113 tablets with Internet connection and prepaid Zoom account until the end of 2020-2021 academic year; 30 smart TVs; the first batch of 30,000 masks and 200 litres of disinfectant and 30 sets of teaching aids and supplies - all these items will be distributed by Terre des hommes Moldova Foundation in 30 schools of the country in the coming two weeks, as a support in the crisis situation caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The donation is estimated to 800,000 Lei and is financially supported by UNICEF Moldova and Oak Foundation, within a large project focussed on countering violence in schools, in particular bullying and cyberbullying - a phenomenon which was lately amplified by the social distancing and the increased interaction of children in the online environment.
The "Mitropolit Nestor Vornicescu" Theoretical Highschool in the village of Lozova, district of Strășeni is one of the first schools to benefit from the donation. "I am surprised, I didn’t even expect that this project might come with such a large donation!", the highschool director, Maria Ursachi, expressed her contentment. "We will put the TV in ALEG Club, thus, children will be able to take part in Terre des hommes meetings and trainings, as well as in other activities, respecting the safety rules and keeping the social distancing, of course. We will use the tablets for online meetings of the Club’s members. As for the disinfectant, the masks and the supplies, we will use them as needed - when children have meetings, activities and sessions of the Club”.
In each of the 30 schools participating in this Project, there is an ALEG Club (Adolescenți Lideri pentru Egalitatea de Gen - Adolescent Leaders for Gender Equality) consisting of 20 students in 6th – 12th grades - agents of change in their schools - who promote and carry out awareness raising activities about violence and bullying among their peers.
"This November, ALEG Clubs will conduct an anti-bullying information and awareness raising campaign in the community. The support provided by Tdh Moldova will help them to carry out their activities safely, and the technical equipment and the teaching aids will be used by adolescents for remote activities, imposed by the current context, as well as for peer-to-peer activities”, Veronica Pelivan, Tdh Moldova Project Manager, explains the destination of the donation.
Mihaela Buga, 12th grade student at Lozova highschool and a member of the Club, says that “this donation means a lot to ALEG Club. Due to these technologies, we will be able to carry out much easier the remote activities. Thus, we will be able to further conduct our activities, complying, at the same time, with the requirements and the restrictions imposed to prevent the COVID 19 infection. We intend to hold several informative lessons for lycee pupils. We will soon establish the date and all the details related to these lessons”.
About the project
86,8% of 6th - 12th graders in the Republic of Moldova are in one way or another affected by bullying. These data were revealed by the study on „Bullying among adolescents in the Republic of Moldova”, conducted by UNICEF Moldova in 2019.
The report pointed out that adolescents involved in bullying situations as aggressors, victims or witnesses are more prone to absenteeism and school dropout and have poorer academic performance. The aggressors or victims of bullying are more likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, have low self-esteem, feel lonely and may lose interest in any activity.
Moreover, with the COVID-19 pandemic that caused large-scale school closures and physical distance measures, the online platforms and communities have become essential for the communication and for maintaining a feeling of normalcy among children and adolescents. The increased use of the Internet may put children at greater risk of online harm, such as sexual exploitation and cyberbullying.
Being aware of the current challenges, Terre des hommes Moldova Foundation is implementing, during the 2020-2021 academic year, the "Joint Efforts to End Bullying in Moldova" Project, which aims to contribute to preventing and countering bullying in schools countrywide. Tdh Moldova will implement this programme in 30 communities, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova. The Project amounts to nearly 4,500,000 MDL and is funded by UNICEF Moldova.