International Women’s Club of Moldova (IWCM). Traditionally, all proceeds from the event are for charity, and this year’s beneficiaries will be the children from the Center “Renastera”, the Day Center “Speranta”, both from Chisinau, and the kindergarten from Lunga village, Floresti district. The Bazaar brings together 20 foreign diplomatic missions accredited in Chisinau as well as a number of nonprofit organizations from Moldova. Each booth displays the most representative things that the respective country has to show. Charla Carolus Chaudhry, the wife of the United States Ambassador to Moldova, has told Info-Prim Neo that the best selling items are the cookies that she made with the help of the Embassy’s staff. Mrs. Chaudhry said she couldn’t tell how much money would be raised during the day, but hoped that visitors would be generous. She also said the public was particularly interested in buying American flags. Maria Mihai, member of the Romanian Embassy’s staff, says it is wonderful that people want to help children by buying the exhibited items. The Romanian booth displays crafts made by the Embassy’s staff, books, bottles of Romanian wine, statuettes, dolls, and cookies. But perhaps the most sought-after are the Romanian sarmale – the traditional stuffed leaf rolls. This year the British and French missions decided to join their forces and share a booth. Elena Madan, assistant to France’s Ambassador, said the idea came from the British party. Their common booth featured traditional French cakes and greeting cards handcrafted by the wife of the UK Ambassador. “We made quite a lot of cakes. If everything sells, we’ll be glad to donate all the money to the children in difficulty”, she said. The members of the freshly established Italian Embassy also participated in the Bazaar, alongside their German colleagues. This booth had exquisite Italian dishes and famous German beverages on offer. In 2007, 14 embassies and international organizations, 22 Moldovan organizations and 9 local artists participated in the bazaar. More than 4,000 people attended. The International Women’s Club of Moldova was started in April 1997. Initially, IWCM was for expatriates to provide them opportunities for charitable work and insights into the life and culture of Moldova. Now the club is open to all women.