Embassy of PolandStr. A.Plamadeala 3, Chisinau, MD-2009, Republic of Moldova

Chisinau, January 2, 2010Subject: grant for project “Island” in Moldova

Your Excellency Mr.Krzysztof Suprowicz,

Taking account the contribution of Polish government to the development cooperation issues, I am approaching to the Embassy of Poland with the application to acquire financial/material support for the social project called “Island” (Inclusion Into Society: Lasting Advancement, Nurture and Development). Participation in the project will be an investment in strengthening the socio-economic position of the vulnerable groups of society ensuring appropriate living, education and growth conditions for children and adolescents, coming from Moldovan boarding-schools and reformatory centre.

The “Island” will be a centre located in Hirjauca (about 70 km North from capital of Moldova Chisinau) and will provide 60 adolescents a cozy and family-like environment where they will live, socialize, learn crafts and work, which will allow to find their place in the society after leaving the centre. Special pedagogy of mentoring and acquisition of educative, working, cultural and sportive dimensions will be fundament of functioning of the centre to promote self-identity and development of personality that at a later stage could positively influence the attitude of a person towards the law and society.

It is planned to build the centre as nature friendly as possible equipped with the innovative heating and electricity technologies, hereby investing in preservation of natural resources and reducing impact on global warming. Environment protection issues will also be in the core of the “Island” idea and pedagogy.

Considering agriculture and development of rural areas as one of your main priorities for development cooperation, I would appreciate your involvement in the realization of the specific, but extremely significant part of the project – greenhouse of 500m 2 and the irrigation system for it with the estimate cost of 21 879 USD (according to the current prices). The greenhouse will be an important tool for the self-sustaining of the centre – adolescents will cultivate fruits and vegetables for themselves at the same time learning gardening and agriculture skills.

We hope for successful cooperation with you to realize this section of the project, therefore participating in the creation of the future of children from boarding-schools and reformatory centre in Moldova.

Please, find attached the project description and related documents.

Yours sincerely,

Salavat Jdanov

General Manager ,,Clipa Siderală”Dimo Str. 17/4, ChisinauMD-2068, Republic of MoldovaPh.:+373-22-430430E-mail: info@clipa.mdwww.clipa.md

EMBASSY OF POLAND

APPLICATION FOR THE FINANCING Name of the organization: “Clipa Siderala” Address: Nikolai Dimo Str. 17/4, Chisinau, MD-2068, Republic of Moldova Telephone: +373-22-430430 Director (person in charge): Mr.Salavat Jdanov Telephone in office: +373-22-430430 Description of organization: ,,Clipa Siderală” is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organization, which started its activity in 1989 and was officially registered in 1996. It is a member of the National Youth Council of Moldova. In 2004 the organization was awarded by the Ministry of Justice with a certificate acknowledging its contribution to the society as a socially useful organization.

Official status: ,,Clipa Siderală” is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit organization. Location: Chisinau, Republic of Moldova  Number of employees: There are 6 permanent staff members in the organization. For the project “Island” the following persons are involved:

1. Mr.Salavat Jdanov – Chairman of the "Clipa Siderala." More than 30 years experience in the work with children. He organized and operated in camps for children, festivals, and sport competitions. Higher education in pedagogy and sports.

2. Mr.Sergei Mocanu - 25 years of experience in the private classes with children of different ages. He has been teaching subjects like Russian language and literature, physics, geography and technical disciplines. Academical background in technical sciences.

3. Mr.Sergiu Galitchi – Environment engineer with a broad experience in projects of international organisations like United Nations and European Union. Specialist in domain of Industrial Safety and Environment Security.

4. Ms.Silvia Braducan – involved in the management of pedagogy and youth and children activities in Moldova for 25 years. She has been president of youth and children association. Academical background in the domain of bibliography library issues.

5. Mr.Vasilii Mudrenco – Higher education in industry of electricity. More than 5 years experience in engineering - installation of elevator and escalator equipment - and construction and installation of antenna-feeder systems.

The project “Island” will attract many local and international volunteers. Many of them already work for the “Clipa Siderala” more than five years.

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Financing sources of the organization: ,,Clipa Siderală” is largely self-sustaining and is not affiliated with either an external political

or religious organizations.. It is organized and daily led by local Moldavians and raises the bulk of its financial support from within Moldova. Additionally, organisation provides services and activities that engage middle-class and well-to-do Moldavians, therefore directly supporting the needs of children living in poverty. Among such activities are arranging holiday visits to children’s homes and orphanages throughout the country and organization of annual summer and winter camps “Sparta” in Romania and Ukraine.

For particular activities it has received financial support from Soros Foundation (500 USD in 1999 to organise seminar for preparation of Annual International Children’s Festival of Friendship, Sports and Arts) and UNICEF (9 500 USD in 2003 to create informative campaign against AIDS and drugs during weekly TV broadcasts for children and teenagers on the National Television of the Republic of Moldova).

Description of the activities of the organization: Since the beginning ”Clipa Siderala” has taken the initiative in providing shelter and charity

support for children and youth who are in difficult social situation and extremely vulnerable to the threat of present economic situation in Moldova, where poverty remains widespread, especially in rural areas.

Among the most important aims of ,,Clipa Siderală” are: providing social and recreational opportunities for orphans as a means of

mainstreaming them into society; moral and material support for children in vulnerable and crisis situation; implementing youth services and community awareness activities; promotion of healthy lifestyle; promotion of volunteer spirit and community involvement in Moldova.

To realize the aims, “Clipa Siderala” is leading the following projects: Annual International Children’s Festival of Friendship, Sports and Arts for children from Moldova and other countries; summer and winter camps “Sparta”; Christmas Caravan; Academy of Santa Claus; The Addresses of Kindness; and project “Professional Orientation.” Description of the activities for which funds are requested (the Activities):

In 2008 ”Clipa Siderală” has started to work out the project “Island.” The main objective of the “Island” is creation of socio-educational and rehabilitation centre that will promote development of individual creativity of children and youngsters, coming from Moldova’s boarding-schools and reformation centre for minor detainees.

Centre “Island” will be located in Hirjauca (about 70 km North from capital of Moldova Chisinau) and will provide 60 adolescents a cozy and family-like environment where they will live, socialize, learn crafts and work, which will allow to find their place in the society after leaving the centre. Special pedagogy of mentoring and acquisition of educative, working, cultural and sportive dimensions will be fundament of functioning of the centre to promote self-identity and development of personality that at a later stage could positively influence the attitude of a person towards the law and society.

”Island” will consist of several buildings – 8 living houses, dining house, bath and laundry house, household corpus, culture and sports centre, quarantine block, garages, greenhouse as well as farm. It is planned that all the buildings are built using natural, ecologically pure and energy saving

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materials. They are going to be equipped with innovative modern, energy saving technologies and there will be used such renewable energy sources like biomass, photovoltaic and solar energy.

Taking account that agriculture and development of rural areas is one of main priorities for development cooperation of Poland and considering agriculture as very important tool for self-sustaining of the planned centre, Polish aid for purchasing greenhouse of 500 m2 with drip irrigation system would be extremely appropriate for the mission and functioning of the „Island” serving as a place where to cultivate fruits and vegetables as well as to learn household and gardening skills.

Therefore “Clipa Siderala” is approaching Embassy of Poland to ask for following technical support of 21 879 USD to obtain :

Greenhouse – 500m2. Simple drip irrigation system

“Clipa Siderala” will search for additional funds and financial instruments to purchase other necessary buildings: living houses, household centre, and culture-sports centre, quarantine block, farm as well as workshops block.

Background and description of the Activities: According to recent data of UNICEF, due to economic migration at least 29 % of

Moldovan children live without one or both parents, and the number is increasing. In 58 boarding-schools all around Moldova, each having 100-500 children, there are more than 8 643 children in total isolated from the world and deprived of family care.

Many children in Moldovan state institutions have been placed there by their parents, motivated by grinding poverty, alcoholism, or other family problems and encouraged by a paternalistic state. According to official figures, more than 90 percent of the children in Moldova's state institutions nationwide have at least one living parent. Children, who grew up in an orphanages afterward create the orphans themselves.

Children from reformatory centres were not born criminals. Punitive measures against the child not only do not serve to its correction, but even on the contrary - reinforce and strengthen its links with crime. Basically, the children are punished for theft, and this is not the worst crime. Punitive measures are justified by the fact that while children are isolated, they are unable to commit new crimes. Moldova and other CIS countries are unlikely to change this reformatory system soon, but a broad discussion of this topic can be a step forward for a real change.

All juvenile offenders cannot be rectified - there are some who killed and did no repent. But a significant proportion is there for the first time for petty theft and naive fraud. They must be changed, but not in the current reformatory centres. Meanwhile defaulter children, who can still be returned to the ordinary life, go to jail and learn to live in that inappropriate and negative environment

Recently economic situation in Moldova has worsened and care of institutionalised children and adolescents has deteriorated. Children in orphanages and reform centres are at risk of nutritional deprivation, insufficient medical care, and general neglect due to inadequate caretaker ratios. Packed into poorly heated, poorly ventilated buildings, growing children are faced with a wide range of challenges and deprivations. Lack of adequate education, physical exercise, nutritious food, adult supervision, or medical and psychological services result in a host of unfortunate outcomes for institutionalized children. The loss of spiritual and moral orientation and the alienation from culture, art and society are only few of many negations.

Unfortunately, due to socio-economic problems of the country, there is lack of adequate number of cultural and educational institutions for this group of children as well as there is the need to continuously enrich the content of such institutions, their methods of operation and necessity to

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find new innovative approaches. The development of educational, cultural and leisure facilities, characterized by the transition from the existing situation to constructive creative solutions, is among the top priorities.

Existing policy of the country: The main aim should be to help more children experience the nurturing of personal family care over the isolation and neglect that can occur in current state orphanages and reform centres.

European Union is currently the greatest supporter with 2.5 million euros financing for the first year of the program TACIS II in 2007, which is aimed to create family-like and alternative environment for Moldovan orphans. Social workers gave aid to families, helped them renovate their homes to provide better conditions for the children, and even purchased cows so the families could have fresh milk, hereby directly reducing number of orphans staying in state institutions. It is based on a similar, EU-funded program in Romania that experienced more than 27,000 children removed from state institutions between 1999 and 2006 and placed with their parents or in foster homes.

There is created legal base to improve the situation in the field of orphanages and boarding-schools – “Government decision regarding the adoption of national strategy and the action plan of reforming the boarding-school system in what concerns the childcare for the years 2007-2012”. But since its initial funding ended, the Moldova program has largely ground to a halt. The state provides minimal financial aid to families who take their children back - about three euros a month, plus an annual payment for school supplies and discounted utilities rates. Families that agree to take in foster children are eligible to receive 50 euros a month.

Most families agree that this assistance is far too little, barely enabling them to provide bread to the children. By contrast, a recent nongovernmental study financed by the EU determined that Moldova spends about 2400 euros a year for each child living in state institutions.

Taking into consideration these financial preconditions, children are not being taken away from state institutions. Hereby there is urgent need to work on creation of places that could provide family-like educational environment and cosy accommodation like an alternative for current state financed boarding-schools and reformatory centres. There adolescents would find environment for the improvement of social situation and increasing their chances for getting a job and coping with poverty and social exclusion. The “Island” will be an innovative project of “Clipa Siderala” to promote above mentioned development.

Objectives of the Activities:

This project will benefit children from socially vulnerable families and orphans, living in governmentally supported boarding schools around the country by providing adequate educational, medical, living and recreational facilities in the framework of a self-governing and self-sustainable environment for a wholesome and satisfactory development of children’s personalities.

This project has nine main objectives:1. To provide socially, economically and possibly physically disadvantaged children with an

alternative to the governmentally supported and thus constantly underfunded boarding institutions

2. To create a nurturing, caring, safe environment for socially, economically and possibly physically disadvantaged children from Moldovan countryside

3. To provide adequate qualified medical assistance especially to the sick orphan children, who would otherwise not be able to receive appropriate diagnosis and treatment

4. To provide the necessary rehabilitation and recreational facilities, assuring physical and psychological health and well-being of the children

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5. To provide volunteer and internship opportunities to young motivated educated people from different countries

6. To expose Moldovan disadvantaged children to volunteers and interns of diverse backgrounds, broadening their worldview and understanding of other cultures, languages and lifestyles

7. To enable individual children to grow into self-reliant adults, promoting self-care rather than welfare

8. To help older teenagers acquire the independent living skills and vocational training that they will need in order to leave their foster home or institution and that will allow them to become productive members of their respective communities

9. To set an encouraging precedent of a functioning self-sufficient, student-governing and environmentally sustainable boarding school.

The main objective of incorporation of the greenhouse in the framework of the project “Island” is to integrate social and ecological project with education of household skills at the same time ensuring the centre also with ecological fruits and vegetables. Agriculture, farming, gardening and environment issues will also be in the core of the “Island” idea and pedagogy.

Target group/groups:The project “Island” will be a centre for about 60 school-age adolescents (both boys and girls)

with difficult character, coming from Moldova’s boarding-schools and reformation centre for minor detainees. The greenhouse will be a tool to cultivate ecological fresh vegetables and fruits for the sustaining of the inhabitants of centre – adolescents and personnel. What will be the final result of the Activities? Short-term results:60 children and youngsters of the “Island”, coming from boarding-schools and reformatory centre, will have:

1. Cosy and nature friendly accommodation in compliance with sanitation and norms and standards;

2. Equipped workrooms to learn crafts and professional skills;3. Environment where to learn household skills;4. Healthy environment close to the nature;5. Social and pedagogical care and programs that will develop personality and change

behaviour.

Long-term results:The “Island” will prepare Moldovan youth that will positively influence:

1. Social integration;2. Education level;3. Crime level;4. Employment level;5. Poverty level;6. Family strength;7. Regional development;8. Global warming.

Quantitative indicators for measuring whether the stated objectives and results have been reached:

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1. At the moment 60-70% of youth from reformatory centres after release have tendency to commit crime or confront the law repeatedly mainly due to the lack of appropriate skills, experience, self-confidence and courage. In the ”Island” adolescents will learn family role, professional skills and develop their talents and abilities therefore preventing the tendency of the adolescents to be involved in the activities that conflict with the law and common interests of society. Therefore any progress in this statistics (reduction of repeatedly committed confrontation of law) will mean that the objective of the „Island” is reached.

2. Today there are 8 643 children in state institutions growing alienated from family environment. Instantly the ”Island” will provide alternative accommodation and upbringing place for 60 adolescents. Therefore reduction of number of institutionalised children and providing them an alternative will be also measurable outcome of the project.

3. The project promotes equal opportunities-driven approach to the reform of the vocational education and training for persons from social vulnerable groups at the national level. The increase in number of adolescents having professional skills in some particular field will be measurable outcome of the realization of project.

Will it create jobs, increase production, generate income or have any other results increasing the self-sufficiency of the target group?

The centre will be built in a way that adolescents can learn also housekeeping and many other skills – for example, house building, cultivation, nature protection, arts, crafts, computer skills, communication, etc. - that will be extremely useful for a complete independent life after they will leave the “Island.” It will positively influence not only their character and personality, but also will raise significantly their ability to maintain themselves and to find a place in job market.

Time period during which the Activities will be carried out: The project will be realized in 3 Stages. Stage I – the building of the centre - will be

accomplished between 2010 and 2011. Stage II – equipping and arranging the buildings of the centre - will be carried out between 2011 and 2012. Stage III – daily running of the “Island” will be started in 2012.

Following inputs are needed to carry out the Activities: 1. Buying appropriate plot of land in Moldovan countryside with an access to a river or a lake 2. Acquiring initial starting funding for the project3. Ensuring governmental, if not support, at least toleration of the project provided the

conditions and partners up to date4. Building a permanent residential institution in Moldovan countryside equipped with

appropriate academic, medical and recreational facilities that would provide a nurturing and safe environment for children

5. Using the Lancastrian system as an example, designing a program requiring an extensive contribution from children and little monitoring from staff, through which children would be able to explore their leadership potential and acquire social skills necessary to take initiatives

6. Incorporating the recreational and rehabilitation capacity of the summer camp in Crimea into the annual schedule of the boarding school

7. Designing a system through which volunteers would be engaged in the project and be able to contribute not only to its every day operation, but also in development of fresh initiatives within the project

8. Hiring for permanent positions professionals of manual labour, who would first share their professional skills children at the boarding school and later oversee their practical work

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9. Establishing long-term joint programs with the enterprises offering paid working positions and ensuring that the students at the boarding school possess meet the set requirements of the job position

SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) Analysis: Strengths: the ”Island” will be the first social-education-accommodation centre for

adolescents coming both from Moldovan boarding-schools and reformatory centre created with the aim to provide social adaptation by addressing the immediate psychological, educational, rehabilitative, and health needs. One of the main strengths is also the fact that the centre will be as nature friendly as possible, equipped with the innovative heating and electricity technologies, hereby investing in preservation of natural resources and reducing impact on global warming.

Weaknesses: The idea is innovative in Moldova and there is lack of existing similar projects that could serve as a positive example for the building of the ”Island”. One of the weaknesses is also the costs of the whole project.

Opportunities: Moldova is one of the countries enabled to receive ODA (Official Development Assistance) from several governments to solve existing social problems of Moldova. Taking account that problem of abandoned children and their inability to adapt to the requirements of job markets and law is at the top of children and youth related domain in Moldova, it is a unique opportunity to attract international funding and financial instruments to work on solving it.

Threats: current financial crisis and following reduction of funds for development assistance may cause the additional efforts and time to acquire finance resources for the implementation of the project.

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Total financing of the Activities6 101 405 USD Financing requested from the Embassy of Poland: 21 879 USD From other sources: 5 994 226 USD Funds already contributed: 85 300 USD Applications Pending: Government of Finland, Government of Netherlands, Government of Japan, Government of Norway, World Bank, IBM Company, Coca Cola Company and others Contribution of the organisation: -

 Contribution of the target group: The third stage – daily functioning of the “Island” – will be financed partly by the “Island” itself. Adolescents will cultivate fruits and vegetables as well as have their own farm to ensure the basic needs – food.  Funds requested from the Embassy of Poland will cover the following:  Item Amount CurrencyGreenhouse  21 379 USDIrrigation system 500 USD  Total: 21 879 USD   Annexes:

1. Cost estimate of the greenhouse and irrigation system for the Embassy of Poland.2. Translation of recommendation letter from the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of

Moldova3. Translation of registration documents of the “Clipa Siderala”

The original documents will be provided after your request. 

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