Humanitarian Aid: Fred Gerson Fund

In June 1999, Jeff adopted his oldest son Nick from Moldova, a small country located between Romania and Ukraine that was formerly a part of the Soviet Union. At the time, Nick was 18 months old, and living in the Republican Home for Children, the central orphanage in the Moldovan capital of Chisinau.

Since the break up of the Soviet Union, the standard of living in Moldova has plummeted. Moldova is consistently ranked the poorest country in Europe, with an average per capita income of approximately $300 US dollars per year. Eighty five percent of the population of Moldova lives below the poverty line as the same is defined by the Moldovan government.

Children living in orphanages in Moldova suffer in ways that those of us living in the United States could never imagine. Basics such as food and medicine are in painfully short supply, and in some orphanages, heat and running water are sporadic. The buildings are in a serious state of disrepair, there is little funding for necessities, and no funding for "extras". It is not uncommon for caretakers to go for weeks or months without being paid by the government. Orphanage directors rely heavily on foreign donations for clothing, diapers, shoes, medicine and the like. Unfortunately, because Moldova is so small, and in the eyes of the Western World, so far off the beaten trail, foreign donations are extremely limited.

Despite the bleak assessment of the Moldovan economy, Jeff's experiences in Moldova in general, and the Republican Home for Children in particular, are the source of some of the most poignant and indelible memories. The caretakers at the Republican Home were some of the kindest, most selfless people he has ever had the privilege of encountering. Faced with the herculean task of caring for hundreds of children under the most daunting of circumstances, these women, with uncommon grace and dignity, did an amazing job of caring for, and loving, the forgotten children of this impoverished nation. In response to the tremendous need, a group of parents of children adopted from Moldova, along with Wide Horizons for Children, the agency that facilitated their adoptions, have joined together to raise money to support the Republican Home and other orphanages in Moldova. In early May staff members of Wide Horizons, and a fellow adoptive parent of a Moldovan child, traveled to Moldova to assess needs and deliver direct humanitarian aid.

Several years ago Nick and Jeff did a mini-bike marathon to raise money to build a playground at the Republican Home. Many of you generously donated money towards this effort. The happy, smiling kids you see in the photos above are playing on the equipment purchased with your donations.

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