6 residential institutions for people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities received support in the context of the COVID - 19 pandemic

The European Union has donated personal protective equipment and monitors to people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities and to the employees of six residential institutions, while launching the project “Ensuring safety and human rights of persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in 6 residential institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic”.

As a result, 1700 people with disabilities and employees of residential institutions from Bălţi, Cocieri (Dubăsari), Orhei, Hînceşti, Brînzeni (Edineţ) and Bădiceni (Soroca) were given masks (33,000 units), gloves (33,000 units), protective goggles (1400 units), face visors (2000 units), disinfectants (250 bottles of 5 l. each), disposable gowns (6000 units) and protective footwear (3000 units).

In the same institutions, information activities on prevention measures and individual protection measures will be carried out; for this purpose donated were 6 video monitors. Posted on the monitors in easy to understand language will be the information for people with disabilities. Additionally, within the same project, visor masks were offered to 2000 people with hearing impairments, including children, to provide personal protection as well as barrier-free communication. The masks were offered to representatives of “Association of Deaf in the Republic of Moldova” and “Association of Deaf Children in the Republic of Moldova”. The project will increase the access of people with disabilities to Hotline Service, allowing them to benefit on information and psychological support and to prevent abuse, cases of neglect and violation of human rights. Thus, 30 mobile phones will be donated to people with disabilities from different institutions, in addition to offering them training in Self-Advocacy on the rights and peer-topeer support. At the same time, developed will be the internal policy for COVID-19 prevention and control within each of the institution. The employees will be trained in the procedure of implementing the internal policy for COVID-19 prevention and control, burnout syndrome prevention and stress management to meet the challenges related to people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities behaviours in crisis time. The activities organized as part of the project “Ensuring safety and human rights of persons with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in 6 residential institutions during the COVID-19 pandemic”, implemented by the Keystone Moldova and funded by the European Union - EU Rapid Response Mechanism to urgent needs of civil society in the Eastern Partnership.