In the beginning of 2018, Liliana and I started talking about what project could use additional funds to improve the already great services that the Unity Community Center provides. We discussed the idea of improving the summer camp that the center had produced for the last two years and how that could be enhanced in several ways. We then created surveys for the staff, parents and potential beneficiaries of the camp to see what they would like at the camp. The staff wanted to practice more game based learning activities and to have better resources for outside learning, the parents wanted the children to learn more about themselves and how to plan for their summer, and the children wanted to play games and use the computer.
Through this information and working with the staff, we wrote up objectives and ways to measure success for the camp and applied for a Peace Corps Small grant. Liliana and I went before the grant approval committee and she did an amazing job going through the presentation for the grant. We celebrated at our favorite restaurant in Chisinau (BioOrganic- a raw vegan place)(first photo).
A few days after our presentation, we were awarded the grant and we worked rapidly to get all the pieces in place for the new materials and equipment that the grant provided for. (Next up: What it means to buy furniture and computers in Moldova).
