“Families Without Borders” information campaign was launched, addressing to children left behind
On October 6, 2016, the Swiss agency “Terre des hommes” Moldova kicked off the “Families without Borders” information campaign that provides useful and practical advice on how to maintain and develop a sound and “without borders” relationship between parents and children, before and after the parents leave to work abroad.
The campaign started with an informative and creative activity entitled “Migration – speaking to children…” at the Children and Youth Centre in the Gratiesti commune, Chisinau municipality. During the event, about 20 children improved their skills for positive communication with parents before and after the parents leave to work abroad and made and launched paper kites, on which they drew and wrote emotional messages for their parents. “Take care of yourselves!”, “I miss you. I am doing well at school and I am looking forward to your coming back and I have a surprise for you”, “I love you, mom!”, “I wish you health and much joy” are some of the children’s messages.
Pictures from the launching event are on our Facebook page.
“My parents work abroad…” – one can hear this from more than one hundred thousand Moldovan children. However, the geographical distance that temporarily separates the members of a family should not be an obstacle to the development of children left home.
Migration is an objective phenomenon, which is part of our reality and has both positive and negative effects. Parents decide to leave for various reasons, but this decision is not that easy. We got used to the idea that migration is an issue for the grownups. We are the ones who make the decision, leave, and create a better life for the other family members.
Yet, how do children perceive their parents’ leaving? What do they understand and how do they feel this experience? What are their needs and expectations from us – their parents who have decided to leave or have already left? The answers to these and many other questions will be given by the outreach campaign that we are launching in Moldova with the generous support of the Netherlands Embassy”, said Dorina Ardeleanu, Director of Terre des hommes Moldova.
The campaign will last four months and will include public events, among which public screenings of the animated short movie “In Exile”, distribution of information materials and thematic discussions on the opportunities and impact of migration. In addition, informative and creative activities, including games and discussions with children and parents, and thematic workshops with professional will be held in more than 50 communities.
The main information materials of the campaign – the brochure Families without borders: 20 Questions and answers about children for the parents who are going abroad and the guidebook Families without borders: Questions and answers about children left behind for professionals are available at https://farahotare.md/. Tdh Moldova encourages the public to leave questions about migration on this website, the answers to which will also be posted there.
The information campaign “Families without Borders” is part of the “Child Protection in the Context of Parents’ Migration” project implemented by Terre des hommes Moldova with the financial support of the Netherlands Embassy under the Human Rights Program.
Stay tuned on https://farahotare.md/, http://www.facebook.com/tdhmoldova/ and #farahotare on the social networks to find out the latest news.
Notes:
Established in 1960, Terre des hommes (Tdh) is the leading Swiss child relief agency. Tdh Moldova was established in 2004 with the goal to protect children and defend their rights. Currently Tdh Moldova is focusing on three main areas: child protection systems, protection of children affected by migration and juvenile justice.
The short animated movie “In Exile” reveals the drama of the children left behind by migrant parents. It tells the story of a boy and his dream, which makes him spend all his free time in an abandoned house on a river bank. “In Exile” is an independent film from Moldova, produced by Kurilov Group studio and directed by Alexandru Curilov.
For more details, please contact us.