Clinic in Pitusca

Pitusca Clinic
The Pitusca Clininc is the local care center for about 7000 villagers in the surrounding area. This clinic is located about 50 kms from Chisinau. The one story buildings on this little complex today are mostly unusable. However, 2 doctors and 8 nurse's have set up shop hear and are trying to make it work. These people are truly amazing. These doctors still make house calls. They have a number of patients who are unable to get to the clinic, so they go to them. There is heating only in limited areas in the two building we saw. And most rooms are heated only if they are used.
Rodna and I got a call from a Peace Corps Volunteer and were asked to come out and make an assessment, which we did. They have no waiting room and so the hallway of an old school building is being used. Both sick and well mothers and children must wait here. There is no heat and the temperature when we visited was about 50 degrees. We are going to renovate an adjacent room to be used as a waiting room for the mothers and children. Our project will be to repair the roof, fix the ceiling, put in new windows and install a wood-burning stove for heat. We hope to have bids in next week. As LDS Charities, we are going to partner with the local community. We will buy the materials and they will provide the labor. (Rodna nearly fell through the floor as she was walking down the hallway) These floors are wood and are 40 years old. It seems like time has stood still in these remote villages over the last 40 years. You would have to see it to believe it. But Heavenly Father knows these wonderful people and so we have been sent there. It was truly a divine coincidence that we would find out about this place.

School in Visoca

Visoca School Northern Moldova
In one of the most northern villages of Moldova is the Visoca School for Handicapped Children without Parents. Visoca is some 200 kilometers north of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. This little village is truly in the middle of nowhere. You must travel on an unpaved road about 6 kms to find this little community of about 2000 people. The school is run by Visalii Bicu and an assistant. This school is home for 80 children who are in school by day and live in the adjoining dormitory. This school is the only school we know of that takes in handicapped children left on the street without parents to contact. This wonderful man has run and provided this facility since 1973. He and his assistant are angels. Mr. Bicu has been formally educated in Math and Physics, but has devoted his life to these children. This schoold teaches them to be self-sufficient. They plandt and harvest much of their vegetables used by the school. They learn wood working and shoe making and repair. This facility is from the Soviet (late 60's)era and is in poor condition. But, the staff here keeps it very neat and clean. Rodna and I are trying to get a project approved to provide an irrigation system to improve their garden production and to install about 50 Sq. Meters of pavestone for their play area. We hope to have this completed by the end of the summer, 2009. On a personal note, while Rodna was visiting with some of the children in their class room, she had an opportunity to speak with one of the children. She was then approached by this boy's twin brother who asked her not to separate him and his brother. He apparently thought Rodna might become interested in him and take him and not his brother. This was one of those unspeakable moments that touch your heart and you are never quite the same again.

Soroca-Gypsy Town

While we were traveling to one of our projects, we took a detour (sightseeing) trip into Soroca. This town is the home of the king of the Gypsy's. He rules over all the Gypsy's and they pay him to keep them safe etc. In one of the pictures you will see cars that originally belonged to Brezhnev. The Gypsy king bought them from Brezhnev. The Gypsy's usually don't work for a living, but beg on the streets (women & children) for their income. The Gypsy's are not well thought of here in Europe, and are usually avoided. It was an interesting drive.

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