Support 150 Tuberculosis Patients in Moldova

This year, Speranta Terrei marked World Tuberculosis Day (March 24) with children. Because children are especially vulnerable when their loved ones fall ill with tuberculosis (TB), we wanted them to have a special part in our commemoration.

Speranta Terri’s long-time partners, the dedicated and empathetic students at Ion Creanga Republican Theoretical High School, and volunteers from America House in Balti organized games and distributed donations to children and teenagers at Speranta Terrei’s Centre for Tuberculosis Patients. On another day, Speranta Terrei joined the wider Balti community and kindergarten children in families in which someone has had TB to plant linden trees and flowers.

At Speranta Terri’s Centre, the high school students led young children and teenagers in painting, singing, dancing, competing in games, and playing musical chairs. The high school students gave the children and teenagers packages of school supplies and clothes they had gathered at their school. Two of the teenagers roused everyone’s spirits with the moves to a trendy dance, which we all tried to learn. We are grateful to the high school students and their teachers for giving children special attention and for bringing children’s joyful voices to our Centre. One of the high school students said, “I realized how much I like interacting with children, I would like to become a teacher.”

On a rainy, cool spring day, Cristina, who coordinates volunteers at America House, explained to enthusiastic kindergartners how to plant seeds. They followed instructions carefully, spacing seeds in the rich soil of Moldova and asking, “when will we come back to see flowers blooming?” America House’s volunteers brought trees and seeds to plant and showed kindergartners pictures and drawings to teach them how to distinguish different types of trees and how to care for plants. Although rain interrupted some of the activities, it did not dampen the spirit of the kindergarteners or the intrepid volunteers. Our thanks go to America House.

And, our thanks go to our GlobalGiving donors for helping us to show children that the flowers will bloom soon.