New Home - New Life, SI Stefan Voda (Moldova)

The Project

The goal of the Project is to renovate and refurnish an old and dilapidated building (part of the building) and use the space as a shelter for victims of domestic violence. As the village is near the border with Ukraine, it will be used to offer a safe space to women victims of war atrocities.
After the project is completed and the house is in use, many activities focusing on education will be carried out on-site with the involvement of the Soroptimist members.

This Project is in line with the SIE strategy document for 2019 – 2025. The Project “New Home – New Life” objectives are linked to SDG5 Violence against Women and SDG4 Education.

The project has received a donation from the SIE Action Fund.

More information: https://youtu.be/iQdxXrppdU0 

Context

The Republic of Moldova has a strong policy and legal framework to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV). Yet, the high prevalence rate of intimate partner violence (73%) indicates a gap between policies and the lived experiences of women and girls. To address the issue at the local level, the S.C Stefan Voda, after examining the situation and after discussions with the local administration, the members have decided to start a project and renovate an already standing building (former hospital under the Soviet era) and turn it to a safe shelter/Safe Space for women victims of domestic violence.

Location of the project 

In the village of Olanesti (27 km from the city of Stefan Voda), a building has been partially renovated and is now used as a Children’s Center. Half of the building is still in poor condition and needs extensive renovation to be used. The club sisters have initiated a project to rebuild this half of the building. This part of the construction is to be used as a shelter for victims of gender-based violence. There is a great need for such a facility as the administration has not had the means to do it, and the number of women and girls who need protection is considerable.

Worth mentioning is that the city of Stefan Voda lies 35 km from the border passage Palanca and Ukraine.

Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly women and children, passed through this checkpoint after the invasion of Ukraine.

Today there is no shelter for GBV victims in the county, and in Moldova are only 5 such shelters.

Outcome

This facility will have four rooms for two persons each, a kitchen, a bathroom, a hall for meetings and recreation, a playroom for children. Over the year, 16 to 20 women and 20 children can be sheltered here. Refugee women in temporary accommodation could count to about 600 people per year.

Women will be able to live there 24/7 for up to 3 months, and refugee women for 3-5 days. If necessary, the period of residence can be extended. The center will be able to provide the services mentioned in the narrative.

Evaluation – Follow-up

An assessment will be made as the repair work is completed. At each stage of the repair, a commission from the club with repair specialists will inspect the quality of work. Then, the club will control the purchase of furniture and equipment for the arrangement of all premises. Creating optimal living conditions for women and girls is another criterion for evaluating the project. And the main assessment is monitoring. The club has been in constant contact with the center for more than 5 years

Thank you very much to the following Unions / Clubs for their collaboration to the project:

• SI Eastbourne and District, UK (SIGBI)

• SI Kalmar (Sweden)

• SI Luxembourg-Clairefontaine (Luxembourg)

• SI Silkeborg (Denmark)

Thank you to all the contributors!

So far, the Club has received donations amounting to € 9,689.