Drochia Ariadna Mother's Shelter
This mother's shelter in northern Moldova is one of 3 shelters that assist women who have been victims of human trafficking. This is a major problem here in Moldova. Young women are enticed by what they think is an employment opportunity in another country. With the terribly depressed economic situation here in Moldova (the worst in Eastern Europe), many young women fall victim to those who would lure them out of the country for imaginary jobs only to be sold into slavery. Once taken out of the country, all their papers are taken, passports and any identification they have with them. This makes crossing borders virtually impossible. Their captors use this to isolate them and make their return seam hopeless. Many are kept in compounds so as to be available when needed. There are many young women who never return. Some of these unfortunate women make it back, but they have nothing, especially if it was their own family that initiated their tragic situation. This center plays a vital role for the few who make it back. They teach them basic skills as sewing, cooking and basic food preparation. Many will return with children, for obvious reasons. Their exposure to motherhood as you would imagine, was not a good experience.
The young lady in this slide show is Lynn (not her real name). She was taken to Russia where a group of Armenian men took possession of her. She left at age 17. She is now 19, with a small dark-skinned child to care for. Today, she has a chance to be reintegrated into as normal a life as Moldova can offer. Simeon, the director of the Drochia Shelter, is a former medical doctor who is now devoting his life to helping these women.
LDS Charities provided a donation to replace all the broken bed frames with metal bed frames for the adults and the children. New mattresses were also purchased. We also installed new cabinets and storage drawers for their kitchen area, where the mothers learn food preparation and how to properly care for their children.
