Социальная интеграция и защита

Implemented by People in Need Moldova and SOS Autism, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, and civil society organizations from the FEDRA network, the INCLUDE project aims to contribute to the meaningful inclusion of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in all areas of life – from education and health to employment and civic participation. In order to meet these objectives, the project undertakes the following key actions:

• training of teachers, health professionals, and mobile support teams;
• counseling for parents and personal development workshops for children and young people with ASD;
• vocational guidance programs and employment support;
• training for employers to reduce discrimination;
• expansion of community-based services such as functional day centers;
• advocacy actions and capacity building for FEDRA member NGOs to engage in policy development.

At the same time, INCLUDE actively contributes to the goals of the RESTART reform, promoted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection – a key reform aimed at modernizing and improving the efficiency of the social assistance system. Through a multi-sectoral, systemic change approach, the project promotes sustainable, rights-based support for neurodiverse individuals in Moldova.
The project “INCLUDE: Integrating Neurodiverse Communities through Learning, Unity, Development, and Empowerment” is implemented by People in Need Moldova and SOS Autism, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Education and Research, and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova, with financial support from the Czech Development Agency.

According to General Inspectorate for Migration (GIM) in 2023-2024, 48,512 people received temporary protection, of which almost half received the status in 2024. Most of the migrants and people under temporary protection concentrate in urban areas, for example only in Chisinau, the number totals 25,008 persons of which 6,588 are children. Moldova's alignment with the EU's New Pact on Migration and Asylum through its policies and strategies underscores commitment to effective migration management focusing on legal pathways and migrants' rights. The alignment between Moldova migration objectives and those of the EU is crucial to enhance the impact of proposed interventions under the project, aiming to better coordinate Moldova’s migration policies with those of the EU.
Although, international actors have been discussing extending the services (Social, health, education, etc) outlined by Moldovan Government in the National Development Plan presented in January 2024 to refugees and migrants, full integration of migrants and refugees still needs improvement and further discussions with involvement of the authorities of different levels, specifically LPAs and civil society to ensure mainstreaming of the national legislation to the local levels.

Currently, refugees and migrants face barriers to access essential services that exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and public servants lack sufficient skills in various areas (e.g. legal, policy, monitoring domains) of migration management: About three to six out of ten refugee households are unable to cover their basic needs. Vulnerable groups include the elderly, disabled, Roma, stateless individuals, with older refugees facing significant hardships. Despite ongoing educational reforms, Moldova sees low proficiency in key subjects, with disparities in school attendance, especially among rural and Roma children, and Ukrainian children (only 32% enrolled in schools).
Through this project, we aim to collaborate pro-efficiently with central and local authorities, but also with educational institutions in order to increase the integration and inclusion of migrants in Moldovan society.

Moldova Assist is a project implemented by People in Need Moldova, with the financial support of the European Union. It aims to strengthen the capacities of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in promoting dialogue with communities and public authorities. It also aims to support joint initiatives, conflict prevention and mediation, prioritization of local needs and increased collaboration between local communities and all civil society actors.
The objectives of the Moldova Assist project are multiple. These refer to strengthening the technical skills of local CSOs, facilitating dialogues between the community, local authorities and the national government to prioritize local needs, involving civil society in joint initiatives with public actors, promoting critical thinking and media literacy for young people, but also preventing conflicts and promoting social cohesion through community mechanisms. The actions of the project involve the identification of CSOs that provide social and public services to vulnerable people, and that, due to the lack of financial sources, are at risk of ceasing their activity. Maintaining permanent communication with people from marginalized and vulnerable groups, in order to identify their needs. Processing requests, identifying trends and prioritizing services, as well as localities in need of social assistance, and directing them to the appropriate CSOs that can provide assistance.
Assistance will be offered through CSOs that provide social and educational services to vulnerable people, facilitating the access of marginalized groups and communities (Roma community, Gagauz community, Bulgarian, Ukrainian, women and children, PwD, elderly) to public services. At the same time, PIN will monitor mass media and social media, to identify localities and groups, where there is a high risk of vulnerability and misinformation.

Homecare Centres were supported to increase their capacity and ensure their financial sustainability.
People in Need Moldova strongly believes that capacity development and professional growth are essential to provide the most efficient services to our beneficiaries. For this reason, a Resource Centre for Homecare Centres was developed and capacitated in 2023. The pool of experts was created and 5 training modules were successfully developed on the procedure of writing a project, creation and registration of a public organisation, accreditation of the organisation for the provision of medical services, accreditation of the organisation for the provision of social services and security. 27 representatives from 5 Homecare Centres participated in the capacity building programme.  
In addition, professional equipment plays a crucial role in Homecare Centres as it has a direct impact on the quality of care provided to individuals. High quality equipment helps to improve the overall quality of services.  People in Need made it possible for 5 Homecare Centres to receive the necessary equipment: 11 laptops, 6 printers / copiers / scanners, a TV screen, a hard drive, headphones and 10 office chairs were purchased and distributed. This leads to increased efficiency in the workplace and ensures a high quality of service to beneficiaries.

The COVID-19 project established PIN’s ERR sector in Moldova. It was an intervention aimed at protecting the lives and strengthen the resilience of people with disabilities and their families in the face of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. PIN worked with many CSOs to ensure people with disabilities had improved access to information on COVID-19-related risks and protective measures; to distribute basic hygiene items including cleaning materials and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks and latex gloves; and to support people with disabilities in social enterprises that allowed them to keep or regain employment. A total of 72,010 material relief items were distributed to populations of concern.
This intervention ended activities in December 2020.
 

The project aimed at improving the quality of social care system in Moldova by increasing quality of care in sheltered housing for people with learning difficulties and mental disorders, professionalization of the National Agency for Social Inclusion (ANAS), improving the situation of people with mental disorders within the transformation process and raising public awareness in regions. In the scope of the activities, PIN supported with 2000 persons with mental disorders living in institutional care, employees working in the institutions for people with MD, ANAS employees, workers of sheltered housing of the community type and general public and pupils.

• 01.01.2018 – 31.12.2018
• 01.05.2019 – 31.12.2021