UNICEF provides cash assistance to children affected by floods
PURCARI, Stefan Voda, 16 September 2008 - “With this money I will buy footwear and warm clothes for my children, to prepare them go back to school,” said Olesya Cialic, a mother of six children from Purcari village, Stefan Voda rayon. Her family was just one of the thousands who had been affected by the floods in July. “When the waters came over us, we ran out of the house in a hurry and managed to rescue only a small portion of our property,” Mrs. Cialic continued. “The winter is coming and our children don't have shoes and clothing. We have nothing to heat our house with. Our wheat and potatoes were drowned.” In the last week of July, major flooding caused by heavy rains displaced thousands of people along Prut and Nistru rivers. Once the water receded, about 8,000 people tried to return to their homes, and the number continues to rise. Some 450 out of 830 flooded homes, including schools, need to be rebuilt. To help mothers like Mrs. Cialic, UNICEF has provided emergency assistance to families affected by the floods in nine rayons of Moldova. As part of the assistance, 47 children from two villages in Transnistrian region received cash of $50 dollars each.
During his visit to Stefan Voda, UNICEF representative in Moldova, Mr. Ray Virgilio Torres said, “We are here to provide our support, to help these families get back on their feet as quickly as possible.” Soon, UNICEF will distribute $100 to more than 1,000 children, part of a project worth of €150,000 euro, which was donated by the Austrian Development Agency of Vienna. Besides the “Cash for school” initiative, UNICEF distributed hygiene kits and baby kits in two most affected regions in the northern part of the country. UNICEF will also help repair two schools damaged by the floods, as well as provide psychological support for children.
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