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:
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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
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Little clothing - insufficient for the temperatures
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3 to a bed - 2 to cot with insufficient sheets and blankets
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No medical, washing, recreational or educational facilities
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No functional bathrooms, no hot or cold running water
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No heating in the living accommodation for the children, broken windows, no doors.
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Severe life threatening malnutrition and starvation
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Untreated medical conditions, neglected chronic infectious diseases and complete lack of medical intervention
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Emotional, psychological & physical neglect
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Drugs and aid delivered to the orphanage were mismanaged
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No stimulation, no love and no emotional support
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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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