‘The trip of a lifetime.  The culture, food, and community of the country made this trip so incredible, but it’s the people who made it an unforgettable experience that has changed my life forever.’  Angelica (Yr11) was one of twelve students who travelled to Moldova in July 2024, repeating Roedean’s inaugural philanthropic mission to the country from last year.  Supported brilliantly by the NGO, Hope4, based in Chişinău, our trip had three elements:  teaching English to children in Moldova, visiting impoverished villages outside the capital, and spending time at the Rainbow of Hope orphanage, for which the School has been raising funds over the course of the last academic year.

The twelve girls from Years 11 and 12 taught English to 62 children, including Ukrainian refugees, underprivileged Moldovan children, and some from Gagauzia, an autonomous region in the south of the country.  Replicating the successful model from last year, in pairs, the girls taught the same class for four hours each day, quickly building a rapport with their pupils over the course of four days.  They had been learning how to teach in weekly sessions with Sarah Howson, Roedean’s Head of EAL, over the last six months, and they were incredibly well-prepared, taking detailed lesson plans and engaging materials with them.  That said, the reality of children sitting in a class in front of you can still be daunting.  Angelica said, ‘teaching a class of ten children challenged me in ways I wasn’t expecting’, and Haewon (Yr12) reflected, ‘being an EAL student myself, I wasn’t completely sure that I had the ability to teach English’.  Of course, they all did brilliantly, and the children responded so well – Kate (Yr12) commented, ‘I will never forget the smiles on the children’s faces’, and Kaitlin (Yr12) loved the experience: ‘seeing our students’ faces light up during class, when they got the answers right and whenever they learned something new, felt incredibly rewarding, and I am so proud of their progress in just four days’.  Although the focus was teaching the children, the girls also grew themselves through the process – Liv (Yr12) said, ‘as much as I loved teaching the children, I know I have really enjoyed being able to learn from them also’.  At the end of the week, there was a ceremony where each child was presented with a certificate, and we were delighted to be joined by Fern Horine, the British Ambassador to Moldova, and also by the Moldovan Minister of Internal Affairs, Adrian Efron.

As well as teaching, in the middle of the week, the group spent half a day in a warehouse, distributing clothes and shoes to needy families.  After standing in line and registering, displaced families were able collect donated clothing, and it was hard to reconcile the fact that, through no fault of their own, some found themselves in a position of having to rely on charity.  Alicia (Yr12) reflected, ‘my highlight of the week was when we helped pack and distribute resources to families in need, and seeing how much of an impact we could make’.  That afternoon, we drove out of the capital to some villages where we visited families which are supported by Hope4.  Some of their homes have no running water, their toilet is just a hole in the ground outside, and the internal floor is bare earth.  Mackenzie (Yr12) said, ‘visiting the villages suffering from poverty was very emotional, listening to the stories of each of the families we visited, and wishing we could have done more to help’.  At times, it felt uncomfortable and even crass to visit these desperate families, but it is only the stark reality of their level of need which will galvanise the on-going support which they need.  The extraordinary Hope4 team have built strong relationships with each of them over time, and they provide the families with clothes, food, and sometimes even chickens, as well as monitoring their physical and psychological welfare.

‘I am so grateful to have been able to make a positive impact on so many people’s lives in Moldova’.  This comment from Fen (Yr11) reflects the feelings of everyone on the trip.  And none of it would have been possible without the amazing support of Chris and Zoe Lomas, the founders of Hope4, and Ivan Ivancev, its COO, who managed everything in Moldova – nothing was too much to ask, and Ivan can literally sort anything out!  Chris and Zoe had a calling three and a half years ago to move from the UK to Moldova, to support children in dire need and to combat human trafficking and domestic abuse.  Since they arrived, they have built a huge network of contacts and generous supporters, and Roedean is proud to be a small part of this transformational team – Chris wrote, ‘it’s a life-changing experience, for the girls, and the children they taught, and each are going home with a new sense of purpose!’  While we were in Moldova, Chris and Zoe were hosting three girls, who lived in their house for a week, escaping their own desperate situations for a short time.  These girls attended our lessons and spent time with us in the afternoons – they were timid and withdrawn when we first met them at the start of the week, but we watched as they relaxed and blossomed over the seven days.  For Agnes (Yr12), spending time with Marianna, Maria, and Alexandrina was a highlight: ‘despite the language barrier, we still managed to have a great time with each other’.  However, it was difficult for everyone to come to terms with the fact that they would be returning to their homes when we left, after a brief respite, and there were lots of tears shed.

As had happened last year, the last full day of the trip was a visit to the Rainbow of Hope orphanage outside the capital.  For last year’s group, this was certainly the most emotional element of the trip, and they agreed then that Roedean should pledge to cover 3% of the orphanage’s annual running costs every year for the next decade; when the war in Ukraine comes to an end, the orphanage will become the focus of Roedean’s annual Project 125 Moldova trip.  Dr Ross Barrand, Deputy Head, whose brainchild this project is, set the School a target last September: ‘To match our pledge, we had to raise £5000 over the course of the year, and it was a huge privilege to be able to hand over a cheque for over £8300 when we visited the orphanage on the last day, as we had completely smashed our target’.  The orphanage hosted a bright and colourful garden party where the children sang for us – for Eve (Yr12), this was a highlight: ‘it was really lovely to play badminton and frisbee with the children, and to be able to bond with them – one of them even taught me a bit of Romanian!’  Hopefully our donation can make a small improvement to the lives of the children in the orphanage.

As a counterpoint to primary focus of the trip, there were also opportunities to see some of the city, including the Eternal Flame and the Cathedral of Christ’s Nativity in the centre of Chişinău, and the exquisite Căpriana Monastery with its stunning frescoes.  The temperature was 38 degrees when we landed in Moldova, and it was hot throughout our visit, but the evenings were lovely – on the last night, it was slightly surreal to watch England play Switzerland in the quarter-finals of the Euros on a huge screen, sitting on the grand steps of the Opera and Ballet Theatre in the city centre, but the girls cheered loudly when we went through on penalties!

The second Project 125 Moldova trip was another huge success, and the girls were outstanding ambassadors for the School and, more importantly, for themselves.  Ivan wrote, ‘Beyond the language lessons, the Roedean girls brought joy and laughter. They have shown what it means to care, support, and empower others, leaving a lasting impression on everyone involved’.  Even though they found the experience physically and emotionally draining, the girls loved every moment.  ‘To know that you have made a difference in people’s lives and have been able to help them, even in the smallest way, is so inspirational’.  This sentiment expressed by Mia (Yr12) will, no doubt, fire up the next group of twelve students, who will be selected early next term, after which they will begin their preparations for July 2025.  It was a fantastic trip, summed up brilliantly by Chaya (Yr11) – ‘although we were told this experience would have a huge impact on us, I didn’t completely believe it – on reflection, my outlook on life has completely changed, and I’m so grateful to everyone on the trip’.