Access Services - Creating Better Ways To Serve People With Special Needs

Helping Foster Children in Transnistria

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in March 1992, a war between Moldovan and Transnistrian separatist forces started in this region of the former Soviet Union. As a result, Transnistria is now an internationally unrecognized breakaway state with a population of just over 500,000. It lies between Moldova and the Ukraine.

Due to poverty and alcohol abuse, many children in Transnistria are left without parents and are traditionally placed in overcrowded orphanages. Access Services has partnered with Help the Children—an international outreach program for children in need—to develop foster care in that part of the world. Access Services and Help the Children strongly believe that the best place for a child to grow and thrive is in a loving, nurturing home.

Since foster care is a relatively new concept in Transnistria, cultural bias makes finding foster parents very difficult. For example, many adults are reluctant to take in children that are not biological offspring. Since small children aged 0-4 years have little chance of being adopted, those who are older have almost no chance at all. To make matters even worse, older adolescents must leave the orphanage at the age of 18.

We are committed to supporting these young adults through their transition to independence and believe that it is crucial for them to have a positive start in life. We can work to help them find housing and employment, and we can show them the value of establishing connections in their community to build a support network. Access Services is currently committed to supporting a small group of children. Each child’s care requires housing, food and education. Please consider helping us make a difference in these children’s lives.