Help me stay with my mother!
According to statistics, over 60% of child abandonment occur in maternity hospitals right after birth. The causes of this phenomenon vary, and in most cases, the decision to abandon a baby is based on a number of combined reasons, such as:
- Difficult financial situation of the family, expressed in the lack of adequate living conditions, lack of stable incomes
- incapacity to meet the needs of the children in what concerns food and their development, parents’ abuse of alcohol, etc.
- lack of community services to support families with many children
- lack of demographic policies that encourage childbirth
An important reason is the community stigma of young lonely mothers.
Unfortunately, the parents are not always aware that eventual placement of the child into a residential institution may cause long-term separation. Young parents often believe they can change their decision at any moment and take the child back home. However, many of the mothers who give up their own child immediately after birth are not given an opportunity to change opinion, especially if the child abandonment documents are already signed. This is sad situation, because in most cases young mothers decide the future of their new-born baby under pressure of the relatives, under the circumstances of poverty, or due to other factors.
When a mother gives up her child after birth, the legislation forbids the child’s adoption within the following 6 months. At the same time, unfortunately, the biological parents pressed by various circumstances to place their child into baby homes are very rarely supported and encouraged to maintain relation with their baby. As a rule, the parents come back to the baby home after the legal 6 months’ term expires, and, discovering that their baby was adopted, they are unable to do anything.
Partneships for every child implemented the project “Prevention of child abandonment at birth”, creating the Social Accommodation unit for mother-and-baby couples. The Social Accommodation is in Chisinau, and provides shelter and services to mothers with new-born babies or to women in advanced term of pregnancy, at risk of abandoning their babies after birth. The mothers are supported here to build life skills, to learn how to live independently, are informed and advised about the risks and consequences of the child’s institutionalization. Building parental skills is the most important component in this service provision. The staff of the Social Accommodation and invited trainers organize seminars in parental skills development, facilitating the building of strong attachment between the parents and their children.
The Social Accommodation can house 4 mother-and-baby couples, who are placed temporarily, for a term not exceeding 6 months. During this time, the team of the Accommodation collaborates with the parents’ native communities, seeking solutions of their reintegration. The children placed in the unit are aged between 0 and 3, except elder siblings. Built on a family-based model, the Accommodation provides social care, psychological, legal, and educational assistance, aimed to achieve the reintegration of the couples into the birth family and community.
This type of service is unprecedented in Moldova, due to its semi-independent nature. We put much value in the status of independence of the family placed into the Social Accommodation, because we believe in the capacity of the parents to take care of their own children. We try to offer them an environment as close as possible to the family, insisting on building parental skills and mediating relations with the biological family.
We ask for your support in cash or in kind of food or hygiene products, to ensure the service continuation. We underline that any type of donations are welcome, and we guarantee the transparence of the fund-raising process.
The list of necessary products.
| Name |
Units |
Quantity for 1 year
for each person |
Items of hygiene
|
| Detergent |
Kg |
15,6 |
| Liquid soap |
Liters |
6 |
| Laundry soap |
Pieces |
4 |
| Baby soap |
Pieces |
4 |
| Washing-up liquid |
Liters |
3 |
| Tooth brushes |
Pieces |
6 |
| Tooth paste |
Tube |
4 |
| Hair Shampoo |
Liters |
1,2 |
| Linen whitener |
Liters |
6 |
| Detergent for surfaces |
Liters |
6 |
| Bathroom detergent |
Liters |
6 |
| Glass washing liquid |
Liters |
6 |
| Washing cloths |
Pieces |
36 |
| Kitchen sponges |
Pieces |
36 |
| Plastic bags for waste |
Roll |
12 |
Food products
|
| Sugar |
Kg |
2 |
| Pasta |
Kg |
5 |
| Rice |
Kg |
5 |
| Buckwheat |
Kg |
5 |
| Terci(de diferite feluri) |
kg |
5 |
The Project “Prevention of child abandonment at birth” was implemented in partnership with the Republican Maternity Hospital (Institute of Scientific Research in Mother and Child Health Care) and the Municipal Department for the Protection of the Rights of Children, with the financial support of Andreas A David Foundation and the Norwegian Embassy in Bucharest.
An personal story
Alina was 27 when she found she was pregnant, with no place to go and nobody to support her. She finished residential school, as her mother was deprived of parental rights when Alina was only 5 years old. She was placed into the Social Accommodation when she was in advanced pregnancy, at the advice of the social assistant. During 4 months the staff of the Accommodation managed to obtain ID for Alina, taught her how to take care of the baby and how to manage her money she received in the Social Accommodation. Following repeated discussions with the baby’s father, he recognized his paternity, and decided to make a family with Alina.
Now this baby will have a happy family and will enjoy harmonious development along with his parents.
We thank you for cooperation; your donations to the Social Accommodation give hope of enjoyment of patents’ love to at least 10 children annually.
Contact information:
Phone: + 373 22 924114
Office hours: 9,00-17,00
Elena Railean, Manager of the Social Accommodation