Catholic Relief Service (CRS) is the official international Catholic relief and development agency of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It operates in more than 100 countries throughout the world, serving more than 80 million people on five continents, including Eastern Europe. CRS’s mission is to assist the poor and vulnerable around the world and to help American Catholics to live in solidarity with them.

CRS works in Moldova since 2004 and activates in the following directions:

• Changing the behavior of parents and youth towards HIV – CRS works with Parent Teacher Associations and other village leaders to develop HIV programs specifically tailored to the needs of their communities. Activities include: after school training for youth; workshops to help parents to communicate with their children; and projects to assist adults in creating a safe and supportive environment for youth and people living with HIV;
• Creating thousands of jobs in Moldova – CRS mobilizes private businesses, NGOs, and government agencies into an alliance for the creation of jobs in rural areas. These public-private-partnerships recruit, train and guarantee employment for vulnerable groups living in villages. In addition, these jobs are created in a socially responsible way;
• Empowering women to make positive life choices – CRS partners with local teachers and NGOs in over 100 villages to help women evaluate their lives – their resources, skills, and plans for the future – and identify and strengthen areas that need improvement. Women learn how to earn and manage money, increase their self-esteem, build supportive social networks, and avoid dangerous situations. Recognizing that it takes more than a job to transition out of poverty, CRS incorporates education for women into all of its job creation projects.

In Moldova, CRS offers people a sense of hope, security and opportunity.