“If it wasn’t for your help, I would’ve been in the cemetery on the other side of the road a long time ago.”
For Dumitru, 70, home is a deserted, draughty garage in Moldova. He lives alone. His siblings are no longer alive, and his family have become complete strangers to him.
Once, Dumitru had a wife and children. He married in 1993 when Moldova was in the throes of economic decline following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Jobs were few and far between.
Even today, more than a quarter of Moldovans live outside of Moldova because of a lack of economic opportunities.
Dumitru went to Russia in search of work, leaving his wife and three young children at home. Unfortunately – like many vulnerable Moldovans – he was exploited and forced into heavy labour in forests and a farm. He was subjected to threats and violence and cheated out of the money he’d been promised. For many desperate years, he couldn’t contact his family and was afraid of going to the police.
Freedom and loneliness
Two decades went by before someone in Russia helped him return to Moldova. His wife had remarried, and his children had grown up. He also found out that his sister from the neighbouring town, Leova, had died. Dumitru had gained his freedom, but he felt desperately lonely.
When Mission Without Borders discovered Dumitru’s situation, we began to support him through our Senior Care project. Staff member Valentina visits Dumitru regularly and gives him food and hygiene items as well as donated goods.