Moldova Patricia Kopatchinskaja promotes "a happier childhood"

Project : Moldova | 27 Jun 2009

Moldova*: “There are a lot of children in my country of origin, Moldova, that do not attend school as they have to work or they become victims of trafficking”, Patricia Kopatchinskaja says. “In favour of them, I choose to be a Goodwill Ambassador to Terre des hommes since Tdh offers children a happier childhood”, mentioned the international violinist. Her official visit to Moldova started on Thursday, 25th of June, with a visit to FACT (Fii Ajutor Copiilor Tarii – Help Children of the Country) field project implemented in 6 rural communities of Soroca district.

On 26th of June, 2009, Patricia Kopachinskaja teaches a Master Class to students of the music lyceum Ciprian Porumbescu in the National Philharmonic. Then, a great Gala of the international competition “Eugen Coca” takes place organized by the music lyceum. The admirers of classical music will have the opportunity to appreciate talented students of “Porumbescu” lyceum and of course to enjoy the virtuosity of the distinguished violinist. A party for mass media representatives concluded this remarkable day.

_Moldova__Patricia_Kopatchinskaja_promotes_a_happier_childhood_1.JPGTo enrich the program of the visit by Patricia Kopachinskaja to Moldova, an open air art festival with 600 children and adults from rural communities of Soroca, Ungheni and Chisinau involved has been held in the Central Public Park “Stefan cel Mare si Sfint”, Chisinau. Patricia Kopatchinskaja rejoiced the festival guests with her extraordinary talent. Back in Switzerland, Patricia will play her violin as a Goodwill Ambassador for Moldova children being at risk of parental neglect, exploitation or trafficking within Yehudi Menuhin classical music festival, which will be organized in Gstaad, from 17 July till 5 September. Being its “humanitarian partner”, Terre des hommes is happy that Patricia Kopachinskaja had Stefan Matti – administrative director of Menuhin Gstaad festival – as part of the delegation to visit Moldova.

Patricia Kopatchinskaja was born in 1977 in the former Soviet Republic of Moldova. Both parents are musicians. When Patricia was 13, the family immigrated to Austria (Vienna). Then, by the end of the 1990-ies, she moves to Bern, the capital of Switzerland, where she is still living. After the year 2000 her bright career began, her bright talent being highly appreciated. Refining her skills with many leading classical music orchestras from London, Berlin, Moscow, Sydney and Tokyo, Patricia is attracted by contemporary music as well, quite often improvising during her concerts. Her latest CD “Beethoven/Ravel/Bartok/Say” has got sensational reviews. In Switzerland remarkable is also her charity engagement, like for Terre des hommes.

_Moldova__Patricia_Kopatchinskaja_promotes_a_happier_childhood_2.JPGPatricia Kopatchinskaja is the example of succeeded Moldovan emigration – but there are a lot of examples of failured migration these days in Moldova, in particular regarding unprepared and risky migration of children. In Moldova, Swiss child relief foundation Terre des hommes has been active since 2004 to support civil society and public authorities in children’s rights protection and fighting against child trafficking. Tdh and its partners – UNICEF, OSCE and the Swiss Development Corporation SDC set up the FACT project – in response to threatening situations of children at risk of exploitation and trafficking. The project gives the priority to prevention and assistance at local level. But the intervention includes also a system of repatriate children who emigrated from Moldova to Russia and the Ukraine where they ended up as street or labour children. Up to now, over 200 children have been successfully repatriated and reintegrated in Moldova by Terres des hommes representatives.

Tdh in cooperation with the Moldovan NGO “Salvati Copii” Moldova has local projects in Soroca, Ungheni and Chisinau like FACT project. The project aims at both restoring the local system of child protection in the framework of Local Councils for Child Right Protection and at establishing an Institution for Child Right Protection in every rural community. Today, 7,352 children have received social and psychologic aid within Terre des hommes programmes all over Moldova. [AG]