UNICEF in Moldova Newsletter issue 2 by UNICEF Moldova

UNICEF in Moldova Newsletter, issue 2/2017

IN THIS ISSUE:

 In Orhei, children with special educational needs are being succesfully integrated  UNICEF Moldova hosted the Network Meeting on Mother and Child Health and Nutrition  Vaccines work! Parents choose to immunise their children  More Roma children to have access to quality education

A social creche has opened in Glodeni The service will be aimed at young children from vulnerable families mothers or fathers, can seek employment. The creche is well equipped and works similarly to a kindergarten. Children will benefit from early childhood care: good nutrition, sleep, play time etc. Upon completion of the renovations, the creche was taken over by Glodeni City Hall, which will continue to finance this very important service.

Children aged 4 months to 3 years old who come from vulnerable families and at risk of separation from parents because of poverty or other social difficulties will benefit from the new service. It will ensure children receive the best care from educators throughout the day, while their parents, especially solitary

The social creche in Glodeni is one of the results of the project “Young Children - understanding needs, developing services, reforming the system”, developed by CCF / HHC Moldova in partnership with UNICEF. The total cost of renovations is about 20,000 euros.

A social creche, with a capacity of 12, opened its doors for the young children in Glodeni this summer. This free social service was created by CCF / HHC Moldova together with Glodeni Town Hall within a project implemented in partnership with UNICEF, the Ministry of Labor, Social Protection and Family and the Ministry of Health.

Margarita Tileva, Deputy UNICEF Representative (second left) at the official innauguration event of the social creche in Glodeni.

Young children receiving care at the newly opened creche in Glodeni.

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Thanks to the inclusive education reform in the Republic of Moldova, more and more children with disabilities enjoy access to education. More than 10,000 children from Moldova, who have disabilities and special educational needs, go to mainstream schools now, alongside their peers. Their numbers quadrupled over the last 5 years. At the same time, the number of children with disabilities in auxiliary and special schools became almost two times smaller. The siblings Vasile and Ana Maria Mocreac study in the seventh and fourth grade, respectively, at ‘Mihai Eminescu’ Gymnasium from Orhei. They go together to school, participate actively during classes, learn new things and communicate with their classmates. However, while other same-age children communicate using words, the Mocreac siblings communicate using sign language. Vasile and Ana Maria are both hearing impaired, but they were integrated a year ago at ‘Mihai Eminescu’ Gymnasium from Orhei. Before that, they both attended a boarding school for children with hearing impairments.

In Orhei, children with special educational needs are being succesfully integrated

Vasile and Ana Maria during a class.

‘Initially, I felt confused. I didn’t know how to prepare for Ana Maria’s coming, nor how to integrate her among her classmates. I told the children then to cover their ears and imagine that they cannot hear any sound at all, not even birds’ tweet. The children were impressed. So, when Ana Maria came, they all got around her and started to communicate. Ana Maria studies according to an adjusted program during class. She learned everything from pictures and illustrations. She knows the seasons of the year, the current date and month. She tries to pronounce words, and her classmates already understand her’, explained Ala Streltov.

The teaching staff of ‘Mihai Eminescu’ Gymnasium from Orhei was also puzzled a little bit by this change. Ala Streltov, Ana Maria’s teacher, admits that it was challenging for her in the beginning. Vasile and Ana Maria together with their mother Oxana Mocreac.

‘Vasile was diagnosed with deafness when he was 3 years old. Ana Maria – just a few days after she was born. Initially, Vasile was attending a special school for children with hearing impairments from Chisinau. However, when time came for Ana Maria to go to school too, we realised that we will not be able to afford paying for the education of both of them in Chisinau. Therefore, we decided to enroll them in a boarding school for children with hearing impairments. Unfortunately, in the boarding school, they weren’t helped to develop. Once they were integrated in a mainstream school, they started having achievements. Vasile no longer communicates using sign language. He tries to talk to us and we already understand what he says. He reads and knows the meaning of words. Ana Maria still uses the sign language, but she does pronounce a few words, too. I am happy to see how much they developed, but I must admit that I was hesitant in the beginning’, says Oxana Mocreac, the mother of the siblings.

‘Though at the beginning I had no idea how to work with children like them, now I enjoy the success we achieved with Vasile in such a short period of time’, says Galina Vasilescu, teacher of Geography in Vasile Mocreac’s grade. ‘We work with him according to an adapted program, and he fulfills all Geography-related tasks. He is an outstanding boy.’ Like his sister, Vasile doesn’t feel discriminated. Neither of his colleagues has ever mentioned his disability. ‘Once I got to know Vasile, I’ve understood how hard it must be to want to express yourself without being able to do it using any words. Vasile made us more united. He is friendly, he talks to us. At first, we were using signs, but now we communicate in a usual way’, says Alina Leahu, Vasile’s deskmate. Besides the two children with sensory hearing impairments, 15 more children with special educational needs are studying at the ‘Mihai Eminescu’ Gymnasium of during the 2016–2017 academic year.

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Ana Maria together with her classmates.

‘School inclusion of children with special educational needs is of top priority for us. The school has to support these children and help them integrate into society. Children with special needs must attend school and develop alongside their peers’, says Raisa Gherasim, principle of the ‘Mihai Eminescu’ Gymnasium of Orhei.

A National Conference on ‘Ensuring Access to Quality Education for Children with Disabilities’, was recently organised by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF Moldova in Chisinau. The Conference discussed the actions taken by our country in the field of inclusive education, the strategic vision implementing the right of children with special needs to education, the Key Provisions of the General Comment on Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and

Ana Maria with her classmates.

Vasile together with his classmates.

their importance for the advancement of the inclusive education agenda. Currently, about 500 resource centers and over 600 support teachers are helping children with special educational needs during their inclusion. The approval of the Development Program of the Inclusive Education for years 2011-2020 aims to harmonize the national education system with the developed countries’ practice, where children with special needs study along with other pupils in inclusive classes. The Moldovan educational system is to be adapted and individualized on the basis of all children’s needs. About 17,000 children with disabilities live in the Republic of Moldova.

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UNICEF Moldova hosted the Regional Network Meeting on Mother and Child Health and Nutrition population. One of the achievements of this collaboration is the reform of the perinatal system, which has led to a decrease in the maternal and infant mortality rate,” said Ruxanda Glavan, Minister of Health of the Republic of Moldova at the opening of the meeting.

Ruxanda Glavan, Minister of Health (left) and Nune Mangasaryan, UNICEF Representative in Moldova (right) at the opening of the Regional Network Meeting on Mother and Child health and Nutrition.

The regional meeting will focus on areas such as mother and child health, nutrition, immunization, strengthening public health systems and preparing for exceptional situations in the context of the Sustainable Development Objectives to be achieved by 2030. “We are delighted to host this important meeting for UNICEF in Moldova that will allow UNICEF representatives from Central Asia and Europe to take stock of achievements in children’s health and nutrition and to develop further actions to successfully complete the remaining challenges. This will make a significant contribution to reaching the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 in the region,” said Nune Mangasaryan, UNICEF Representative in Moldova. “Cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and UNICEF has significantly contributed to improving the health of the

“UNICEF also supported the actions implemented by the Republic of Moldova in preventing the transmission of HIV from mother to child, combating anemia among pregnant women and children until the age of 5. Thanks to UNICEF support, our country Has successfully implemented national immunization programs, which has helped eliminate polio and significantly reduce infectious diseases among children and adults, “added Ruxanda Glavan. In the region covered by the UNICEF Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia there are 22 countries and territories with a population of about 400 million and 5.8 million births each year. In the region, neonatal mortality is between <5 and 23 cases per 1,000 births. Over 80 per cent of the deaths of children under five occur in the first year of life, and 70 per cent - in the first month of life. The rates of immunization vary from one country to another, with many countries facing increasing rates of refusals. The risk of poliomyelitis is high in three countries, and measles outbreaks occur throughout the Central Asia and Europe. Throughout the region, children continue to suffer from poverty, with a child poverty rate that in some countries reaches about 40 percent.

“The most effective measure of reducing vaccine hesitancy is informing parents of the overwhelming benefits of immunization” tion, in addition to pointing out the serious consequences to which non-vaccination can lead, “said Angela Capcelea. Angela Capcelea, UNICEF Moldova Health Officer, invited to the morning show at Radio Free Europe. Angela Capcelea, spoke to Radio Free Europe journalists about the awareness of the benefits of immunization and how those who see vaccines as danger to their children’s health can be informed about these benefits. “The most effective measure is parents’ confidence that they do the right thing for their children. Unfortunately, the level of vaccination in the Republic of Moldova has dropped significantly in the last 15 years. That’s why I think the government is looking into how to raise the immunization rate. One measure is to raise awareness of the need to vaccinate children attending school. That would require informing parents of the benefits of vaccina-

Asked about the quality of the vaccines that arrive in the Republic of Moldova and about their innocuousness, Angela Capcelea said: “These are important questions to be asked and doctors need to be able to communicate the answers in an accessible manner. Currently, UNICEF has begun a training cycle to convey new scientific evidence on immunization to Moldovan specialists. The training also aims to provide doctors with the communication skills required to convey efficiently the comprehensive evidence on the benefits of vaccination. We hope that these trainings and these learning and communication models will be of great aid for doctors and parents alike. “ We remind that vaccines save around 2-3 million deaths globally. In the Republic of Moldova, as a result of vaccination, successes have been achieved in the prevention of 12 preventable diseases, with tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria and tetanus among them.

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Vaccines work! Parents choose to immunise their children

Gabriel, aged 12 months getting vaccinated at Family doctors Center 7, Chișinău. According to his mother, Mariana, Gabriel was vaccinated on time with all the doses from the recommended immunization shedule.

Alexandru Lungu, Manager of the National Vaccines Warehouse, showing how vaccines are stored in safe refrigerators and special freezers.

According to the National Public Health Centre data, more than 40 thousand cases of infectious diseases that pose danger to health, particularly to children, are prevented due to immunization. Thanks to immunization, the Republic of Moldova registers today no cases of poliomyelitis, rubella and tetanus, and the number of Hepatitis B cases has dropped significantly, especially at children. At the same time, a reduction in the vaccination coverage is registered, as an increasing number of parents refuse to vaccinate their children.

This year, the Ministry of Health approved the Fifth National Immunization Program, which provides for free vaccination of the population against 12 infectious diseases and an increase in vaccination coverage up to 95%.

‘Although insignificant, the gradual decrease in the rate of immunization among the population is a matter of concern. The decrease in vaccination coverage is the result of misleading information spread to the population, that can become widely accepted’, said Nune Mangasaryan, UNICEF Representative in Moldova. Mariana Rasoi, has initially doubted the benefits of vaccination. Nonetheless, following a lot of ‘pros’ and ‘cons’, she vaccinated her child. ‘There is a lot of misleading information about the child vaccination risks on the Internet. There are a lot of untrusted websites promoting anti-vaccination. That is why mothers should consult trustworthy sources, such as UNICEF or WHO, when deciding whether to vaccinate their children or not. ‘I chose to vaccinate my child. It’s the safest method to protect his health’, said Mariana Rasoi.

‘The Republic of Moldova has never imported vaccines of low quality. We purchase all vaccines from the manufacturers pre-qualified by WHO. And as of 2016, all vaccines are purchased through the UNICEF’s supply networks, which proves once again the quality of the vaccine’, added Anatol Melnic, Head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention under the National Public Health Center. All vaccines are stored in safe refrigerators and special freezers, with triple temperature control systems and permanent monitoring. ‘UNICEF will continue to support the Ministry of Health in its efforts to improve vaccination coverage not only by supporting the vaccine procurement, but also by raising public awareness and by improving the communication skills of healthcare workers so that they had enough skills to help parents understand the benefits of vaccination’, added Angela Capcelea, Child and Adolescent Health Officer, UNICEF.

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Toy Library – a Chance for Roma Children to Be Integrated into the Educational Process

Ruslan Jioltîi researching the world map at Toy Library in Vulcanești.

Viorel Alla, aged 11, is visiting the Toy Library in summer.

In summer, the Roma children from Vulcanesti village, Nisporeni district, have the opportunity to learn in order to go prepared to school. Thus, after attending a summer camp organised in June for the first time in their village, the children continue to gather together and learn from each other, and develop the skills needed for a successful integration into the educational process. Every day, more than 50 children visit the Toy Library, founded under a project implemented by UNICEF Moldova together with the ‘Dacia’ Youth Resource Center.

‘Before the Toy Library was founded, children would spend their time in the streets. They had no occupation. There is no post office in the village, nor a house of culture, nor a playground. The Toy Library is an opportunity for them. It’s a chance for them to develop the skills they need to integrate into society. When they came here for the first time, it was a total chaos. Everybody imposed the rules they had in their families. However, they constantly learnt to behave in society. They can understand what is good and what is wrong. Their behaviour has significantly changed,’ declared Petru Cobzaru.

We found Viorel in the Toy Library from Vulcanesti village. He was playing table football with his neighbour friends. He is 11, and it’s for the first time he is visiting a youth friendly educational space. First, he went to the summer camp, but when it closed he continued to come to the Toy Library. Every morning he comes here because he wants to communicate with his peers.

The Toy Library was founded under the ‘Promotion of increased participation of Roma Children in Education’ Project, implemented by the ‘DACIA’ Youth Resource Center in partnership and with the support of UNICEF Moldova. The general objective of the Project is to provide quality education to all children.

‘I come here every day. I made new friends, and we play together computer games, look into the encyclopaedia or play table games. If I didn’t come here, I would stay at home doing nothing’, told us Viorel Alla.

‘I come here early in the morning. Since it’s the single centre in our village, children come here right after getting up. I keep the order here and I help the children to organise themselves. Besides computers and books, we’ll also have some musical instruments. Thus, I’ll be able to study music’, said Ruslan. Vulcanesti Toy Library is an open space for everybody. According to Petru Cobzaru, the project local coordinator, the Toy Library has everything needed to play and learn. The children choose the game and their game partners, and this helps them to observe certain rules.

While Viorel visits the Toy Library to communicate and develop learning skills, Ruslan has found a job here. He works as a volunteer, monitoring and guiding every day those more than 50 children who visit the Toy Library. He is 15, and wishes to learn music and English.

Children from Vulcănești play computer games at Toy Library in their village.

UNICEF in Moldova Newsletter

More Roma children to have access to quality education

Members of the Roma community speaking about the importance of education at the project launching event.

Access to quality education of Roma children from Vulcanesti village is the goal of a project launched by UNICEF Moldova in partnership with Youth Resource Center Dacia. Within the project, with a value of over 100 thousand US dollars, Roma children from Vulcanesti village, Nisporeni district, will benefit from learning opportunities that will enable them to actively participate in education. Teachers, parents and children from Vulcanesti were present at the event and expressed their views on its future results for Roma children. The project aims to promote greater participation of Roma children in education so that they benefit from a qualitative learning experience. The project was developed based on the results of “Roma children and their access to services” study, conducted with the participation of Roma in three localities of Moldova. According to the study “Roma children and their access to services”, there are many deep-rooted problems and perceptions that lead to school non-attendance and even dropout. The project objectives will be achieved by empowering local authorities, teachers and their parents to provide support in educating Roma children. “The right to education is a fundamental right stipulated by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Moldova is a party along with other 194 countries,” said Nune Mangasaryan, UNICEF Representative to Moldova, adding that “This right is essential for all children of all groups and etnicities.” Vulnerability of Roma in accessing different services is a global problem and Moldova is no exception. The solutions identified for Roma

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communities do not always reflect their real needs. Some services developed in Roma communities are less valued or not used by them. The study also states that the inclusion of Roma children in preschool institutions is difficult and marked by deep-rooted perceptions. Education is perceived by Roma as learning to read and write, with most children getting an education limited to primary school. Not attending preschool institutions, as well as the language barrier lead to children having difficulty adjusting to the requirements of schools, loss of interest and eventually dropout. Other findings of the study relate to the employment of Roma, their access to health and social services, as well as documentation and community services. The study’s main recommendations are to simplify the school curriculum to ensure accessibility for all children, organize preparatory classes in schools for children who did not attend preschool, and organize after-school lessons to assist children with homework. “The project aims to work closely with parents of Roma children, to form new attitudes and change behavior towards an active involvement in ensuring quality education for their children,” said Ion Babici, President of Youth Resource Center Dacia. The project is consistent with UNICEF Moldova priorities to improve access to quality education for all children, as well as with government objectives set in the National Program of Development of Inclusive Education for 2011-2020 and the Action Plan to Support the Roma Population in Moldova for 2016-2020. According to official data, more than 9 000 Roma citizens live in Moldova, representing approximately 0.3% of the population.