Year 7 student Matthew C recently went on a humanitarian aid trip to Moldova with Island-based charity, MAD-Aid, which his parents work with.
Matthew told us this about his trip, “I liked helping to deliver food, medical aid, children’s clothes and even toys to people at some of the many projects that MAD-Aid supports.
We visited the Mother and Child Institute – a hospital in Chisinau – where MAD-Aid has pledged to raise money to renovate two neonatal wards which haven’t been upgraded since 1986 and are in a bad state. At the hospital, I met British ambassador for Moldova, Steven Fisher, as well as Gabriel Nebunu, a famous Moldovan pop star who was born at the hospital. My mum and dad were interviewed by a television crew too!
One of the things MAD-Aid does is collect medical equipment which is no longer needed from across the UK and deliver it to those in need in Moldova – this includes wheelchairs, mobility scooters and much more. We delivered a mobility scooter to a young man in a village who had never had one before – he was so excited, and it means he can leave his home and go to the local shop!
We also did two food shopping trips and delivered the food to families in need, as well as to a Ukrainian refugee centre in Mihaileni in northern Moldova. Here I met two Ukrainian children, and I offered them a choice of toys and other items. The little boy gave me the biggest smile as he ran off with a packet of sweets and the girl chose colouring pens – when we went to leave, she gave us each a drawing she had done.
I visited MAD-Aid’s Phoenix Centre in Riscani, which includes a day centre for children with special needs. I enjoyed a concert and a craft workshop with the children. I was also able to have a swimming lesson with some of the children who have disabilities.
The trip has made me appreciate how lucky I am and how different life is in Moldova, which is one of the poorest countries in Europe.”
Matthew did some sight-seeing too – he visited the National Theatre in Balti, as well as the monastery and caves of Orhei Vechi and several orthodox churches.
During the last school holiday, Matthew joined Ukrainian families on a visit to Cineworld in Newport, as part of MAD-Aid’s work to help Ukrainian refugees living on the Isle of Wight.
Well done Matthew! Hard work for a very worthy cause.
