Postcard from Moldova - Day 5 - Privileged
Privileged - we’re all agreed: that is how we feel ….Privileged
Privileged to be able to come and see the MWB Projects for ourselves; privileged to be able to meet the gifted and willing workers; privileged to meet the staff in the Homes; privileged to meet the Beneficiaries who are so generous with all that they have.
Today we travelled to a Home for Deaf Children. Only one child is an orphan but the others come from poor homes. Most go home during the longer holidays such as Christmas and Summer and the one child without any family is taken home by one of the teachers to live with their family in the local village.
We started in the Carpentry Workshop which had been recently renovated by a MWB Special Project. Lots of new tools and a lot of good quality wood. In the past they had scavenged for wood from the local forest and other sources but the quality of the wood was poor. But for the next six months or so they had good quality wood that enabled the children to make wonderful wooden items. We were all completely captivated by the hand carved chopping boards and decorative markings on chairs and toys. The young boys were being taught when we arrived. We may not have spoken the same language (English, Romanian, Russian or the appropriate sign language) but the joy and happiness of these young men was obvious. They liked visitors and they wanted to show us their work.
The teacher had worked at the Home for many years and his love for the children and his desire to see them learn useful vocational skills was obvious. All too soon we were being moved on. Some of the children had prepared a presentation for us. Any thoughts of “Death by Powerpoint” soon disappeared when we realised that the children were wearing national costume. The presentation was of the dance students. But these children are deaf: how can they dance? How quickly we leap to conclusions and how often we are wrong! The Director explained that by teaching the children to dance they learnt that they could overcome the prejudices of hearing people and show that they can do all kinds of things. Loud music was played (the children are dependent on feeling the vibrations and watching their teacher) and fast intricate dancing began!
The children had obviously worked very hard and the standard was very high. But what shone through was the pleasure in dancing for us. The costumes were beautifully decorated and the children were spotless. We clapped and smiled and enjoyed every minute. As we thanked them our words were translated first into Romanian and then into sign-language. But the children wanted more than that and very soon we were all using sign language to say “thank you”!
All too soon it was time to move on. But what a privilege to witness the work done within this school - the love and care for the children, the dedication of the staff and the children. Yes - privileged is the right word to use!
After lunch our next call was to a children’s home to meet a sponsored child: a delightful young lady with a wonderful smile. Over the past few days there has been a growing volume of noise from the back of our coach: it would appear that the MWB Supporters’ Tour Choir has been formed! A small group will start singing loudly (with actions) at the drop of a hat. Encouraged by the MWB Co-ordinator for the home and the appearance of a guitar, the “”choir sprang into action and soon all 80+ children were joining in. It can appear a comical sight at first - communal singing in English and Romanian simultaneously - but a great time was had by all.
The Home itself was in a poor state of repair. There are problems with the sewerage; the inside toilets do not work; half of the showers do not work; and the resultant smells pervaded the entire home. One block of dormitories has been refurbished but two more remain to be done and the rather ancient looking laundry appears to have poor foundations and is slowly falling down. The Director of the Home understandably looked tired and stressed by it all and yet her obvious love for the children still shone through: the children were happy as she stopped and checked on various things and the staff welcomed our visit.
As we left the Home the same word came into our minds: privileged.
What a privilege it is to:
- Sing with these children
- Enjoy their happiness
- Think of how we can help them
- Admire the skills and personality of the MWB co-ordinators and the small part we play in the partnership with them.
Yes - we are all agreed: privileged!
