Cuppcini state orphanage and school

The day of our main aim had arrived and with much anticipation Douglas, Francis, Jack and I left to meet the Head teacher of a Moldova state school.

We were to meet with the principal Vasilie of the state school number 2 who we had brought aid for.

Vasilie the principal of the school we were going too had brought a young lad of 14 with him to translate for us as he spoke no English.

We left the capital city and headed north through the city, which in its self was an achievement as the right of way and all common sense seems to leave, anyone who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle in Moldova.

We arrived at the school after about 2 and a half hours, along what can only be described as the worse road I have ever been on pot holes, craters, I thought at one point we were on the moon, as the moon was probable smoother.

The school was built for the military, concrete and steel, not like schools in the uk.

We parked up and were invited to a meal in our honour, which for those with so little was a very humbling experience as they had gone out of there was to really offer us a vast amount of food and hospitality second to none.

Once we had eaten we offered to unload what we had brought from the UK, we handed over a manifest, of our cargo to the principal and his face light up, beams of smiles and gratitude, followed by a warm handshake and many many thankyous in Romanian.

Vasilie was overwhelmed by our generosity and Paul our interpreter told us that if it was not for the generosity of people like the CWUHA then they would still be in need of many of the basic life things we take for granted on a daily basis.

To use the everyday things in life are taken for granted clothes, iPod’s and modern technology to those in Moldova, a coat on your back and shoes on your feet are sometimes impossible to obtain.

The school was clean and well maintained and we were shown around the class rooms and explained what they were trying to achieve, in educating the young, this was difficult for them as there is no money available for basics.

 Vasile was a physics teacher, who cared deeply about the education of the children in the school, but when your hands are tied and you have no funds available to by basic things how can you do your best when you are limited by the basic things we take for granted.

The school was designed to teach trades to the young, giving them a start at a working life.

Vasilie told us that in the winter the temperature goes down to – 30 degrees and the coats we had brought would be of great benefit to the children.

The school housed 33 orphans in the complex who lived at the school and was also educated at the school.

We were shown to our rooms and the reality hits you of how much help they need as although our rooms were clean they are in desperate needed of beds, wardrobes carpets, a Vac, my own bed had no mattress or springs in it, they had used chicken wire wrapped around up and down the top and bottom to provide support.

A bed, a simple basic thing, the children had all gone home so we were unable to meet with them but there were a few there, who amazingly to us found pleasure in the simple things in life.

Vasilie said he would start distributing the aid we had brought straight away, which just goes to show that they need it more than ever and with a little generosity of people in the world we could make life easier for all.

The most memorable moment was the look on the face of a small child who’s father was tugging at a teddy bear tied to the wing mirror of the van, he was unable to remove it to the disappointment, of his young daughter, I reached into the van and found her a small brown teddy bear and gave it to her father, her face light up and she smiled and started stroking it with great delight,  such a simple object, but if we all gave just a little  help to those in need we would all live in a better world.

Simon Burns