Improving access to and quality of WASH, health, social and child protection services for vulnerable children

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The Republic of Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. Poverty is particularly virulent in rural areas and families with several children or children with disabilities or developmental abnormalities are particularly vulnerable. There are also significant deficits in the state service infrastructure in Moldova, especially with regard to children and young people's access to these services. The situation has been exacerbated by the influx of over 500,000 Ukrainian refugees in the wake of the conflict in Ukraine, which has been ongoing since February 2022. The overarching goal of the SI measure is to strengthen the national system for providing basic services for children and young people. The module objective is for children and young people, especially refugees and the most vulnerable children and young people, to benefit from high-quality health services and an inclusive and safe learning environment, as well as from integrated, gender and age-specific child protection, social security and a child-friendly justice system. Among other things, modern and climate change-adapted WASH facilities in schools and preschools, early detection and intervention services for children with developmental delays and/or disabilities, mobile youth-friendly health services, strengthening of prevention and response mechanisms with regard to violence against children and young people, and the reform and digitalization of national social security programs are financed here. The immediate target group of this SI measure consists of children and families who have fled from Ukraine to Moldova because of the war or who will flee in the future, as well as Moldovan children and families who offer protection to Ukrainian refugees and/or are directly affected by the war in Ukraine and its far-reaching socio-economic impacts.