Children with Autism and Rare Diseases in Moldova

Posted on By Julia Ashmore
St Gregory's Foundation supporters visiting Copiii Ploii in Moldova, a charity supporting children with autism and rare diseases.
St Gregory’s Foundation supporters visiting Copiii Ploii (Rain Kids) in Moldova. Doina Losetschi (centre, in a white T-shirt), the charity’s director and mother of a daughter with Rett syndrome, founded the organisation to support families like her own. Today, it helps more than 100 families.

Location: Moldova
Founded: 2014 by a group of parents of children with special needs
Who they support: Children with autism, rare diseases and other developmental challenges
Families supported: More than 100 families each year
Services provided: Therapy, educational support and family assistance
Team: Psychologists, speech therapists, physiotherapists, special education specialists and volunteers
Future goal: Creating a dedicated centre for teenagers with special needs

Three years ago, St Gregory’s Foundation discovered a small grassroots charity in Moldova called Copiii Ploii (Rain Kids). Founded by a group of determined parents, they had created something extraordinary for children with autism and rare diseases despite having very limited resources.

We knew straight away that we wanted to support them.

This June, we were delighted to introduce Rain Kids to a group of 11 supporters from the UK, who travelled with us to Moldova. They spent time with the children and their families, met the wonderful team of therapists and volunteers, and saw for themselves the extraordinary difference this small organisation makes every single day.

Around 100 vulnerable families rely on Rain Kids each year. For children with autism, rare diseases and other developmental disabilities, it is far more than a therapy centre. It is a place where they are understood, encouraged and given the opportunity to learn, communicate and thrive. Parents receive practical support, expert guidance and, perhaps most importantly, the reassurance that they are not facing their challenges alone.

Watching the children proudly demonstrate new skills, seeing parents smile with renewed confidence, and meeting the passionate team behind the project left a lasting impression on everyone in our group.

But there is another story beginning to unfold.

Many of the children who first came to Rain Kids are now growing into teenagers. Sadly, in Moldova, support for young people with special needs almost disappears once they reach adolescence, leaving families with very few places to turn.

The team refuses to accept that this should be the end of the journey.The local municipality has gifted Rain Kids an empty building, and they have an inspiring vision for its future. One day, they hope it will become the area’s first centre dedicated to teenagers with special needs—a place where young people can continue learning, gain confidence, develop practical life skills and prepare for adulthood with dignity and purpose.

For now, however, their focus remains firmly on the children who arrive at the centre every day, needing therapy, encouragement and hope.

This is exactly the kind of grassroots project that St Gregory’s Foundation exists to support—small organisations driven by compassion, where every donation has a direct and lasting impact on the lives of children and their families.

Can you help?

Your donation will help Rain Kids continue providing life-changing therapy and support to children with autism and rare diseases through its existing centre. Every gift, whatever its size, helps ensure that vulnerable children and young people receive the support they deserve. Please donate today and help us give hope to children and families in Moldova.

How Training Transforms Therapy for Children with Complex Needs

Posted on By Sarah.SGF
Young boy goes down slide with enthusiastic encouragement from his therapist.

Our Moldovan partners, Rain Kids, work with children with complex needs that affect their communication skills, concentration, ability to manage their emotions and more. The charity has a multi-disciplinary team working with the children so that they can provide specialist attention across the different areas of their development. This also means that they need to keep up-to-date across a range of specialities. Knowing how few professionals are equipped to support autistic children in Moldova, we have made training the focus of our support for them.

Continue reading How Training Transforms Therapy for Children with Complex Needs

Impact of Your Donor Support on Children with Autism

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Our partners at The Wish, based in Călărași, Moldova, thank you for equipment bought with a grant from St Gregory’s. Here’s what they bought:

  • balance boards
  • an elephant-shaped busy board
  • therapy balls
  • ambient light lamps
  • educational activity booklets
  • tactile materials (hands, footprints)sensory toys (tactile balls, mats)
  • speech therapy tools
  • coloured hoops for relaxation activities
  • a multifunctional table and more
Continue reading Impact of Your Donor Support on Children with Autism

Different therapy for children of different ages

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

St Gregory’s has funded Anna Cîșlaru, lead therapist at Rain Kids, Chișinău, Moldova, to strengthen her professional skills. She co-ordinates the therapy for children with autism and other developmental conditions. She explains how these sessions vary with the age of the children.

With children like Alex, who is nearly two years old, the focus is on stimulating his development across a range of areas including physical co-ordination. He needs help to learn to focus and concentrate, and Anna is laying down a foundation for communication and independence. All this is done through guided play in a way which is enjoyable for them both.

Meanwhile, with five years old Iulian she is helping develop some of the essential skills he will need for school. Together they are strengthening his communication, his ability to manage his emotions, and learning to follow instructions.

In both cases, their progress will be closely monitored so that an individual programme can be adjusted to their particular needs. Both Alex and Iulian and doing well!

Curious twins need support to learn

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Darius and David are curious little boys, but they struggled to join in with activities at their kindergarten.  When they were little, their mother had already noticed that they didn’t respond to their names and didn’t play together. But it was when they hit three and started group activities at kindergarten that their difficulties became more obvious.  They were unable to sit still, concentrate or socialise with the other children.  Often distressed, their behaviour was difficult to manage within the class.  However, fortunately, the director of the kindergarten recommended that their mother turn to our colleagues at The Wish for help.

Support from The Wish is important for the whole family.  They live in a village 6 miles from Calarasi.  Their father is abroad to earn enough to look after the family, so their mother has her hands full.

Fortunately, with the right support David and Darius have already made great progress.  They go to The Wish once a week and take part in individual and group sessions.  The aims at the moment are to help them improve their communication and social skills, their concentration and their coordination.  Over time, their behaviour has become less impulsive, and they are building better relationships with children and adults.  Now that they are six they are much more able to join in group activities, and their natural curiosity is helping them learn.  The difference is now they understand some simple rules, they are able to follow up on their curiosity within the guidelines of the group.

In Moldova children start school at six.  The coming years will no doubt present new challenges for Darius and David.  We are grateful to all our supporters who help us fund the therapy that they need to be able to thrive and learn.

How therapy is helping 6-year-old Mihai

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Mihai is 6 years old and lives with his parents in Chisinau. He is a gentle boy, attentive to details, with a remarkable memory and a special curiosity for colors, shapes, and neatly arranged objects. He loves building, sorting his toys by size, and watching his favorite cartoon over and over again. However, from an early age, his parents noticed that his development was different from that of other children his age. He didn’t respond when his name was called, avoided eye contact, and preferred to play alone in silence.

After several consultations with specialists, the family received the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It was a difficult moment, full of emotions and questions, but the parents did not let themselves be overwhelmed. They began searching for solutions, support programs, and centers that could help Mihai develop and gradually connect with the world around him.

For just two months Mihai has been attending the Rain Kids Center for Children with Rare Diseases and Autism in Chisinau. He is only at the beginning of his therapeutic journey, but small changes can already be seen. He attends daily sessions of behavioral therapy and adapted educational activities. At first, he cried often, refused to enter the room, and did not tolerate being touched, but gradually he started getting used to the therapists and even looking forward to some activities.

Today, Mihai can follow simple instructions, wait for his turn during games, and communicate through gestures or sounds. Although he does not speak yet, he expresses his wishes through looks, and his shy smile brings great joy to everyone who works with him. His greatest achievement so far is that he has started to seek his mother’s gaze and take her hand when he wants something; a small but essential step on the road to communication.

Mihai’s parents are deeply involved and eager to learn how to support him at home as well. His mother says that every new gesture, every look, and every calm moment is a victory. However, both the family and the specialists believe that Mihai needs more intensive and consistent therapy in order to make faster and more stable progress.

Mihai is a child with tremendous potential. He enjoys activities that involve order and repetition — puzzles, building blocks, drawing, and coloring. Loud noises frighten him, and sudden changes upset him, but in the safe environment of the center, surrounded by his therapists, he feels increasingly confident.

Even though his journey has just begun, every step Mihai takes is a sign of courage and hope. With the right support, he can learn to communicate, to express himself, and to discover the world at his own pace. You are helping us provide quality therapy to children like Mihai, by helping us build the skills of our team. 

Thanks to our Ambassador, Serge Malaison

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

We are delighted that Serge Malaison, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova in Quebec, has agreed to be an Ambassador for St Gregory’s Foundation. He has already visited our partners, Rain Kids, who support children with special needs in the capital Chişinău. They have sent this warm letter of thanks for his visit.

Dear Partners,
 
On behalf of the entire team at the Copiii Ploii Center, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for the visit of Mr. Serge and Mr. Matthieu, as well as for the time, interest, and openness with which they listened to us. Their presence in our center meant far more than a simple trip — it was a gesture of solidarity, respect, and compassion toward the children and families we support every day.
We felt them as true friends of our community. They looked beyond statistics, spoke with the children, observed the therapists’ work, listened to the parents’ stories, and understood the reality faced by families of children with special educational needs. For us, this is the most valuable gift: an open heart and a genuine desire to do good.
We are deeply grateful for their willingness to support us through fundraising campaigns. The support you intend to offer together is not only financial — it represents real opportunities for our children:
opportunities for consistent therapy,
opportunities for recovery,
opportunities for inclusion,
opportunities for a better life.
We hope that this beginning of cooperation will grow into a stable partnership filled with meaningful and positive results. We remain open to ongoing communication, experience-sharing, joint projects, and everything that can bring more light into the lives of our children.
Once again, we thank you all for your empathy, energy, kindness, and willingness to be part of our story.
 
With gratitude and respect,
The Copiii Ploii Center Team

Introducing Alternative Communication

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

Our partners at Communication Space in Moscow continue their core work of teaching disabled young people to communicate. Here a communication book is enabling a chat about dinosaurs.

Excitingly, in the last year our colleagues have had the opportunity to teach others their methods. After an online training session on adapting books for non-verbal children, a specialist went away with plans to create a reading corner full of adapted books at her centre. Their teaching session at a conference on alternative communication was praised by delegates as one of the best of the conference. They continue to work too on guidelines aiming at more consistent use of alternative communication for those who need it across Russia.

Read last story

Our Moldovan Partners, Rain Kids, assess our impact

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

If you missed our September AGM, you can still read the presentation from Ana Gorea, co-founder of Rain Kids, a small charity that works with children with special needs. She lays out how St Gregory’s grants to provide training for their staff are helping to raise standards of care.

Download presentation

Find out how staff training is helping Alex

Posted on By Sarah.SGF

The main request of the Rain Kids charity in Chişinău, Moldova, was for staff training. They offer therapy to children with special needs and are acutely aware of how low the level of professional skills are in Moldova. We are funding their chief therapist, Ana Cislaru, to take an eighteen month training course to qualify her as a supervisor in ABA therapy, so that she will be able to offer training to their other staff. Due to a lack of suitable training in Moldova, the course is provided by a Romanian charity and is accessed largely online. Here Ana explains how her training helped her plan the programme of therapy for Alex.  Despite a difficult start, she was able to find the key to his progress. Incidentally, the stigma attached to autism is still so high in Moldova, that many families do not want photographs of their children to be used publicly. We respect their wishes, but sincerely hope that one day autism won’t be a source of shame or embarrasment to families in Moldova.

Continue reading Find out how staff training is helping Alex