CHISINAU, August 9, 2024 – A new playroom was inaugurated today at the Lower Secondary School of Popeasca, in Ștefan Vodă district, in the presence of the Italian Ambassador to Moldova, Lorenzo Tomassoni, and Pietro Pipi, Head of the Kyiv office of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). The initiative is part of the emergency program for Ukraine and neighboring countries, funded by Italian Cooperation with a total of 46.5 million euros, of which 6.5 million are specifically dedicated to Moldova.
The opening of the playroom, the first of four, is the result of the program “PACE: Protection, Hospitality, Culture, Education,” funded by Italian Cooperation with a contribution of 1.2 million euros and implemented by the organization Amici dei Bambini, in collaboration with local partners Demos and O.A. Centrul de Cooperare Sud. The initiative aims to support families (a total of over 14,000 people) through interventions aimed at strengthening school facilities, training educational staff, improving access to social and health services, integrating into the labor market, and providing psychosocial support in the Moldovan districts of Ștefan Vodă, Căușeni, Anenii Noi, Dondușeni, and Edineț.
The Ștefan Vodă district, where the playroom was inaugurated, is located close to the border and has 5,617 students, 11% of whom are of Ukrainian origin. The significant presence of children and young people from war zones has necessitated the implementation of measures aimed at promoting their integration into the local education system.
In the past two and a half years, Italy has allocated 45 million euros to Moldova through Italian Cooperation and the Migration Fund, via projects carried out in collaboration with various UN agencies, including UNHCR, UNICEF, UNDP, and IOM. In the next three years, it will continue to support the country with an additional 45 million euros. For the first time, part of the projects will be carried out by Italian and Moldovan Civil Society Organizations, with the overall aim of jointly supporting the country’s efforts towards stability and development.
During the ceremony, Ambassador Tomassoni stated: “The framework of bilateral relations is excellent. In close collaboration with the Moldovan government, we are working effectively and concretely in favor of the Moldovan population and the Ukrainian refugees they host. In this way, we also support Moldova’s process of joining the European Union.”
Pietro Pipi, Head of AICS Kyiv, noted that during the summer, through the AICS project, a summer camp was also organized, involving both Ukrainian and Moldovan children, promoting a climate of integration and sharing between the two communities in full European spirit.
Several local authorities attended the inauguration ceremony, including Olga Luchian, President of the Ștefan Vodă District Council, Raisa Burduja, Director of the Ștefan Vodă Education Directorate, and Diana Zmeu, Principal of the Lower Secondary School of Popeasca. The ribbon-cutting was entrusted to a Moldovan girl and a Ukrainian boy, symbolizing the integration of the two communities and the building of a shared European future.
