Renovated houses

Necessary repairs before the onset of winter

Many elderly people in the Republic of Moldova receive such a small pension that they are just about able to buy their daily food. In most cases, they cannot afford to spend money on heating, and urgently required repairs on their houses are completely out of the question. If these people are not in a position to carry out repairs themselves, their house will gradually dilapidate. That is not only the case of the women on the photo, but many people in Ceadîr Lunga, where wortundtat supports the people in need through its diaconal centre Gloria, share the same fate.

When we visited several families and single people in late autumn of last year, we saw houses that were in such a bad state that we regarded immediate help to be absolutely necessary. Winter in the region can be very hard. Often the temperatures rise not above -10° for weeks. Apart from that, the large quantities of snow, which come down in the region, can cause dilapidated houses to collapse under the weight.

During the weeks following our visit, builders were able to repair roofs and windows of seven houses and make the buildings at least reasonably winter-proof. As a result, the people can stay under their own roof during the cold season. And our emergency shelters are able to accommodate other people in need. The town with 20,000 residents still very much requires the provision of such facilities.