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KISHINEV, Moldova, April 21 (JTA) — Feeding the elderly has been the
core of Jewish welfare activities in many post-Soviet countries. Now,
in Moldova at least, it’s time to feed the children. Two
years ago, a survey of Moldovan Jewry found that 4 percent of children
here go to bed hungry and one child in five lives below the poverty line. A
new program run by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee in
this former Soviet republic aims to address the problem. The
JDC launched the Let My Children Grow program with a $250,000 grant from
private U.S. sources. The beneficiaries are Jewish children under 16 from
low-income families, who receive food packages. “After
we launched the program, it turned out that our criteria were too
tough,” said Vera Krizhak, director of the JDC’s branch in Moldova.
“More than 70 percent of children live in difficult conditions.” The
pace of post-communist economic reforms in Moldova has trailed that in
other former Soviet republics. The
debt-ridden economy of this largely agricultural country, which lacks
substantial natural resources and its own energy sources, leaves few
opportunities for the 4.5 million inhabitants. Unable
to revive its industrial potential after the collapse of communism in
1991, Moldova consistently has been rated the poorest nation in Europe by
leading international agencies. One-quarter of the nation’s work force
is employed abroad — the only chance for many people to survive. Some
Moldovans, including some of the country’s 20,000 Jews, have taken
advantage of the rise of private entrepreneurship in recent years, but the
majority struggles to survive on salaries and pensions that are modest
even by Eastern European standards. Moldova
is the only country in the former Soviet Union that has a large-scale
Jewish welfare program for children. Among
those who have benefited is Yulia Litivinova, age 12. She
lives with her grandmother, who has taken care of her since she was born.
Her mother left Yulia at the maternity ward when the infant was diagnosed
with cerebral palsy at birth. The
grandmother and granddaughter — who is homebound — live on state
pensions that together total $23. More than half of the money goes for
medicine. “We
haven’t seen so many fruits in a year as we have today in one month,”
since the JDC began bringing food packages, the grandmother said. “I’m
not mentioning such luxuries as chicken. I was used to going on one
chicken for a month.” The
aid is the same amount that elderly Jewish citizens have been getting from
the JDC for more than a decade. The
monthly aid package is worth $12, but JDC’s Krizhak said that $30 to $35
are needed to satisfy even the most basic needs. Semyon
Rapoport, a Jewish community leader in the town of Orgeyev, about 50 miles
from Kishinev, said his community began helping 30 children when funds
first became available in September. “A
half-year later we were helping 200 children, who receive food packages
twice a month,” Rapoport said. “To meet the demand, we now have to
reduce the size of an individual package to keep the number of recipients
steady.” Some
Jewish activists criticize program criteria that allow service to some
individuals who are not technically Jewish. But JDC officials say it is up
to local communities to decide who should be included. Krizhak
said she believes in a liberal approach. “We
help those whom the local community considers Jewish,” she said. Most
recipients come from mixed families, reflecting a high rate of
assimilation and intermarriage. JDC
officials say the value of the program goes beyond the idea of helping
needy Jewish families. “We
hope this program will also serve the goal of getting the parents
involved,” said Vladimir Kvitko, JDC’s regional coordinator. “This
is the age group the Jewish community has otherwise always had trouble
reaching out to.” The
program currently serves 2,050 children across Moldova, and Krizhak said
local Jewish businessmen and women gradually are getting involved. A group
of local businesspeople recently agreed to start supporting six families
who are receiving aid. In
fact, JDC officials have noticed that local Jews are more likely to
support programs for children than for the elderly. But
JDC officials say it’s too early to say whether the local community is
prepared to start “owning” the program. In the meantime, the JDC hopes
to extend the year-long grant for another year. “I can’t
even think what a disappointment this would be if we ever have to announce
that the program has been closed,” said Svetlana Matveeva, the
children’s program coordinator for Kishinev. Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |
