ORM History
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In the summer of 2000 following the
worldwide publication of a documentary displaying the horrific
conditions in institutions in Moldova, shown on BBC,
BBCi and RTE; "Convoy to
Moldova", a large contingent of Irish
Volunteers travelled to work with these wonderful children,
including medical students, nurses, farmers, tradesmen, mum and
dads.
The conditions they experienced
there were appalling:
-
180 little children at that
time aged 4+ abandoned and orphaned due to their
condition
-
Temperatures of
+40°C in summer and as low as -20°C in winter
-
Little clothing -
insufficient for the temperatures
-
3 to a bed -
2 to cot with insufficient sheets and blankets
-
No medical,
washing, recreational or educational facilities
-
No functional
bathrooms, no hot or cold running water
-
No
heating in the living accommodation for the children, broken
windows, no doors.
-
Severe life
threatening malnutrition and starvation
-
Untreated medical
conditions, neglected chronic infectious diseases and complete lack
of medical intervention
-
Emotional,
psychological & physical neglect
-
Drugs and aid
delivered to the orphanage were mismanaged
-
No stimulation,
no love and no emotional support
-
H igh death rates
It was clear that humanitarian aid, while needed,
wouldn't suffice, it would only be a band aid on a much larger
problem. Of the 17 institutions visited, with a population base of
over 4000 souls, the need was so huge, for any real benefit to
be seen we would need to concentrate on one institution at a time.
ORM began to work with the state run institution, Hincesti (the
original focus of the documentary), and work still
continues to this day as part of our larger programme base
that now includes other institutions.
Our immediate goal
was to return the children's health back to an acceptable
level and prevent the ongoing spectrum of death. A team of
Irish specialists inspected the orphanage and it was clear that
parallel projects would be needed immediately.
- Qualified medical and non-medical
staff
- Humanitarian Aid
- Nutrition
- Medications
- Construction
- Fundraising
What started as a small idea, became a mammoth
undertaking and 10 years later we are proud to stand alongside our
Irish and Moldovan partners to review, adapt and implement
solid, life giving and life changing programmes.
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