00:02Moldova plans to shut all state-run children's homes by 2027.
00:07The EU candidate country, located between Romania and Ukraine,
00:12is radically restructuring its child welfare system.
00:15This means hundreds of youngsters will need new homes,
00:18but there's a shortage of foster families.
00:21Plus, Moldova struggles with poverty and social problems.
00:24As for me, we are not ready up to the end of the year
00:28to cover all the children being actually in their furniture
00:33or something like this by the foster families.
00:36While politicians talk about reforms,
00:39many young people are left wondering what their future will hold.
00:47Few of these teenagers ever get to enjoy holidays during summer break.
00:52Many live in care facilities or with foster families.
00:59Victor was nine when he was removed from his family and placed in state care.
01:06My mother drank every day.
01:08When we were young, we could only do small jobs to earn money to support ourselves and her mother.
01:13She didn't want to do anything at all.
01:18Moldova, a former Soviet republic, is one of Europe's poorest countries.
01:23Social problems like alcohol abuse make life difficult for many families.
01:32Olga Levitskaya founded Scenario in 2019.
01:36Her organization helps young people from disadvantaged backgrounds transition into adulthood.
01:41They are leaving the school in order to do the education, professional education.
01:45So it's reality, it's the start of the adult life.
01:50Because starting from the entrance in this professional institution,
01:55they are living separately or orphanages where they were before.
02:00So it was important for us to give them the resources before they are going to start this life.
02:09This summer camp mixes recreational activities with career guidance.
02:15Sixteen-year-old Daniela is participating in workshops on project management, creative careers and managing money.
02:22Ten years ago, her mother lost custody of Daniela and her brothers.
02:28She's already set her sights on a specific career.
02:33My dream is to become a math teacher.
02:35After high school, I'll attend the Pedagogical University of Chisinau,
02:39and then return to the village to work as a math teacher.
02:46Today, they're going on a special outing.
02:49The majority of these children never saw whatever sightseeing in Moldova.
02:58Even some part of these kids never visited Chisinau, the capital of Moldova.
03:03So for us, it was very important to give the children the opportunity to discover the appropriate country.
03:12The group visits landmarks across the country.
03:16But even on trips like these, they still worry.
03:22I don't know what will happen in the future.
03:25That's what I think about the most.
03:27I don't know what will change when I turn 18.
03:29I'm thinking about what my path will look like, but I don't have any answers yet.
03:35For many of these young people, an independent life seems challenging.
03:40Traumatic experiences have left a mark, undermining confidence in their own abilities.
03:46Olga wants to change that.
03:49This is the point really common.
03:52They are not sure that they are talented and they are not sure that what they do, it's have a
04:01value.
04:02And our principal role is to help the child to write his proper, interesting and very rich scenario of his
04:13life.
04:14When the Soviet Union collapsed, more than 17,000 children were living in residential facilities across Moldova.
04:22Today, only a few hundred remain in these institutions.
04:25Many more live with foster families.
04:29Moldova plans to close the last facilities by 2027.
04:34This goal is in line with European guidelines that say children should grow up in a family setting rather than
04:40institutions whenever possible.
04:45Today, most of the children still in residential care facilities are the ones who would struggle reintegrating with biological or
04:52extended family.
04:53This is either because that family does not exist or because we have not yet developed suitable care options.
05:02Olga doubts the government can find enough foster families by the end of the year.
05:09Sure, it's better when children can have individual attention, individual care.
05:17As for me, we are not ready up to the end of the year to cover all the children being
05:24actually in their finages or something like this by the foster families.
05:30Daniela already made that transition. After two years in a state-run institution, she and her brother moved in with
05:36a foster family.
05:41I had a lot of nightmares in the first few years after being placed in an institution.
05:47I woke up in the middle of the night crying and couldn't fall back to sleep.
05:51There were so many children there.
05:54And you realize that staff can't give every single child that much love.
06:00In my foster family, my brother and I are the only two children, and we share that love between us.
06:12Summer camp ends soon, and for many that means going back to their residential care facilities.
06:19Despite all the uncertainty, Victor is optimistic.
06:25I hope for a bright future, and a family.
06:28Above all, I don't want to repeat my mother's mistakes.
06:32I want to build a happy, loving family for myself.
06:39Moldova is shutting down its large children's homes.
06:42But the key questions will be whether its young residents will receive the support they need to build new lives.
