This initiative was carried on by the “Baștina Gospodarului” Local Action Group, which is one of the LAGs, created in the spring of 2019, after a long process of meetings, discussions, identifying local resources that would be valued in the context of the chosen priorities, among which the sports development, as well as of culture and leisure services in the microregion has a high place.

“I love sports since I was a child and, only after I got a job as a professor, I started noticing the gaps we had when working under the established school program”, Vasile Bajan tells, a physical education professor and the project responsible. “The inventory was insufficient and of a very low quality. Consequently, we were aiming for the results we couldn’t achieve”. By implementing this project, the gymnasium got several types of sports inventory – for football, basketball, volley, rugby, badminton, tennis and other, as well as some training items to go through school normative sessions. This inventory will help at building the pupils’ sports spirit and might even create future national and international champions.

Actually, Malaiesti village already has two big names in the sports area of Republic of Moldova – Vitalie Bunici, with wonderful results at the fighting championships, and Oxana Bunici, the captain of the Rugby National Team. The latter promised to join the gymnasium’s kids in a few rugby instruction sessions.

“I see the pupils’ desire to use this inventory during the physical education lessons”, Mr. Bajan mentions during the project’s celebration ceremony. “We didn’t have the chance to practice good-quality sports, including the time I started teaching physical education. We wanted great results, but had no inventory to support the pupils with. But now, thanks to the LAG, that offered us big opportunities, we decided to find a solution for this topic. With this sports set, we will assure a very good material basis. You, the children involved in sports activities, can obtain easier the desired results”, the teacher added.

Burlacu Natalia, the gymnasium’s director, mentioned that the village’s community won many projects thanks to the great number to the assiduous, purposeful an creative youth. “I want to thank every person involved in the project – this set will contribute to the formation and development of specific abilities, promotion of the sports culture, of a healthy lifestyle and of our institution’s image during various sports competitions.”

“We want to hear about Malaiesti champions and don’t forget to cheer your teachers with your successes”, Ina Negruta, the “Bastina Gospodarului” LAG manager mentioned, telling the younger generations a bit more on the Local Action Group’s function, while the Malaiesti mayor, Ilie Virtosu, greeted the village for the greatest number of initiatives that were accepted during the LAG call.

Xenia Marcov, program coordinator, mentioned that Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova, along with its partners from USAID Moldova and Polish aid, are involved in a bigger project, aimed at local development. “We’re happy to see so many enthusiasts involved in this process, with different backgrounds and ideas, discussing the future of their localities and succeeding at implementing together wonderful projects – no one else can do it better that the locals. This is our credo – the local development decisions should belong to the locals.”

The “Acquisition of sports inventory for the sports area”, implemented by the Malaiesti Gymnasium, Orhei district, was implemented within the USAID LEADER Activity project, co-finance by the United States Agency for International Development – USAID, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, programme for development cooperation – Polish aid and implemented by Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova.