MaY 2020 newsletter
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august 2020 volunteer project
TEECH are hugely disappointed to say that the summer project to Baccealia, Moldova will not be able to go ahead, with a team of volunteers, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The opportunity to travel is not guaranteed and the health of volunteers and any people the charity would come into contact with during the trip, is the first consideration. Cancelling the trip means it is the first time in 22 years TEECH has not been able to carry out a project.
TEECH have been working with Romeo Cucireav, pictured above, to estimate the cost of the school bathroom project, therefore we are now looking to fund local labour to carry it out. The project has an estimated cost of £13,000. TEECH will be looking at ways to reduce this cost where possible and funding it in part from cash already held, plus from donations from supporters (see below). The cost includes labour and supplies (sanitary ware, plumbing, electrical) to undertake the creation of the bathrooms. The local Mayor will be funding the replacements of windows, doors and bringing running water to the building, and the sewerage pipes required to take waste water away.
The project will create a bathroom for the girls and one for the boys in the school, where they currently have no indoor facilities. Under normal circumstances this would be seen as vital for the health and privacy of the children but now it is even more important, so that they are able to wash their hands and have conditions to limit the spread of the virus.
For information about the general condition of schools in Moldova, here is a link to a recent article by Amnesty International on hygiene conditions:
https://www.moldova.org/en/amnesty-international-the-government-of-moldova-needs-to-ensure-hygiene-conditions-in-schools-statistics/
TEECH have been working with Romeo Cucireav, pictured above, to estimate the cost of the school bathroom project, therefore we are now looking to fund local labour to carry it out. The project has an estimated cost of £13,000. TEECH will be looking at ways to reduce this cost where possible and funding it in part from cash already held, plus from donations from supporters (see below). The cost includes labour and supplies (sanitary ware, plumbing, electrical) to undertake the creation of the bathrooms. The local Mayor will be funding the replacements of windows, doors and bringing running water to the building, and the sewerage pipes required to take waste water away.
The project will create a bathroom for the girls and one for the boys in the school, where they currently have no indoor facilities. Under normal circumstances this would be seen as vital for the health and privacy of the children but now it is even more important, so that they are able to wash their hands and have conditions to limit the spread of the virus.
For information about the general condition of schools in Moldova, here is a link to a recent article by Amnesty International on hygiene conditions:
https://www.moldova.org/en/amnesty-international-the-government-of-moldova-needs-to-ensure-hygiene-conditions-in-schools-statistics/
Donation platform
Some of you know that the donation platform Wonderful, which TEECH started to use in 2019, has now closed due to the virus pandemic. TEECH, for the time being, will be using GoFundMe and will be using it over the next few months to raise funds for the summer project in Baccealia.
If you would like to donate to the project, then please view the page here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/baccealia-2020
Be aware that GoFundMe do charge fees on donations and also ask for a voluntary donation to their running costs (this does not come to TEECH). Choose 'other' if you wise this to be £0. How GoFundMe works is explained further here, and also on their website.
TEECH will update on fundraising progress in next months newsletter. We would like to thank everyone in advance for any support provided.
If you would like to donate to the project, then please view the page here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/baccealia-2020
Be aware that GoFundMe do charge fees on donations and also ask for a voluntary donation to their running costs (this does not come to TEECH). Choose 'other' if you wise this to be £0. How GoFundMe works is explained further here, and also on their website.
TEECH will update on fundraising progress in next months newsletter. We would like to thank everyone in advance for any support provided.
current conditions in Romania & moldova
We would like to share with you what it is like currently in Romania and Moldova, from contacts of the charity.
Adrian Woodroffe lives and works in Comanesti, Romania and came into contact with TEECH back in 2009 when a team of volunteers worked at the Robert Cole centre in the town. In Romania a state of emergency was issued from March and ran for 60 days. During that period, people could only leave home for a few permitted reasons and had to have with them a completed, signed and dated declaration stating the authorised reason for being outside. The State of Emergency ended on 15th May and has been replaced by a State of Alert. People are now free to move about within the town in which they live but have to wear a mask covering both mouth and nose in all closed public spaces and on public transport. Additionally, people are thermo-scanned and have their temperature read by the security guard outside supermarkets and if people have a high temperature they are not allowed to enter the store. It's only permitted for groups of up to three people to be together if they are not in the same household. During lockdown Adrian and his son didn't leave their home for over 50 days, with his wife, Christina doing the shopping for them and relatives. Adrian says the first day that he then ventured outside, was the first day in which he'd worn outdoor shoes and it all felt very strange.
In Comanesti, the staff who work at Casa Lumina, a home for children with special needs, have to stay away from their own families for 14 days. When they are not working, they have their meals and sleep in the Baptist Church next door. At the end of the 14 day period, the other half of the staff take up their duties and again must remain away from their families. At another State-run residential centre for adults in the town, over 60 people (residents and staff) have contracted COVID-19. There have been some deaths in Comanesti from the virus, too.
Romeo provided us with some news from Moldova:
In Moldova, during week ending 22nd May, there are around 150 cases reported per day, of people infected by Coronavirus. The number could be much higher as some people are not registered because either they do not have serious symptoms or they do not have at all. The death rate is about 3% of the confirmed cases of COVID-19, with registered death cases between 4-6 people per day. By now we have 6847 confirmed cases, 3369 are healed, 237 is the total death toll.
The Government have extended, until June 30 the health emergency, after lifting the State of Emergency last week. Until June 30th no regular flights in/out the country will take place. Also, today was decided that Restaurants and Hotels will be able to open after July 1, with keeping all new sanitary norms.
Kindergartens, schools and universities will not hold any official graduation ceremony and any off-line teaching activity by September 1. Although, events with less than 50 people are already allowed, but with a strict registration of the participants, fever check and everybody needs to keep distance and wear protection masks.
Adrian Woodroffe lives and works in Comanesti, Romania and came into contact with TEECH back in 2009 when a team of volunteers worked at the Robert Cole centre in the town. In Romania a state of emergency was issued from March and ran for 60 days. During that period, people could only leave home for a few permitted reasons and had to have with them a completed, signed and dated declaration stating the authorised reason for being outside. The State of Emergency ended on 15th May and has been replaced by a State of Alert. People are now free to move about within the town in which they live but have to wear a mask covering both mouth and nose in all closed public spaces and on public transport. Additionally, people are thermo-scanned and have their temperature read by the security guard outside supermarkets and if people have a high temperature they are not allowed to enter the store. It's only permitted for groups of up to three people to be together if they are not in the same household. During lockdown Adrian and his son didn't leave their home for over 50 days, with his wife, Christina doing the shopping for them and relatives. Adrian says the first day that he then ventured outside, was the first day in which he'd worn outdoor shoes and it all felt very strange.
In Comanesti, the staff who work at Casa Lumina, a home for children with special needs, have to stay away from their own families for 14 days. When they are not working, they have their meals and sleep in the Baptist Church next door. At the end of the 14 day period, the other half of the staff take up their duties and again must remain away from their families. At another State-run residential centre for adults in the town, over 60 people (residents and staff) have contracted COVID-19. There have been some deaths in Comanesti from the virus, too.
Romeo provided us with some news from Moldova:
In Moldova, during week ending 22nd May, there are around 150 cases reported per day, of people infected by Coronavirus. The number could be much higher as some people are not registered because either they do not have serious symptoms or they do not have at all. The death rate is about 3% of the confirmed cases of COVID-19, with registered death cases between 4-6 people per day. By now we have 6847 confirmed cases, 3369 are healed, 237 is the total death toll.
The Government have extended, until June 30 the health emergency, after lifting the State of Emergency last week. Until June 30th no regular flights in/out the country will take place. Also, today was decided that Restaurants and Hotels will be able to open after July 1, with keeping all new sanitary norms.
Kindergartens, schools and universities will not hold any official graduation ceremony and any off-line teaching activity by September 1. Although, events with less than 50 people are already allowed, but with a strict registration of the participants, fever check and everybody needs to keep distance and wear protection masks.
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Iulia, one of TEECH's Moldovan volunteers told us about her experience:
I am Iulia, a Moldovan TEECH volunteer and I live in a small village, Bolduresti. Here at the moment the situation is stable, people are preoccupied about working their fields and it might seem that Covid-19 doesn’t even exists. There weren’t any victims of the virus, probably because people are aware of the possible consequences and they obey the rules established by the government. People in the village wear masks, they respect the social distance and those who come from abroad are respecting the quarantine regime. Even if people in my village weren’t deeply affected by this pandemic, they wish for it to end, so that everyone could enjoy their lives as before the Covid-19. The picture shows Iulia helping to deliver food parcels in Bolduresti, January 2020, when TEECH visited over Christmas. |
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reminder - donate whilst you shop with amazon smile
TEECH are set up on Amazon Smile – its Amazon as you know if but allows a donation of 0.5% of each purchase to charity. If you do use Amazon and would like to help raise a few pounds, then follow the link below to read more about it and link your normal account to the charity and continue shopping as you always have done.
Thank you in advance.
Thank you in advance.
