Project daycare for the elderly, Moldova

Carmen has a heart for the elderly

It happens quite often that people stumble upon the work and ministry of Traveling Light through a Google search. This summer we received an email from Carmen Ullersma. She is from the Netherlands, but has been living and working in Ukraine and Moldova for years.

Whether we were interested in supporting the realization of a daycare for the elderly in Moldova ...

Fortunately, Carmen was in the Netherlands recently, because her parents were celebrating their 50th anniversary. So, we made an appointment to meet and have coffee.

Carmen comes from a family where missionary travels are the heart of daily life; she was raised with a love for nations and peoples. "I am committed to express in a living and tangible way the commandments that Jesus called the greatest: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, with all your mind and all your strength, and "love your neighbor as yourself'," says Carmen.

This will be the daycare center

Carmen has a nursing degree and studied Theology at the Free University in Amsterdam. In the summer of 2009 she attended the Harvest School of Iris Ministries in Pemba, Mozambique. She has been working in Moldova since October 2013.

There, she came in contact with a retired nurse, Liuba, who has been doing volunteer work for years in the village of Costești and finances this from her own small pension. The idea of ​​starting a daycare for the elderly was born. "During my work in the villages among the poorest people I discovered that there is a shortage of care for the elderly. In Moldova, life is not easy for the elderly who live in the villages."

In the villages around Costești (a village in the Rîșcani district) the elderly do not have running water at home. That means that they also have no shower, toilet or washing machine. The day center will offer the opportunity to shower, wash clothes in a washing machine and meals will also be provided. "We want to bring the elderly and children from Costești into contact with each other and do creative activities a few times a week in the day center."

Multi functional room

Carmen has good contacts with the local authorities and the mayor who also has a heart for this project. The project is supported by the locals as well. Liuba takes care of children in the local library after school and offers all kinds of creative activities there. When the day center is finished they want to combine this!

Carmen is always looking for people who want to support the project. Fortunately, there are a number of churches in the Netherlands who stand behind her work. However, she was still looking for a sponsor for the purchase and installation of the heating system 😁

A youth group from a local church in the Netherlands came this summer

It will probably be a large pellet stove that heats a boiler to which radiators are connected. Everything will be purchased and installed locally. It is estimated that such a system costs more than 6,000 euro, including installation (you also understand why most people have no heating!).

We have promised that we will do our best to come up with a significant part of that sum so that the center can be opened up before winter. By the way, it is the intention to pick up the elderly people who live in remote areas with a van or minibus (sponsors are still needed for this).

If you have a heart for the elderly, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention: DAYCARE MOLDOVA.