Education Moldova, Republic of Project #8447

CERI Transitional Care (Moldova)

by Children's Emergency Relief International (CERI)

Project Report | Jun 10, 2013
Random Acts of Kindness

By Daniela Ceri | CERI Caseworker, Moldova

A CERI youth shows God's love to the community.

When an orphan in Moldova is coming of age to transition out of the orphan program, it’s easy for them to get depressed and think that the world is a cold place. This spring we decided to conduct a giving exercise. We looked around and instead of waiting for someone else to make us smile, we looked for people who we could bring a smile to.

Together with the youth, we packed our bags with toys and many roses. First we went to a nearby kindergarten and gave toys to other children. Everybody gathered and we started a ripple of joy. After that, we went on the street to give roses to people passing by... you can see the response we received in the photo.

The reaction was better than we expected. The happiest people of all ended up being our youth who were running with enthusiasm on the streets and giving flowers. At the end, they all said that they would definitely like to do an activity like this again soon!

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Mar 12, 2013
Inspiring Hope

By Gretchen H. Lange | Director of Development

Transitional Care Youth Performing a Play

Inspiring Hope is not just what Children's Emergency Relief International (CERI) does through your gifts; it's who we are. As orphans in Moldova near the age of sixteen – the year at which youth age out of orphanages – their lives become riddled with fear and anxiety. "What will I do?" they wonder; "Where will I go?" Leaving with the clothes on their back and a government-issued bus ticket to… anywhere, orphaned youth are completely unprepared for life as independent adults.

Through our Transitional Care (TC) program and your generous gifts, CERI is able to calm the woes of angst-ridden youth by offering them safety and the opportunity to continue their educations as they make the successful transition into independent living. Your gifts enable CERI to provide stability, counseling, nurturing, and guidance to youth who otherwise would not stand a chance. Our philosophy at CERI is that the best way to Inspire Hope, is to teach the youth we serve to do the same. Below is a field report from one of CERI’s Moldovan caseworkers:

It has become a tradition every year at Christmas for CERI’s Transitional Care youth to offer brighter moments to kids who are in the same situation that they themselves were in years prior. Last December we visited two temporary placement centers in which our TC youth offered encouragement to other children and youth in need. Our youth rehearsed a drama and Christmas carols for several days and even brought gifts for the children, purchased with their own money! It was an enormous stepping stone in the lives of our youth. No longer were they the ones sitting in the audience in the orphanages watching the programs, receiving the gifts; they are now the ones who teach, encourage, and give. What a blessing to watch CERI youth Inspiring Hope!

Daniela Cerî, TC Chief Social Worker – CERI Moldova

Thank you for making our work possible!!

Orphaned Children Watching Play

CERI Youth on Bus to Visit Orphanages

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Nov 30, 2012
Hope Falls Like Rain on Next Generaion

By Gretchen H. Lange | Director of Development

Would you believe it's almost Christmas? We at CERI hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving and are excited about the joy that Christmas brings! Amid the hustle and bustle of this holiday season, we wanted to pause to send you a special update on the program you support and an enormous THANK YOU.

As you know, orphans in Moldova age out of the orphanage at age 16. As youth approach their sixteenth birthdays, with this comes tremendous anxiety and fear; fear of what lies ahead; fear of what survival looks like; fear of being alone; fear... of what happens next. Over and over we hear testimonials from mission team members who tell us that, as they get to know orphaned youth on our mission trips, fear is the one emotion the youth communicate. CERI is a child sponsorship and mission's organization, specializing in care for vulnerable children, youth and their families around the world so they may grow to live healthy and productive lives. But as you can imagine, the number of children in need of child sponsorships grossly outweighs the number of child sponsors. That's where you come in!

Your gifts to CERI mean hope for youth aging out of orphanages! Because of your kindness, CERI is able to reach out to vulnerable and hurting youth, whether or not they have a sponsor. You fill the seemingly impenetrable gap, and we THANK YOU. We thank you because, without generosity like yours, what we do day-in and day-out would be impossible. After thirteen years of faithful service to at-risk children and youth around the world, CERI is realizing a harvest from its years of sowing. Youth who have graduated from our programs are returning to CERI... as volunteers!

I'd like to introduce you to Ecaterina. You may recall reading her story in a previous update. Ecaterina entered CERI's program when she, herself, was living in an orphanage. Now Ecaterina offers her time as a trusted CERI volunteer. Read what she has to say about your generosity:

"I'm a CERI volunteer since 2011. I began to devote my time to others, because I had a strong desire to do something... something for others, not for myself. The people who encouraged me and made a difference in my life are the people that I met here - at CERI. Because some people cared for me, I understood that it's time to do something for the others. I like to be involved in activities, meetings, camps organized by CERI. I also like to prepare the meals for the youth every Friday when they have Bible study. I'm glad that I can serve them, and I can help even if it's just a little thing to do."

THANK YOU, CERI friends! We would not be who we are without you...

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