When Aloina was 5 years old, ADRA workers found her and her brother living in the garbage in downtown Chisinau, Moldova’s capital. Their home was a cardboard box. With their father dead, their mother—having no interest in them—had abandoned the little children.
ADRA’s Rainbow Children’s Home provides a safe haven for abused and neglected children.
Located in a beautiful rural area far from the noise and dangers of the capital, the children’s home offers its residents bunk beds in cheerful bedrooms, an exotic jungle-themed playroom, and an outdoor playground.
When the children first arrive, many of them need medical attention, lack any education, and are wary of social interactions due to the trauma they’ve faced. To care for these children, the Rainbow Children’s Home is staffed with a physician, a nurse, a psychologist, a social worker, and educators.
Once they’ve received the necessary medical attention, along with psychological and educational evaluations, the children are divided by age into groups of six or seven, where educators offer homework help and teach the children about hygiene, etiquette, and conflict resolution. The staff works hard to create a family atmosphere, where photos of the children and their artwork hang on the walls, rooms are clean and neat, and each child is responsible for daily chores that are age dependent.
“I like to read, especially in English,” Aloina shares. “I don’t always understand it, but I try hard. I also enjoy music and drawing. One of my favorite things is representing the children’s home and singing in music festivals. I tell the smaller children here to take good care of the things in this home; you are blessed to be here.”
ADRA donors allow ADRA’s Rainbow Children’s Home to be a beacon of hope where neglected and abandoned children like Aloina find acceptance, patient attention, quality care, and hope for the future.
