My name is Vladimir Neznaiko, I am a student of the Anton Chekhov POTL and I am an active participant in the volunteer movement at the Republican Volunteer Center (RVC).

My story began when I accidentally found out about RVC through my friends. I was looking for ways to get involved in charitable causes and help those in need when I came across information about RVC volunteering. This was a great opportunity for me to do a good deed and contribute to public life.

More than six months have passed since then, and I continue to actively participate in various RVC events. I helped with logistics at various mass events, participated in the organization of Good Deeds Day 2023, collected food for the people in need, organized and hosted classes for children and much more.

Why RVC? In this volunteer center, a huge number of projects are focused on helping members of the Jewish community, and here I can get closer to the culture of the Jewish people. My great-grandparents were Jewish, but like most stories from that time, their papers have been weathered, blown away by the winds of time, and eventually lost. By helping out on RVC projects, I can be closer to my historical roots.

I like the volunteer movement for its diversity, emotional involvement, and depth. Here I meet many different people, work in a team with like-minded people, learn about different cultures and social problems. It makes my life more meaningful and more interesting.

What I especially appreciate in the volunteer movement is that here I can contribute to solving social problems and help people in difficult life situations. It gives me a sense of satisfaction and pride in my contribution to the common good.

I am sure that the volunteer movement is useful not only for society, but also for the volunteers themselves. It helps to develop and expand horizons, set new goals and achieve them. I believe that each person can contribute to the common cause and become better, and volunteering is one of the most effective ways to do this.

Hey! I am 20 years old. I am a student, UTM, Electricity.

I learned about the RVC from a young man who was already an active volunteer for the center. Detachment began in July 2020 – she delivered hot meals to lonely, sedentary elderly.Today she is an active volunteer of the CALL CENTER – she is informing the elderly in Chisinau and the regions about RVC projects and the epidemiological situation in the country, helps with the delivery of food to lonely elderly people and congratulates them on the holidays.

Volunteering attracts her with a variety of stories, destinies of older people. With the usual planned informing of the elderly, I got acquainted with the stories of dozens of heads and grandfathers. Hearing various interesting stories from the elderly is one of the main motivators of her activity. For example, my grandmother, when calling, told about her occupation back in the Soviet Union. About how she was a mechanic, how much this profession fascinated her and how much she misses that time. Such short and insignificant, at first glance, things, but they make Leroux think about her profession, about how important it is to love what you do and truly get carried away with your craft and constantly grow and develop professionally.

My name is Anya Doni and I am a volunteer. My first experience of volunteering was at school, my guys and I made New Year’s cards for children from the orphanage. And if we talk about a larger, serious project, then I took part in a national conference against violence, where, by the way, the idea of ​​a social project created at the Be Do Have summer school was born: “Spune NU Violenței”.
I was inspired to volunteer by the desire to help children, to do something good for them. At that stage of my life, I could say, it was like wearing pink glasses. Of course, I heard about violence, but it was somehow far from me and was taken more from films, books, and the topics raised at the conference, statistics and frightening facts greatly shocked me. As if I hadn’t expected that people can be so cruel, especially towards children.
I am motivated to volunteer most of all by the desire to give – strength, time, my energy, to share my positive, to help those who need it. And get positive emotions in return. This is probably my dope! I believe that positive emotions are the key to a happy life. Speaking about the projects in which I have participated, I immediately remember my sister’s participation in the project “School of life”. Masha asked me to give a lecture about sex education among teenagers. I gave this lesson, realized that I liked it, and most importantly, that the children liked the lecture! I also really enjoy working on my project “Spune NU violenței!” – this project is aimed at informing adolescents about different types of violence, as well as learning to recognize and respond to violence. One of the most striking recent events is the presentation of the project to the Summer School Be.Do. Have and obtaining a certificate from KMB. I didn’t expect to receive this certificate at all and, of course, when your work is appreciated, it’s very nice. And the very defense of the project was very exciting for me, I was very worried, because I understood that all responsibility for the project lay with me, and since I did not have a team, I could not take into account some shortcomings.

Hi all! My name is Victoria, I am 28 years old. For more than 8 years I have been a volunteer in the Republican Volunteer Center. There was a time when I came here from time to time, but in 2019 I returned to volunteering in full force by participating in the Good Deeds Day. I believe that such large-scale events are a very convenient and suitable opportunity for those who want to try their hand at volunteering.

I do volunteer work in my free time from my full-time job and other hobbies. I love creativity and I coordinate 2 wonderful projects: “IT Grandmother”, where my friends, colleagues, and I teach older people computer skills, and “Our hands can do everything” – art workshops where everyone can try new techniques or remember what he once knew. Master classes are held online for both volunteers and elderly clients of Hesed.

For me, volunteering is not only mutual assistance, but also an opportunity for self-development and communication. Everyone can share their knowledge and skills, even if they are not an expert or a master. Every contribution is important, no matter how small it is. I believe that such an atmosphere reigns in the Republican Volunteer Center, and this is one of the reasons why we all love this organization so much. The second reason is the connection with Jewish traditions, culture and community. This is exactly the place that allows me to be closer to my roots!

Grow and help make this world a better place!

Hello! My name is Yaroslava, I am 16 years old and I study in the 10th form of the Theoretical Lyceum “Alexander Pushkin”.

I enjoy playing the piano, playing sports and writing articles, as I dream of becoming a journalist. A year ago I became interested in volunteering, the war that started in a neighboring country played a big role in this. From February to July 2022, my mother and I actively helped refugees. We prepared a large amount of food and delivered it to those in need. Then I became interested in whether we have volunteer organizations in Moldova and remembered the RVC, which my friend told me about.

First, I got into the “School of Volunteers”, where I learned from the coordinators what the Republican Volunteer Center is. I liked it right away. I realized that here I can develop myself, learn and gain new skills, communicate and help people, which is what I always wanted. I have been at the RVC for a year now, during which time I managed to try myself in various projects. Most of all I like “Call Center”, as well as projects related to children. One of the projects that I lead is “Talking English”, where I teach children English in an interactive way.

During my activity there were many interesting cases, but most of all I remember the case from the “Clean Chisinau” project. Then we were cleaning the “Eight” park and collected about 15 bags of garbage. We had a real quest to get garbage out of the lake. We understood that it would not be possible to clean everything. Then a man who had nothing to do with volunteering came to help us. He literally climbed into the lake and helped us pull out a large number of bottles and other debris. After the action, we were glad that we managed to clean up the park a little and make it more pleasant. Being engaged in volunteer activities, I feel useful, I feel that people need my help and I believe that volunteering is my calling!

Hello everyone, my name is Sergey Melnichenko, I am 19 years old and I am studying at the University of Economics. Before I found out about the RVC, I visited the Haverim youth platform, where on one of the Sabbaths I was offered to join the volunteer center. After some time, I decided to join the ranks of volunteers. I have always believed that I can help the world, although not on a global scale, but still somehow make it better little by little.

I joined the RVC team about six months ago and managed to participate in a variety of activities. At the moment, I mainly work in the ITKIDS project, where I teach computer literacy and IT skills to children, but in the future I am ready to try myself in other areas. Also, sometimes I participate in the delivery of food packages for the elderly and in environmental campaigns.

What I like about volunteering is that everything is done from the heart. I do what I love and as a results I bring joy to others as well as myself. It is like a reward to see smiles on their faces. Nothing compares to the true happiness of a person. I believe that kindness can save this world. I hope that I will be able to do what I truly love for a long time.

Volunteering teaches a lot. For example, once at the ITKIDS project, I was supposed to be replaced for a day, but the volunteers could not come. In such a situation, I had to quickly react and find a way to fix the situation and fortunately everything went smoothly. This experience taught me to always have a back up plan.

Hello everyone! My name is Elena, I am 38 years old and I am a volunteer of the Republican Center! Behind me I have two higher educations: journalism and psychology. After them, I worked for a long time in a bank and a leasing company. Today I am working on my own online project on eco-bags.
In my free time I dance, paint and meditate. How did I become a part of the Russian Exhibition Center? Two years ago, I organized an event to clean up the capital’s park. Pavel came to the cleaning service, who at that time was a volunteer at the Russian Exhibition Center in the “Clean Chisinau” project, and it was he who introduced me to the Center. For two years I took an active part in the “Clean Chisinau” project, and during the pandemic I decided to join the delivery of packages / products for the elderly. At the Center, I found like-minded people whom I did not find in my environment. I am convinced that making the world a better place is much easier for all together, as a team, than alone. I also really enjoy working with the coordinators of the RVC, they manage to gather and organize everyone, it motivates and inspires. And the girls working there are very cool and perky in themselves. For me, everything that happens in the Center is something absolutely amazing, so I cannot mention any one story.

I’m 17 years old. At the moment I’m not studying anywhere. I may say that my hobbies are learning English and doing sports. Moreover I enjoy philosophy and psychology.

About volunteering I’ve found out from my classmate but couldn’t decide to come to the Volunteer Center for a long time, because my free time was very limited. In February I’ve finally got this opportunity and I’ve decided to spend my free time with benefit. I like the possibilities which Volunteer Center provides. In addition to help people, I can develop my personality: gain new knowledge and communicate with interesting people. It is very valuable for me.

I take part in most of Center’s projects, but the most I enjoy the ones related to elderly. Communication with older people is a real pleasure for me.

Volunteering gives me invaluable experience and awesome memories. It has completely changed my life. I’ve become a different person, gained new knowledge and started to understand people better. I’m motivated by the fact that I may be useful for society and at the same time develop as an individual.

I’d like to wish volunteers not to lose faith in your favourite activity, but to improve yourself, to put your heart into the things you do, and to launch «The Boomerang of Good» which is going to return if you do it from your heart.

My name is Alyona, I’m in the 12th grade at the “Petru Movilă” lyceum. I have always been interested in volunteering, because I wanted to help people, and I had always possessed the most important resources for this: time and desire.

I started looking into volunteer centers and came across the Republican Volunteer Center (RVC). By the end of the summer, I filled out a registration form and was invited for an interview. This is how my volunteer journey began. At the moment I am participating in a project for children “How does it work?”. In the classroom, I talk in a manner that is interesting for children about the work of the human body. I also work with older people in the “IT POP” project, which aims to teach mobile literacy to Hesed’s wards.

What I like about RVC is that absolutely everyone can find an outlet of expression for themselves here, as there are many projects for different age groups and interests. Volunteers are also not forgotten, for whom many educational seminars, training and master classes are held. I also want to note the coordinators who are always ready to help and make you feel at home as much as possible.

I really enjoy being a volunteer and I’m glad to be a part of RVC!

I am Nata Britkova. I am 33 years old, I am a director, theater and film actress. As a teenager, volunteering and non-formal education attracted my curious attention. For all the years that I was engaged in volunteering in various organizations, participated in various projects, both in Moldova and abroad, it turned out that the RVC was the best thing that could happen to me!

My volunteer work began after Good Deeds Day in 2022. Then I gradually began to get acquainted with the projects, and there were quite a lot of them at the RVC, and I wanted to take part in each of them. An interesting fact is that my teacher, an acting coach of the improvisation format, has Jewish roots, but before that I had little knowledge of Jewish culture. Thanks to the RVC, she began to get involved in educational meetings and seminars, thereby learning more about the holidays and traditions of the Jewish people.

The Republican Volunteer Center is a platform that allows you not only to help, but also to develop yourself and your abilities, and since I have knowledge of acting, I decided to create the IMPROart project. Some time later, after attending the Network of Volunteer Coordinators workshop, I became its co-coordinator. This project is about the art of improvisation, theater and cinema, which allows all volunteers to reveal their talents. Thanks to the volunteer center, I have the opportunity to continue the work of my teacher and her sister, who, as a person of science, also took part in the development of improvisation.

In addition to the mentioned project, I actively participate in environmental events, conduct team building events for volunteers and am a member of the logistics team, thereby developing my creative and creative visions to help the coordinators create unforgettable events.

I am proud to be a volunteer of the RVC! Volunteering is about real life!

My name is Roman Raspopa, I am 17 years old. I study at the “Children’s Academy” school. I learned about RVC through my classmates, the guys talked about the projects of the Center and I wanted to join such a cool movement.
I have been volunteering for 10 months, during this time I made new acquaintances, made friends with other volunteers and coordinators. Today I call, inform and interview the elderly, and also cheer them up. The latter is my favorite. I love to tell interesting stories and, most importantly, listen to the same stories in return. People of the golden age have a lot of life experience and a storehouse of stories that you want to listen to more and more.
As I said above, what I like most about the volunteer movement is communication and meeting new people. Most of all I was surprised by the Jewish holidays, because I did not know anything about them before. In just 10 months of my volunteering, I filled in all these gaps, learned national holidays, learned more from the history of the Jewish people, and also took part in Shabbat.
Being a volunteer at the RVC means being part of a big family that wants to make this world a little better. And this is great!

Hi all! My name is Tsatskina Nastya and I am 14 years old. I am in the 9th grade of the lyceum. Nicolae Milescu – Spataru. I am Jewish and my dream is to leave to study and live in Israel.

From the age of 12 I wanted to become a volunteer, but I did not dare, because there was an inner fear. One day my mother found out about the Republican Volunteer Center, where I decided to go and try myself as a volunteer. I have been dancing for many years, devoting a lot of time to this direction, but I wanted to change something in my daily activities. At the moment, I began to devote all my free time to helping other people. It was when I became a volunteer at the Russian Exhibition Center that I realized that for me the most important thing in life is the help and support of people. This is what brings me pleasure and positive emotions, as well as the opportunity to develop and gain new knowledge and acquaintances. Despite the short period of my volunteer activity, I have already managed to try myself in various directions and projects, I believe that this is a big plus of the RVC, since there is an opportunity to study yourself and understand what you are interested in and in what direction you want to help.

I tried my hand at “Call Center” projects, where I talked with the elderly on the phone, held a lesson in a kindergarten, and also helped the elderly in the “Sources of Mercy” project. I also participate in the Science 2.0 project, where volunteers teach children through games the exact sciences: mathematics, physics, chemistry and biology. RVC is a place where you can create, where you will be heard and where you can develop and try yourself.

For example, I came up with the idea of ​​one project called “Active Weekend”. Every Sunday, children from 7 to 10 years old can engage in creativity, sports, play educational games together and learn new things about the world that surrounds us. This proves that here you can be heard, that you will be helped and supported in new endeavors, and all our inner ideas can be realized here.

The Republican Volunteer Center is not only a place where you do something for others, help or teach, here you can also learn new things. As I said, I have Jewish roots and the history of the Jewish people is important to me.
So I took part in one of the educational seminars, where we discussed the important autumn Jewish holidays. Well, I was able to pass on the knowledge I received to the children from the Jewish kindergarten “Savivon”, where we held a master class for Rosh Hashanah with volunteers, remembered the history of the holiday with them and made an application of apples.

I am a volunteer! I am loaded with this and I can say that it is not scary to try to implement new ideas. I invite everyone to become part of our volunteer family and do good with us!

Hi all!
My name is Linda Shcherbatova, I am 35 years old. I am a studied catering technologist-designer.
At the age of 15, I joined the Jewish Cultural Center “KEDEM” and began to expand my educational horizons.

Volunteering has always held a special place in my heart, thanks to my parents and grandparents who raised me the right way.

At the moment I am participating in the project “The Origins of Mercy”, which brings me joy, especially considering that my grandmother Greta is far away from me, because due to circumstances she had to move to another country. Often I meet older people who resemble my loved ones Greta and Izya. Their manners, habits or appearance give the impression that my relatives are next to me.

What does it mean to be a volunteer?

This is a moment of sincerity when you lend a helping hand in any situation. It is a manifestation of gratitude when you accept the arms of a person who has lived for many years. In their eyes you see only positive emotions accumulated over the years of life, and upon returning home you feel the aroma of the velvet skin of their hands.
Being a volunteer makes me proud! This is a charge of positive emotions in our difficult time!

My name is Anastasia. I am 26. I am studying at “UTM” or at the Technical University of Moldova, as a marketer – logistician.

I accidentally found out about RVC. An acquaintance of mine worked as a coordinator at RVC. He invited me to the volunteer center.

– I have been volunteering for 6 months.
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– Participated in the delivery of gifts, at master classes, as well as in the “Global Day” and in the action “Bring joy!”
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– My main activity is calling the elderly and volunteers.

In volunteering, I see a lot of pleasant and useful things! For example, I have the opportunity to apply my skills and knowledge for good purposes, I meet very interesting people, thereby expanding my horizons, etc.

Elderly people are mostly very lonely … I didn’t have grandparents, but now I have a lot of them! (Happy) I try to support them, to listen. I am always happy when I hear laughter on the other end of the line!

Elderly people are grown-up children. Lovely and at the same time wise! This makes them very interesting to me.

One day, I called an elderly man. By my voice, I mistakenly thought that this was my geography teacher, but it turned out that this interesting lady had worked as a shoemaker for 30 years. Surprisingly, this is hard work, not for a woman! And also, this is a very necessary profession. But often people are not attracted to becoming a master …

Hi all!

My name is Nikita Katernyuk, I am 15 years old and I am in the 10th grade. I love making new friends and trying new things. For a long time, my main goal was to improve my communication skills, to become a more sociable person, and then I realized that volunteering is a great opportunity for my socialization.

After a long search for a suitable volunteer center, I settled on the RVC. I also have a lot of good memories associated with this place, because as a child I attended a children’s camp from “KEDEM”, but then, I still did not know about my Jewish roots. When I first came to the RVC, I was struck by the huge number of projects that are aimed at helping both the elderly and children. For me, the opportunity to get acquainted with the culture and traditions of the Jewish people, which is provided by the RVC, is also very important.

For 2 months of my volunteer activity, I managed to participate in such projects and promotions as delivery within the framework of the “Healthy Vitamin Box”, “Call Center”, the seminar “Sources of Mercy”, “Love Story”, “IT-DED”, “All to the museum” and “Chisinau residents of the 20th century”. I try to join all directions of the RVC, but for the most part I specialize in the “Sources of Mercy” project.

Volunteering has become for me a truly favorite thing, my journey in which is just beginning. I am very glad that I am part of the team of the Republican Volunteer Center! After all, it was here that I developed new abilities and talents in myself, and also learned that I am part of the Jewish people, for whom Jewish culture is important, and I want to learn more about it.”

Good afternoon, my name is Igor Perchun and I am 50 years old. I own my own business, but due to the quarantine, I suspended the work of my enterprise in order to protect my employees. I joined the RVC recently. Having learned about the need to participate in the delivery of humanitarian aid and meals for the elderly, I realized that I could and should help. I deliver meals for the elderly, and also participate in the delivery of humanitarian aid as a driver, and I feel that my help is needed now more than ever. First of all, I like the activity and responsiveness of the coordinators of the Volunteer Center. They seem to work for two, or even three at once. I believe that this kind of adaptation to the conditions is necessary. Help must be provided and if volunteers are able to help people at a distance, it only warms my soul. I believe that the world needs good deeds. I myself was the most active pioneer, and from childhood I remember that the weak and needy need help. That is why now I am trying to make the world a better place and make my own modest contribution to the common good.

Hi all! My name is Vyacheslav Gandrabur, I am 18 years old and I study at the International Lyceum in Chisinau. I love sports, especially football, as well as computer technology and programming.

I learned about the Republican Volunteer Center from friends and classmates who shared their positive and interesting experience with me. I decided to learn what it means to be a volunteer, thus discovering new skills and unforgettable experiences. My main project at the RVC is “How does it work?”, which is aimed at educating children. I tell the youngsters about the history and principles of work of various objects around us.

However, my volunteer work began with the “Do Good” campaign, the purpose of which was to create and conduct presentations about volunteering for schoolchildren and students. The emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected the activities of volunteers. The approach to planning and holding events and lessons has changed. That is why I led the project “How does it work?” for a long time in an online format, which, of course, had its pros and cons. Luckily, with new volunteers and the reduced risk of Covid-19, we now have the opportunity to conduct classes in person, which makes classes even more fun.

In my opinion, the most beautiful thing in the volunteer movement is emotions.I am pleased not only with my own positive emotions from volunteering, but also with the emotions of those people to whom I help. I also like that volunteering gives you the opportunity to gain social experience and develop other unique skills that can greatly help in everyday life. Volunteering is awesome!

Hi! My name is Lily, I am developing web design for mobile applications. I am a graphic designer by profession. I love active recreation, Hiking on mountain trails, I love to travel, this inspires me to new projects and their implementation. I also walk my videos sometimes.

I got into RVC thanks to your Facebook page and invitations to participate in events. As soon as I had time, I remembered that I wanted to devote it to helping people together with the team of the volunteer center. I myself have been engaged in volunteer activities for more than 9 years. But I like to do this more in RVC, because here your participation is encouraged, and this moves you forward, motivates you to develop further and, not least, encourages you to invite others. In short, I like the level that is supported here!

I continue to be a volunteer, because to be useful to someone, for me – it is to improve, create, influence, help – it is a continuous chain. I like it when people try to change for the better, or find answers to their questions when they turn to me for help, advice, or request.

If we talk about motivation, it is probably, in a sense, a miracle that happens when the right people find the right people. Have you watched the movie “Stars on earth”? The main character-a boy is forced to endure bullying until he finds the right (knowledgeable and not indifferent) teacher, who finds the reason and correctly explains it and everything falls into place. I’m motivated by meeting people and how we influence each other.

I try to participate in all projects, but the closest, of course, are those related to nature, its preservation, ecology. I also like projects that focus on training and development, both for the younger generation and the elderly.I believe that development is an important process in our life that needs a lot of attention. And projects related to creativity, transformation into the new, because through them people learn to see beauty.

One of the most striking events for me was the photo exhibition “Past Now”, with the participation of older people. The shots were represented by their transformation into their best version. Also at the exhibition, everyone could try out innovations in the field of mobile technologies and games. In fact, there was something memorable in every meeting, event, and a lot of love, knowledge, time, and work was invested in each event!

I want to wish the Republican Volunteer Center to become even better! Even more interesting! Create a lot of projects that are important to bring to life!

Thank you, you are great!!!

I am 38 years old and I am a volunteer at the Russian Exhibition Center! Behind two higher educations (journalism and psychology), work in a bank and a leasing company. Today I am working on one online project. I have my own mini-project on eco-bags, which I am actively promoting. I dance, paint and meditate.
Two years ago I created an event for cleaning the capital’s park, Pavel also came to clean up (at that time he was a volunteer at the Russian Exhibition Center in the Chisinau Chisinau project), he introduced me to the Russian Exhibition Center. For two years I have been in the Pure Chisinau project, and in the pandemic I also joined in the delivery of packages for the elderly.
At the Russian Exhibition Center, I met like-minded people whom I could not find in my friends’ space. And this is a key point for me: together to make the world a better place is much easier and faster than alone. I like working with the administrative staff of the RVTs, the organizational level is very good and the girls are very cool and perky)
(I don’t remember very much stories to capture the spirit of interest) I was somehow impressed by our cleaning in Butoyash Park, garbage can be different and what we just don’t collect: from bottles to underwear accessories, pillows with hair, but the TV I have not yet seen in the depths of the park. I was impressed by the fact that someone brought him there on purpose and for the sake of which it is not clear) Or in the same park there was a mound, it seemed to be neat around it, and behind the hillock, there were so many plastic bottles that there were so many of them that almost all of our bags were gone on them, and there were many of them.

“Hello everyone! My name is Ksyusha and I recently moved to the 11th grade. I have a lot of hobbies – I like to read, go and want to master the art of photography. Very soon it will be time to go to university and there will be much less free time there, so I decided to volunteer, now that I’ve considered all the options, I’ve decided to opt for our Center! I never regretted it!
I started my activity with online conferences with the elderly and visiting animal shelters. First of all, I really like animals and I chose online conferences because there is no way to be present in the city and volunteer offline.
I am interested in participating intensely in RVC offers, meeting new people, communicating and gaining experience. I also really want to do something good for people, to take care of children, of the elderly. Help the animals. I hope very soon, to know you better and to be friends for a long, long time! “