Yes, I know, I know, it has been ages since I last posted an update. Well, the reason I havent posted is because I’ve been busy becoming famous:
http://www.ecoul.md/images/17septembrie.pdf (The article about me is on page 3)
Well, actually, the reason I haven’t posted is because I’ve been so busy with work, learning Romanian, cultural integration, and managing 3 fantasy football teams….and I’m pretty sure I’ll go 0-2 in the league that counts.
So, where exactly do I work? While I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t understand the above article written in Romanian, I’ll give you a brief summary. I work at the “Secţia Asistenţă Socială şi Protecţie a Familiei” (SASPF), which translates into the Department of Social Assistance and Family Protection. This department operates within our region’s Raion Counsel, and there is an SASPF in every Raion Counsel in Moldova. What? How do you not know what a Raion Counsel is!?!?!?! Well, there are more or less 3 primary levels of government in Moldova (overly simplified):
- The National level consists of the President, Prime Minister, Parliament, Ministries, etc, the most suitable comparison being our Federal government.
- At the Regional level there is the Raion Counsel. Moldova is divided into 32 Raions (Districts), and the Raion Counsel acts as the administrative body within the district. Within the Raion Counsel, there are many departments that operate in accordance with national law, as supervised by national level ministries. One such department is the SASPF, where I work. The Raion Counsel ultimately votes and decides what projects to start, and where funding will go in a given region.
- At the local level there is the Primaria (Mayor’s office). The Primaria assesses the needs of the village or town, and raises these concerns to the Raion Counsel at the mid-level. Ultimately, the Raion Counsel votes on a plan of action, as well as funding, and the Primaria executes the Raion Counsel’s decision.
The SASPF’s goal is to help improve the quality of life for people in need by providing social assistance within its jurisdiction. Its beneficiaries include children and young people who are at-risk due to poor health or dangerous environments; families that either do not or can not properly fulfill their obligations for the care, maintenance and education of their children; no-income or low-income families; orphans; children with disabilities under the age of 18; families with many children; single-parent families with children; elderly people; and adults with disabilities. The structure of the SASPF, and all of the services it provides, is rather complex; and so, in the interest of time, my partner and I have devised this chart so as to provide some insight:
Yeah, thats right, my partner is the head of the department. She is a fellow attorney, has a knack for management and leadership, and I am truly fortunate that she is my partner. That, and she speaks English; making cultural and community integration far easier than it would be otherwise.
In any case, it would take far too long to explain each service and position, so I’m just gonna go ahead and let you use your imaginations.
So, what am I doing now? Well, as you might imagine, working in an organization as important and complex as this one, it will take some time to learn the ins and outs….and what have yous. Well, that and the Romanian language. So, for the time being, I study Romanian and translate documents pertinent to and used by the department, so as to have a better understanding of daily operations. In the future, I may work with the legal representative on children in need of care and adoption cases, or perhaps services for elderly and adults with disabilities. At this point, there are many options, but first…I need to make a concerted effort to significantly improve my language skills.
Alright, you wanted it, and I gave it to you! I hope you find the above reading interesting.
Hey Yoel, Thanks for the update! You are certainly jumping in with both feet and learning and contributing so much so quickly. And a celebrity! My parents often ask how you are doing. Take care!
You need to update more often about the little daily things Yoel!
Ok, I posted about some daily things this time 😀
I tried to digest all of the above — I am really proud of you. I updated you via e-mail on the family. Becky is still missing you and was not happy with the carpet cleaners doing your rooms. Grandma