Moldovan Youth Find Hope in USAID Social Reintegration Center
In Moldova, young women from disadvantaged backgrounds often fall prey to human traffickers. They are often most susceptible following their graduation from state-sponsored boarding school, when they find themselves with no income, no professional skills, no foreseeable employment and in some cases, no family to return to. One such graduate was Natalia.
Natalia was sent to boarding school when her father entered prison and her mother could no longer support her. When she graduated, she returned home to her unemployed and alcoholic parents. The small hostel room they rented had no heat, making winter months very difficult. Natalia would often not eat for days. Her father was brutal to her and her mother indifferent.
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| With the assistance of USAID, Natalia found employment at a tailoring shop |
“When my parents fought, I had no place to hide, [I was] forced to go outside to just sit and cry in the courtyard so that the neighbors did not see me,” she said.
She wanted to run away. Like many young women in her situation, she was tempted by the promise of a job abroad, although she had heard about the risks of trafficking. Then a mentor referred her to the USAID-sponsored Credo Center at the Ungheni Social Reintegration Center for Youth.
The Credo Center, established under the USAID Better Opportunities for Youth and Women Project implemented by UNDP, is part of President Bush’s worldwide $50 million Anti-Trafficking Initiative. The Center was created to help young women at risk of falling victim to trafficking – just like Natalia. By providing room and board along with support services, the Center helps young people to leave behind desperate circumstances while acquiring basic life skills.
“During their stay, young people have an opportunity to learn to live independently,” emphasizes Tatiana Ticu, Social Assistant.
Thanks to USAID’s Better Opportunities Project, Natalia is now hopeful about her future. She recently completed a tailoring course and got a job at a tailor shop in Ungheni with assistance from the Credo Center. “Now I earn a decent salary and have started saving to buy a room in a hostel,” says Natalia.
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