If possible, please help one of the poorest countries in Europe. — Staff, EAU
The Republic of Moldova is a 33,800 square kilometre country situated between Romania and the Ukraine. Once part of Romania, Moldova was absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1940. It achieved independence in 1991.
Moldova’s capital is Chisinau. The Transdniestria region to the east of the country is a disputed territory.
Romanians and Russians comprise most of Moldova’s 4.3 million population. The official language is Moldovan, which is virtually identical to Romanian.
Moldova’s main industries are agriculture and wine production. It has faced severe economic hardship since it became independent. State-run institutions, already poorly equipped by Western standards, face additional problems at a time when the government cannot meet its financial obligations.
The World Bank rates Moldova as the poorest country in Europe with the official average wage about $30 a month. Over half of the population live on less than one US dollar per day. Moldova Aid Project is a UK charity which sends humanitarian aid to a children’s hospital and an orphanage in Moldova; a former Soviet state situated between Romania and the Ukraine.
We have sent four lorries full of aid since 1997. We are currently working towards sending our fifth lorry and building links between a Moldovan hospital and one in the UK.
Among our achievements so far, we have:
Our overheads are very small, all workers are volunteers and administration is kept to a minimum. Our main expense is funding lorries to carry the aid, this costs around £2,500 per trip ($3,600 / €4,100).