Longing brought together our compatriots from Brussels, who experienced feelings of joy and happiness in the evening of March 25, during the anniversary show "From the heart to the heart", on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Moldovan Association Belgian "Good luck".

The audience present at the event had an evening full of memories, with folk dances and songs that warmed their souls. Those who conveyed profound messages, through art, were the members of the "Noroc" Association, the ethno-folk ensemble "Plăiesii si Plăițele" from the "Plai" Association, president Nadejda Serbescu from the city of Krefeld, Germany, the "Doina Prutului" ensemble, the talented naists Ștefan Negură and Raluca Patuleanu Negură, but also the musicians Iurie Nazambaev, Segiu and Natalia Boldurat.

In this way, the team of the Diaspora Relations Bureau sends congratulations and the best wishes to the Moldavian-Belgian Association "Noroc" in particular, to Mrs. Nina Dimitrașco and Aurelia Uscov, who have been involved and contributed alongside the Moldovan community in Belgium dutring these 10 years, to the promotion of values national, always proving that our traditions represent true ancestral treasures.

Last week had a special meaning for our compatriots in Germany. The members of the Moldavian Center in Nuremberg and the Romanian-German Cultural Center "Dumitru Dorin Prunariu" decided to unite the two cultural centers in order to integrate and develop beautiful projects and events for the Romanians from both banks of the Prut, settled in Germany.

The decision to unite the two centers resulted from the fact that both institutions were based on the same principles, such as promoting the traditions, customs and culture of our nation.

The festive event was attended by officials from the Consulate General of the Republic of Moldova in Frankfurt am Main and the City Hall of Nuremberg, as well as members of the diaspora, who came with messages of appreciation and encouragement.

We remind you that the Moldavian Center, chaired by Galina Condrea, originally from the Republic of Moldova, was officially opened in January 2020, within the German institution "Kulturwerkstatt Auf AEG" and until now has carried out various cultural-educational activities.

The first Romanian language lesson took place on Sunday, March 19, at the "Guguță" School in Zurich, founded by Mariana Grati.

Under the guidance of teachers Mariana Grati, Patricia Podoleanu and Elena Rotari, originally from the Republic of Moldova, the children participated in various interactive activities, did diction exercises and teleported into the world of stories. Parents and children alike played characters from well-known stories.  

"The idea of opening the "Guguță" School was generated by a boundless longing for home. Difficult steps have been taken to achieve this, but I know that the results will not come until years from now. Until then, we will work with dedication and love for the child of today, in order to form the man of tomorrow", said teacher Mariana Grati.  

We wish them continued success and hope that other children of our compatriots from Switzerland, eager to learn the Romanian language, to know the history of the Republic of Moldova, the birthplace of their parents, ancestral traditions, etc., will find a place under the "Guguță's Roof".
 

The "Miorita" association from Portugal, led by Mrs. Rodica Gherasim, managed to create a charming festive atmosphere in which poems, legends and songs dedicated to the martișor resounded.

Thus, the children of our compatriots from Switzerland, like spring flowers, came with joy to the diplomatic mission to meet the poet and prose writer Ada Zaporojan, who brought them an enchanted little box full of books, CDs, sweets, as well as messages with love from the children from the "Dumitru Matcovschi" gymnasium in Chisinau.

To promote the symbol of spring - the marigold, both the children and their parents participated in the marigold making workshop, learning the techniques and its meaning. It was a soulful event, which generated beautiful emotions and unforgettable memories, bringing everyone present at the celebration closer to home. Details here.

A memorable event was organized in the context of International Women's Day, by the members of the Moldovan community in Manchester "Baștina" - Angela Apostol, Lilia Tonu, Mariana Ciubotaru.

The celebration began with the wonderful verses of the poet Dumitru Matcovschi "Only the woman" which, moreover, constituted the generic of the event in which the woman was eulogized and sung. The children present at the celebration recited poems and sang songs about the most precious life-giving being - the mother, then participated in a creative workshop, during which they made greeting cards for mothers, sisters and grandmothers.

During the evening, the guests had the opportunity to taste traditional food and socialize, but also to discuss with some specialists from Great Britain important topics for the community regarding labor rights in the UK, social security, etc.

The representatives of the Moldovan diaspora from Berlin recently celebrated Martisorul. The event was organized by the Moldovan-German Friendship Association, president Angela Mutruc.

The guests present at the celebration had the opportunity, in a friendly atmosphere, to enjoy folk songs and traditional Moldovan dishes. The artistic program was presented by the young talents of the Moldovan-German Friendship Association, the group of children from Potsdam, led by Marina Posmag and the young performer Cristina Holstein. A warm message from home was sent to our compatriots through the representatives of the Embassy of the Republic of Moldova in Germany.

At the same time, a fair of local producers was held during the event. The donations and income obtained from the sales will go to the charity project "A heart for the children of the Republic of Moldova".

International Mother Language Day is celebrated annually, on February, 21. The decision was taken by UNESCO in November 1999 following the sad events that took place on  February 21, 1952 in Dhaka, when a group of students demonstrated in defense of Bengali, one of Pakistan's national languages, but were repressed and killed by the police.

To commemorate those who sacrificed for the mother tongue, as well as for the continuity, support, promotion and preservation of the mother tongue, the Association "Moldbrixia" from Brescia, Italy decided to participate in this celebration. "Since we have known how much the mother tongue has been distorted, the paths it had to go through to regain its place of value and be respected, we are not indifferent and continue to promote it, even if we are far from home. Probably, we, those who left the Republic of Moldova, understand more the value of the mother tongue and, not in vain, we make efforts to transmit the richness of the Romanian language to our descendants", said Lilia Bicec, founder of the "Moldbrixia" Association.

The participation of the "Moldbrixia" Association in the celebration dedicated to the International Mother Language Day in the city of Brescia was a great honor for our compatriots who had the opportunity to tell about the history of the Romanian language and our invaluable traditions. And to give a special aspect to the celebration and pay tribute to the Romanian language, Amelia Arseni and Ana Maria Busuioc recited poems in their mother tongue. Also, the members of the group "Dorule" - Ion Zaporojanu, Ion Gârlă and Petru Cojocaru also participated in the celebration, and the Moldovans Angela Ciobanu, Ana Arseni, Ana Rotaru, Tatiana Zubcu, Cristina Buclis, Ana Maria Busuioc performed a Moldovan hora, presenting the dance and our national port.

An important moment of the event was the launch of the Romanian language teaching course, which was possible thanks to the support offered by Alessandra Spreafico, who offered to make the premises available for the course.

At the same time, the representatives of the Moldovan community in Brescia also participated in a workshop for making „martisor”, presenting to the public techniques related to the craft of this small accessory that heralds the arrival of spring. The foreign guests present at the event were given „martisor”, explaining the meaning of the colors: white - purity and red - love, and to give more scope to the custom of March 1st, the legend of the marigold was told to them.

Establishing new contacts and communicating with citizens of the Republic of Moldova abroad are among the priorities of the Diaspora Relations Bureau (BRD). A productive dialogue took place yesterday afternoon between the BRD team and a group of young scholars, representatives of the Moldavian-Romanian Society within the College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium.

The subject of the discussion was the event to be held in April at the "College of Europe", where students originating from the Republic of Moldova intend to present elements of the country's culture, as well as some local products, to the entire university community consisting of 350 students, representatives of over 49 nationalities. For this purpose, the participants of the working session requested the support of BRD.

Nadejda Zubco, head of the Diaspora Relations Office, thanked the interlocutors for their involvement and for the interest shown in creating the image of the Republic of Moldova abroad. In the same vein, Nadejda Zubco expressed her openness to contribute with some promotional materials, but also to put the young participants in the meeting in contact with association leaders in Belgium.

At the same time, the head of BRD encouraged the representatives of the Moldavian-Romanian Society within the College of Europe in Bruges to apply to the "Diaspora Engagement Hub" thematic grant program, the sub-program aimed at young people from the diaspora, and in order to make new connections, exchange experience and ideas, suggested them to join the League of Students Originating from the Republic of Moldova.

Spring has arrived - the season of joy and rebirth of nature. Martisor is the symbol that marks the beginning of this beautiful season, managing to transmit, over the years, messages of hope and optimism. Traditionally, the white and red thread woven with mastery, we catch it in the chest or tie it to the hand, at sunrise as a sign of good luck.

During this period, our compatriots from the diaspora preserve the old tradition and gather to organize workshops for making martisor with the aim of promoting this small symbol of spring, which has been inscribed in the intangible cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO.

Thus, the members of the „Vatra" group from Italy, founder Iurie Raileanu gathered from small to large to mark the beginning of spring, to pass on to the younger generation the craft of making martisor and to talk about the tradition of offering it.

Another workshop was organized in Greece, by the Moldovan-Hellenic Friendship Union „Alexandros Ipsilantis", president Svetlana Lisagor-Vergis. The participants organized a contest in which the most outstanding marigolds were appreciated and, at the same time, they prepared a wall newspaper entitled „Spring - the season of marigolds".

The members of the Moldovan Cultural Center from Nurnberg, Germany, president Galina Condrea also organized an evening dedicated to the martisor. During the event, they made martisor and presented an artistic program that included poetry recitals, legends and theme songs.

The team of the Diaspora Relations Bureau sends good wishes to all our compatriots settled abroad, wishing them to have a warm spring in their souls.

The photovoltaic plant, with a capacity of 30 kW, which will provide street lighting in the village of Cărbuna, Ialoveni district, was inaugurated today, following the implementation of the project within the program Diaspora Acășă Resușește "DAR 1+3", managed by the Diaspora Relations Bureau.

Present at the event, the state secretary of the State Chancellery, Adrian Bălutel, appreciated the involvement of people from the diaspora, the residents of the village of Cărbuna and the local public authority in the realization of this project, noting the beautiful example of collaboration, for the benefit of the people.

„Within the program „DAR 1+3" , we are trying to stimulate the connection between the localities and the natives who have gone abroad. Thus, citizens from the diaspora create a platform of connection with the heritage and the roots from which they come, being developed, in this way, the community spirit both in the locality and among those who have gone outside the country", said Adrian Băluțel.

The mayor of Carbuna village, Constantin Cecoi, thanked the development partners and natives settled abroad, noting that this is the second project implemented in collaboration with the diaspora. "Seeing the announcement released by the Diaspora Relations Office, I requested the opinion of the citizens of the village, but also of the diaspora, regarding which project we can advance. Most respondents supported the idea of photovoltaic panels. We tend to become an independent village in terms of renewable energy and with joint efforts we managed to put this plant into operation, for the maintenance of street lighting at night", added Constantin Cecoi.

The idea regarding the development of the photovoltaic plant belonged to the representatives of the local public authority, the diaspora and the association of natives "Ghiocel de Cărbuna". The initiative group conducted a survey and found that one of the priorities is the efficient consumption of energy resources, following the increase in tariffs.

The total cost of the respective project was about 600,000 lei, of which the contribution of the Government of the Republic of Moldova is 245,000 lei, the City Hall of the village of Cărbuna - 120,000 lei, the associations "Ghiocel de Cărbuna" and "Project Casa Mare" - 178,000 lei. Also, the Ialoveni District Council came with a contribution of 50,000 lei.

The diaspora relations office within the State Chancellery launched, on February 22, a new round of grants for this year's edition of the "DAR 1+3" program. Until March 22, local public authorities, together with representatives of the diaspora or people who have returned from abroad, development partners can submit projects aimed at areas such as infrastructure, environmental protection, economic development, energy efficiency, culture, education and social protection .