The Republic of Moldova has a population of over 162,000 people with disabilities, comprising approximately 6.5% of the total population. Within this group, approximately 11,500 are children between the ages of 0 and 17. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) published the data on January 1, 2024.

These data reveal the urgent need for specialized support and social inclusion. Since its launch in November 2024 in the Rîșcani district, the Mobile Team social service has become an essential support system, promoting dignity and equal opportunities for people with disabilities.

The Mobile Team is a specialized social service providing in-home assistance and support to people with disabilities. The team, composed of a multidisciplinary group of professionals including a manager, speech therapist, psychologist, medical assistant/kinesiotherapist, and driver, also offers counseling related to social inclusion. Services are personalized to address the specific needs of each beneficiary.

Timofei Țurcanu, a one-and-a-half-year-old boy with immobilized lower limbs, is one of the 25 beneficiaries of the service. His mother, Aliona Țurcanu, testifies: “For me, it is a great help because I cannot move around. It is a huge plus that this project, the ‘Mobile Team’, exists, which comes home and helps the children. Timofei has started to be more active and more confident, and, with the help of the psychologist, he is starting to speak.”

Petru Voloșin, an 11-year-old with Down syndrome, receives comprehensive support from the Mobile Team, which includes a kinesiotherapist, speech therapist, and psychologist. Nina Ojog, the team’s psychologist, uses behavioral therapy to help Petru learn new skills and manage difficult behaviors, while play therapy fosters his autonomy and self-expression.

Petru’s grandmother says, “This meticulous and helpful service is a blessing for children like Petru. We’re thrilled with his progress, which results from the team’s support and our hard work and patience.”

The Mobile Team provides services to approximately 25 beneficiaries per month. These services are intended for individuals between the ages of 0 and 25 with severe or accentuated disabilities, as well as those who play a role in their social inclusion.

The services offered by the Mobile Team are diversified and adapted to the needs of each beneficiary, including:

• Social, psychological, and speech therapy assistance;
• Information about available rights and social services;
• Rehabilitation, kinesiotherapy, and occupational therapy services;
• Support for the development of autonomy of people with disabilities in the community;
• Counseling to improve parent-child relationships and maintain children in their biological families;
• Mediation of relations between people with disabilities, their families, and service providers;
• Other services, depending on the specific needs of the beneficiaries.

The services are offered free of charge, and the maximum duration of provision for a beneficiary is one year.

„CASMED” NGO recognizes the Mobile Team as an essential component in its broader strategy to advance social inclusion and protect the rights of individuals with disabilities. This project is designed to provide not only practical support but also to foster a more receptive and understanding community.

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The “Mobile Team” social service was created within the “Mobile Team – Support for an Inclusive Society” project, financed by the European Union and implemented by People in Need Moldova in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, the Territorial Agency for Social Assistance North, and the “CASMED” Public Association of the Republic of Moldova.