Moldova is one of Europe’s poorest countries, but few people are aware of its levels of poverty, or what defines it as a country. Situated in Eastern Europe, between Romania and Ukraine, it has a population of 3.5 million people across diverse ethnic groups including Russian, Ukrainian, Romanian, Roma and Bulgarian. The official language of Moldova is Romanian, locally known as Moldovan.
The families that we work with live in extreme poverty. Recent data highlights the level of disadvantage people from rural areas still face:
1 in 1
children live in poverty, a significant majority of whom live in rural areas
Living in poverty has a strong impact on a child’s education, health, wellbeing, and safety.
1%
of children aged between 2 and 14 years have experienced a violent form of discipline in the past month
1%
of women go through abuse from their partners
1 in 1
of Moldova’s children live without at least one parent for 3+ months per year
This leaves 40,000 children with one or both parents working abroad for more than 3 months per year
1%
of people living in Moldova do not have access to improved water
and just 9% of the rural population have a flushing toilet
1%
of people with advanced HIV receive Antiretroviral Therapy
$100
average monthly budget of Moldovan families to access food, childhood education, and healthcare
1%
of children living in residential care in Moldova have at least one living parent, most of whom cannot afford to look after their children
1%