Project report: I can do anything because you believe in me!!
Grantee: Society of People with Disabilities, TAUR, Moldova
Project: to reduce the social isolation of people with disabilities
People with disabilities need our support, they need somebody to believe in their capabilities. In Moldova, even in the capital, there is no accessibility for people with disabilities. The social support guaranteed by the State is miserable (about €100 per month). With the isolation engendered by the pandemic, life has become even more difficult… There are no support services for families with severely disabled members, and home medical assistance is unavailable. But… most of all, people with disabilities lack contacts and someone who trusts them!
In 2017, when the leader of the organisation died, NGO TAUR stopped its activities and with this more than 90 members lost some hope. This project is a fresh start for the NGO!
Thanks to support from The BEARR Trust and volunteers in June – November 2021, TAUR society members – people with disabilities – enjoyed many benefits from our activities: visits, food packages, legal support, training… and, most importantly, contacts and shared dreams!
An online community was created where the 60 members, including more than 50 people with disabilities and NGO TAUR staff, can share their ideas, exchange experience, and make plans together. It’s also is a quick way to share useful information.
52 people with disabilities received food and toiletries, 36 participated in handicraft workshops, and each member had the opportunity for a legal consultation on their individual problems. Besides the project activities, TAUR members had the opportunity to meet each other and gather information on the needs of beneficiaries, as together we laid the basis for strategic planning for the next 2-3 years.
TAUR society members are very happy to be part of a group, to be heard and respected. They have started to make joint plans for the future, and are ready to learn in order to make those dreams come true. Here are just a few of those dreams:
– “Let’s pray for the opportunity to get our own bus, the side emblazoned with ‘StarsTAUR.MD’”.
– “My dear friends! What if we get our wheelchairs in February, and I get my “Throne” …? Then it would be great in the month of May 2022 to have a photo session called ‘LAVENDER PARADISE 2022’ showing our TAURians in the lavender fields …”
– “I began to think seriously about a café when, after an injury, I had to lie down for three years and then had to sit in this hated wheelchair … I began to communicate and learn to live anew … But I was reduced to tears by the complete lack of an accessible environment in the city, and I began to dream of our own café: a café with a poetic touch, with a special cuisine and a bar, and accessible everywhere … And I would be sure to bring a couple of animals from the shelter to liven up the atmosphere! There, it would be possible to exhibit our handicrafts … At the same time, we would show them (the able-bodied) that we are also active, useful and needed … And our coolest pictures are sure to be on the walls … ”
One of the project partners – Radio Vocea Speranței – invited a few TAUR members to take part in radio interviews, where people with disabilities related their stories and told of the difficulties they face in daily life. You can find links and other information about the project on our Facebook page.
Thanks to these contacts and training sessions, TAUR members were able to work together to organise a sales exhibition of their handicrafts on 3 December – the International Day of People with Disabilities. The sales exhibition was held at TAUR’s initiative with the close involvement of our new and main partner for this event, the Law Faculty of the State University, which provided the space, organised a cultural programme with the involvement of students and collected money to purchase the goods. Five other NGO partners also participated with items made by people with disabilities: Hope and Health (adults with intellectual disabilities), SOS Autism Moldova (young people with autism), Children of Rain (children with rare diseases), Sunshine (Down syndrome) plus “Donate for children” (which collects money for disabled children). The buyers included one Member of Parliament, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and a representative of the city’s Social Services General Department.
Moreover, a few active TAUR beneficiaries decided to record a video message inviting people to their charity fair. TAUR staff are very proud of its followers. The video message was posted on TAUR’s Facebook page and shared with participants.
16 people with disabilities (NGO TAUR beneficiaries) participated in the event held on 3 December. Six of them showed their handicrafts and earned up to 1000 dollars. This is a big sum for them, and a great contribution to their families’ wellbeing.
Translated by trustee Ann Lewis
13.12.21
Contact details:
- Societatea Persoanelor cu dizabilități TAUR (Public Association Society of People with Disabilities TAUR), for short – NGO TAUR
- Tatiana Roșcovan, Board President (English, Romanian, Russian)
- Mariana Rașciuc, Executive Director (Romanian, Russian)
- +373 68 338 338
- taurngo@gmail.com
- https://www.facebook.com/ONGTaur