Newsroom

Moldovan Playground Project Revitalizes Community

The parents of Firefly Kindergarteners in Unghen, a small city in western Moldova, can feel at ease now knowing that their children are learning and playing in a safe environment. The kindergarten, located in the middle of a busy district, was an island in an ocean of high-rise buildings. Until recently, the condition of the school grounds caused much anxiety among worried parents. Lilia Moraru, a kindergarten teacher, described a playground that on some mornings was littered with syringes and other debris. She explained that the grounds, surrounded by a long, hole-riddled fence, had become a popular haven for the stray dogs that flocked to the area. Amazingly, even playground equipment was sometimes stolen in the night. Compounding the problem, residents of the congested district took short-cuts through the grounds during school hours and used and abused it as a public space. Thanks to their community’s involvement in the USAID-funded, IREX-administered Citizen Participation Program (CPP), the kindergarten is now surrounded by a secure yet artistic fence that allows children to look out into their community, while keeping animals and negative influences out.

It was during a CPP-led community meeting attended by parents, teachers, and other community members—many completely untouched by the problem—that citizens identified the playground as a community priority. During the meeting, citizens discussed issues confronting the community and later identified appropriate solutions. A leadership group was selected to manage and advocate on behalf of the project. Ms. Moraru, who was elected as the initiative’s leader, explained that during the meeting, “our community members realized that their children’s safety is our priority. The time when we waited for the authorities to come and solve our problems for us has passed.” The community’s first act was to construct a fence around the kindergarten. CPP provided the community with 80 percent of the funds and the initiative group raised the rest by selling arts and crafts and garnering support from the local government. Citizens made valuable contributions as well. One of the more creative parents, a professional architect, designed the fence to look like a smiling sun.

The playground, once a dangerous community eyesore, is now a proud center buzzing with activity, surrounded by sunshine and filled with children and their teachers. Ms. Moraru points out that their community now has a club with seven active members to address community issues. During their participation in CPP, several community members attended trainings to increase their civic leadership and capacity to participate. The club sees the playground as just the start of revitalization. Plans are already under consideration for improving conditions of the kindergarten, possibly with new furniture.

E-mail this page