Moldova is the poorest country in Europe. One person leaves Moldova every 20 minutes, to find work and hope elsewhere. Children and elderly people are often left behind, without the love and care they need.
When their neighbour, Ukraine, was invaded by Russia, Moldova welcomed more than 1 million refugees – the highest per capita of any country in the world (source: United Nations).
Today, Christian leaders in Moldova are making room for those who need it most: children, elderly people, and refugees.
These leaders are doing all they can with the little they have. Innovista comes alongside Christian leaders like these, equipping them to bring the hope of Jesus to their communities.
Imagine caring for your family on less than $2 a day, or leaving your children behind to find work. This is the choice facing many parents in Moldova.
Poverty in Moldova leaves many children vulnerable. They can’t be sure of a hot meal or a stable home. But at her day centre in Telenești, Aneta is making room for them.
Aneta provides vulnerable children and teens with hot meals, homework help and a safe space.
But she wants to do more than just meet basic needs—Aneta wants to inspire hope.
When a teen-aged girl called Eva first came to the centre, Aneta recognised her potential, when no one else ever had. Eva is now training to be a chef- something she never would have tried without Aneta’s encouragement and support.
Through mentoring and providing practical skills for employment, Aneta is giving hope to every young person who comes to her day centre. Together, we are giving Aneta the practical support she needs.
Marina (centre) and her husband, Sergiu, lead a small church in the town of Orhei. They were overwhelmed by all the need they saw around them.
In their town, many elderly people are without the care they desperately need. They can no longer clean or cook, but they’re also lonely. They miss their family members who have left Orhei to find work.
Marina feels deeply that she is called to care for these vulnerable elderly people.
Innovista helped Marina to turn her vision into a plan for her church. With help from Raisa, another church member, Marina now visits dozens of vulnerable elderly people every week.
Sveta receives weekly visits. In addition to bringing food and cleaning her small apartment, Marina and Raisa take the time to sit with Sveta and sing. At first, Sveta just listens, but Marina says that she always joins in.
“The church is Sveta’s family”, Marina says. For isolated and housebound elderly people like Sveta, Marina’s care is a lifeline.
Innovista is helping the Church in Moldova to offer a warm welcome to Ukrainian refugees. More than one million Ukrainians have sought refuge in Moldova, since the full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Slavic has been a trainer for Innovista since 2003. He is a Ukrainian himself, and is living with his family alongside 6 Ukrainian families, who arrived at the House of Hope. It offers a safe place for families fleeing the war.
At the House of Hope, Slavic met Ivan and Irene. Back in Ukraine, they didn’t want anything to do with Christianity.
But they received such a warm welcome from Christians in Moldova, and they wanted to know why.
This warm welcome has created opportunities. Slavic is now leading outreach amongst other Ukrainian refugees. Twice a month, a group of almost 40 refugees gather to talk about the Bible. Many of them are completely new to faith.
Thank you for helping Slavic as he supports other Christian leaders to bring the hope of Jesus to Ukrainians in their communities.
If you would like to make a donation to support leaders like Aneta, Marina and Slavic, you can do so here. Thank you.
Supporting leaders where they're needed most.
Innovista identifies, equips and develops Christian leaders working in challenging locations. Every year, we train and mentor around 1,500 leaders in Britain, Ireland, Moldova, Ukraine, Central Asia and beyond. We help leaders transform people and communities through churches, ministries and enterprises. Inspired by Jesus, we equip leaders to build a better world.