by LHI Volunteers Davide and Thomas
Thomas and Davide, our outstanding international volunteers in Basarabeasca, Moldova, concluded their role as summer camp counselors and teachers by helping to plan an end-of-summer extravaganza! We thank Thomas and Davide for their incredible work this summer. We know the town of Basarabeasca will miss them terribly!
Davide, Thomas, and Edu pose for a group photo outside the Phoenix Center with the campers who made their summer unforgettable!
August 13th 2023, Basarabeasca, Moldova
Our fourth week at the Phoenix Center kicked off with two full days dedicated to preparing for a significant event—a grand end-of-summer party for the kids!
Thomas and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday fine-tuning every small detail. As volunteers, we played a significant role in setting up sports games and assisting the kids in practicing various exercises they would showcase to their parents and an official jury on Thursday during a competition. Simultaneously, invitations were sent out, food and beverages were procured, and by Thursday, everything was primed. For the occasion, additional members from the LHI Moldova team traveled to Basarabeasca to offer their support and participate in the festivities. Everyone was excited to have our Director of Field Operations, Edoardo, and our photographer, Octavian, join for the day.
Children competed in fun and creative contests. The winners looked forward to collecting their awards!
After a morning of final preparations and anticipation, the celebrations started around 2 p.m. The event began with sports competitions among the kids. They were divided into two teams under two captains— Thomas and me. In between competitions, other beneficiaries of the center performed choreographed dances, both traditional and contemporary. Once everything concluded, all kids from the two teams were presented with awards, and the center's director, Clara, delivered a speech expressing gratitude to everyone involved, including Edoardo, us, and all the others who had contributed to the effort and work in the past weeks. The remainder of the event unfolded smoothly, featuring entertainers for the children, courtyard dances, and a final soccer match. The atmosphere was joyful and, and everyone was left content.
Campers enjoyed showing off their dance moves!
In the evening, Clara organized a staff dinner to celebrate the end of the summer camp, which had occupied the center and its staff for the past several weeks. The mayor and deputy-mayor of Basarabeasca were also in attendance, offering their support for the project, acknowledging our presence, and once again expressing their gratitude for our contributions. On our part, we extended our thanks to the mayor, deputy-mayor, Clara, and the entire staff for their warm and kind welcome. The dinner stretched on for hours, creating a wonderfully pleasant occasion shared with the entire center team.
Edu, LHI Director of Field Operations in Moldova, and Clara, the director of the Phoenix Center, enjoy the day’s festivities.
Friday saw a quieter atmosphere at the center, but a new project was on the horizon. In the late afternoon, a group of artists from Romania arrived to commence work on two graffiti pieces on the center's exterior walls. This collaboration involved a Romanian NGO and the Romanian Culture Institute. After an initial inspection on Friday, the artists returned to start their work on Saturday and throughout the weekend. Given their need for access to the Center, we ended up spending the entire weekend assisting them, even on Sunday.
It was an incredibly eventful week that marked the conclusion of the summer camp and held significant importance for our stay here. Our bond with the center's community grew even stronger, and we received heartfelt and appreciative feedback on our efforts – a truly important validation. We are glad to have played a part in this project thus far.
To find out more about LHI’s work in Moldova, please click here!