Volunteer commitment – Day-care climbing frame

Nine volunteers aged between 22 and 38 aimed to give more fun and happiness to the children of our day-care centre in the Republic of Moldova. They set off from Germany in May. Our facility in the small town of Ceadîr-Lunga still lacked a climbing frame on which the children could play, train their dexterity and let off steam. Building such a frame was the plan of these young men and women. Eight days to build it, including arrival and departure, were pretty short. However, the volunteers were fuelled by their enthusiasm. And one of the helpers, a trained roof layer, ensured the frame was built professionally. This is how they successfully realised the project.

The organisation to all nations from Bornheim near Bonn, Germany, coordinated the project. “During the trip, we also wanted to get a good insight into the way people lived in Ceadîr-Lunga. That’s why we visited the children at home and brought them and their families food, said Olga Marsal, a member of the “to all nations” team. The team also organised playgrounds for the children.

A thought-provoking and enriching experience

What the German helpers experienced was unexpected and shocking for some of the fellow volunteers. “In Europe, we had not expected to see such great poverty. The Republic of Moldova was once a country with an almost western standard of living. Now, there are many people trapped in a vicious circle of need, unemployment and lack of state care. You can really see the suffering and the daily struggle”, as Olga Marsal described the impressions of the team.

The short and formative assignment was, on the one hand, a journey into the foreign, sometimes harsh lives of these people. On the other hand, it was an enriching encounter for the participants from Germany and the children of the day-care centre. With great gratitude, on both sides, all those who had taken part in the project said goodbye.