Build an environmental training center in Moldova

Dear friends,

We are happy to share the latest news with you - the EcoVisio Training Center is being improved in order to offer even more beautiful and impactful experiences to individuals and larger groups. In the last months, we have been transforming the solarium of the Center (which was getting too hot during the warm months, anyway) into a comfortable dining space, so that breaks can be served outside the training room. While removing the disruption the food appearance causes to the group & learning processes, this should also make the breaks themselves more recharging with the change of location and a magnificient view into the garden. It would also allow us to host larger groups in the main training room.

 And moreover, next to the dining area, we also built a new open terrace - which has been already used by some participants, having discovered and simply occupied it (even though it wasn’t 100% finished yet, then). 

The construction hasn’t put a stop on our activities - this spring has already seen trainings and study visits, strategic meetings and retreats; groups of kids, teenagers and adults - teachers, librarians and other active people from various parts of Moldova. For example, in April we hosted two Trainings of Trainers in Waste Management, with participants exploring local experiences and practices of waste management (sorting, composting, upcycling etc.), and exchanging methods for mobilizing people in their communities to treat their waste more responsibly. 

 Improving capacity of our Training Center is only possible thanks to the donations offered by the extended community through the GlobalGiving platform, while the profit generated from hosting some events allows us to organize trainings for multipliers and support low-budget or no-budget groups. Many thanks to those who support us, each in their own way!

Dear Friends,    

In the spring of 2022, when Russia's military aggression towards Ukraine was in full force and thousands of refugees from Ukraine were coming into Moldova every day, EcoVisio received a $50,000 grant from GlobalGiving as an Emergency Relief Grant from the GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. This financial aid came in the context that we, even though we are not a specialized organization in working with refugees, have provided our training center in Rîscova (EcoVillage Moldova) for the accommodation and support of refugees in these difficult times. We are grateful to GlobalGiving and want to share with you some inspiring stories of how this money has made the lives of some refugees easier and more enjoyable, even in times of war.

Yana and Mariia are refugees from Ukraine in the villages of Palanca and Tudora - two villages located in the south-east of Moldova, on the border with Ukraine, which are currently hosting Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war. Mariia carries out handicraft activities with local Ukrainian and Moldovan children. Yana organises sports activities for children and women in Palanca.  The financial support we provide from the GlobalGiving fund for the activities she does is the main source of income for her family from Odessa: herself, 2 children, her husband, and her parents. She and her husband opened a hotel in Odessa before the war. In the first year, they managed to get to a net 0 balance, then in the cold season the sales dropped, and in February the war started... For Yana and Mariia this financial support is crucial to get through these difficult times for them and their families. At the same time, a united community of locals and refugees benefit from their activities which help people to cope a bit easier with the stress caused by the war. 

The second story is about EcoMisto – an organisation from Chernihiv, a town in northern Ukraine on the border with Belarus, with which we worked closely before the war. This NGO is implementing a beautiful initiative #BikesForUkraine and in the most difficult period for EcoMisto, EcoVisio came with small financial support, helping bike workshop to continue its activities.  

Why?  

Bicycle has become the main transportation mode for Ukrainian cities that suffered from the Russian military aggression, as it is Chernihiv. These cities struggle with interrupted or fully not operational public transportation and lack of fuel. Thus, the bicycle remains the only stable mobility option for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the movement of personnel of critically important services. For example, the other day 19 bicycles were handed over to the inhabitants of a modular town in the Novoseliv community in the Chernihiv region. Now the inhabitants of this town have access to environmentally friendly and affordable transport for all, even if their infrastructure is damaged. 

The third story is about Ukrainian children and sustainable toys. EcoVisio supported several visits by refugee children to EduJoc workshops - a Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs) that creates toys from eco-friendly materials and employs disadvantaged people. More than 100 children enjoyed interactive activities at the Floreni workshop, from observing how a toy is made - so that the children can understand how the wood is processed to become a toy - to the moment when they could create their own toy by themselves, with the guidance of the craftsman. Many thanks to the EduJoc team for bringing smiles to these children's faces! 

Almost all refugees in Moldova are women with children, as men are not allowed to cross the border. These mothers have had to devote themselves entirely to their mission of saving themselves from danger outside the country by taking care of their children, and sometimes also of other children, of their neighbours, of their friends, children whom they have managed to save from bombings before coming as a refugee in Moldova. At the beginning of September 2023 we invited a group of mothers to spend 2 days in EcoVillage Moldova, relaxing and learning from our specialists about a healthy, environmentally friendly lifestyle. This was organised because of the great interest after similar trainings in spring (financed from a crisis-response project).  

We continued to organize these trainings because the mothers managed to spend time relaxing (they and their children are provided with accommodation and food for these days) and interactive, learning new useful information for a healthier lifestyle and environment. Here are the impressions taken from the participants' chat:

Another part of the money from GlobalGiving together with funding from the International Rescue Committee was invested in a camp for 70 refugee children from Ukraine. They had an intense program of activities outside Chisinau: 4 day of fun and learning new things. This was also an opportunity for their mothers to rest from taking care of their children. Here are some impressions received from one of the mothers, after the camp:

These are not all the activities organised by EcoVisio and of course not the last ones. We will continue to find the best ways to support the well-being of Ukrainian refugees since the war continues, and people still need the help and warmth of Moldova, both physical and emotional one. 

Thank you, GlobalGiving, for helping us to be able to help others in these difficult times when everyone's donations count... to have peace and silence in our homes... 

Links:

• #BikesForUkraine Initiative
• Eco Misto Organisation
• EduJoc Enterprise