The Republic of Moldova is composed of 32 raions, or districts, and has around 1,600 villages. Moldova has a population of approximately 2.5 million, and it faces a growing issue of depopulation due to outward emigration.
When I first arrived in Moldova, I lived in a small village in the Ialoveni district, called Ruseștii Noi, with a population of about 3,000 people. After my training was complete, I moved to my current village which is in the Chișinău raion and has a population of around 8,000 people. My village has a mayor’s office, two schools, three kindergartens, a church, two larger grocery stores, a post office, library, museum, cultural center and youth center.
My village had originally requested a community development volunteer who could work with the youth center to help expand their capacity. Part of my job is doing needs assessments, where I meet with the leaders of groups, citizens and people who I work with to discuss what challenges my village has and what resources it needs. A need that was frequently expressed was a space for people to spend their time.
