About the campaign
“Get involved!” is an initiative to encourage and mobilize Christians and churches to become more involved in the lives of those in need in their community by:
• Awareness of God’s needs and compassion for those in need;
• Understanding the importance, as Christians, of getting involved;
• Communicate to them that each of us can make an impact on someone else’s life;
• Show them that it does not take a lot of money or big projects, but first and foremost the compassion of a single Christian who wants to serve;
Background: Poverty and shortcomings in the Republic of Moldova remain high, while job opportunities are minimal. Many parents leave the country in search of a better income or fall prey to alcohol. As a result we have many dysfunctional families and many children who lack care and supervision, being subject to an increased risk of abuse and neglect. Over the years, many projects for children, the elderly, the disabled, etc. have grown. Many of them are done within or with the support of a church. Projects most often have financial support from outside the country and focus on a limited number of beneficiaries in any locality.
One question and one answer: What can we do to respond to the needs of the unsupported by using our own forces within the country? The answer found is to encourage and mobilize every Christian to act according to God’s heart for those subject to poverty and injustice, to open their eyes to the needs of the community and to be a good help to their neighbor, according to the parable of the good Samaritan. Jesus urges us not to look for our neighbor, but to draw close to those in need. In response to these problems, “Youth for Christ Moldova” opened several day centers for children at risk, after which a larger number of churches were helped to open such centers.
The opening of new day centers in recent years has stagnated, due to lack of financial resources, on the one hand, but also due to low interest and limited possibilities of churches, on the other hand. In all these circumstances, the following question arose: How could we reach the lives of many children at risk without the need for much funding (from abroad) or major church capacity to start a daycare center-like project? Churches are present in almost every locality and they have many resources that can be available to us: buildings, land, equipment, and most importantly people: You and me!