Interview with Gabriela Roşca, a local volunteer at CCR

Gabriela Rosca, an 18-year-old Moldovan girl, who took initiative to become a volunteer at the Charity Centre for Refugees (CCR) and help vulnerable refugee/asylum seeker community during her summer vacation.

CCR appreciates efforts, help and work Ms. Gabriela did for refugee/asylum seeker children and women, and hopes to have her support in future.

1.Please give a brief description of the tasks involved in your volunteering position.

I think I will start with three words:”Helping all people”, with all that I can. My daily routine begins at 9.30, when I come to the Charity Centre, and every time I find there some of our children and start speaking with them. I ask, what their pleasures are or what they are interested in. During these hours I help CCR team a little bit and in the end of our day I prepare a sweet table for all the children. So, every day I come to the centre, I have to do a different work with different persons there. When I have free time, I communicate with refugees/asylum seekers and just stay and relax with other CCR volunteers.

2.What was the best experience you had whilst volunteering with CCR?

My best experience with this centre was that every time I interact and stay near to a lot of children, they listen to me always, and ask me some new things.

3.What was the worst experience?

The worst experience was, when I came to the Charity Centre and did not have a definite task or work.

4. Did you feel comfortable with the tasks you were given? 

Yes, every time someone asked me to do something or asked for help, it was a pleasure for me to do something beneficial.

5.Did you feel that you received sufficient information about the organisation and how it works when you started?

Yes, I felt okay, when I started to work there, although it was a little bit hard and uncomfortable.

6.Did the voluntary activity you undertook with the organisation match the original task description given to you when you started? 

Yes, it did.

7.Did you find your volunteering experience interesting, challenging and rewarding? 

I find it not just interesting, but also helpful, not only for children, but for all.

8.Did you feel that the contribution you made was appreciated and valued? 

Maybe sometimes, but I cannot say that I was doing a great job all the time, and it was not that important, because there was a lot of work.

9.How long have you been volunteering with CCR?

I have been there for three weeks.

10. How much do you agree or disagree with the following statements regarding your experience volunteering with CCR?

	Definitely Agree	Tend to Agree	Tend to Disagree	Definitely Disagree
I met people and made friends through it
I got satisfaction from seeing the results
It gave me a sense of personal achievement
It broadened my experience of life
I really enjoyed it
It helped me to build confidence myself
It gave me the chance to learn new skills

I definitely agree, that I met people and made friends through it and it gave me the chance to learn new skills, I also tend to agree that volunteering at the Charity Centre for Refugees gave me a sense of personal achievement, broadened my experience of life, it helped me to build confidence in myself, I got satisfaction from seeing the results and that I really enjoyed it.

11.              11.Would you recommend CCR to other people who are interested in volunteering?

Yes, of course!

12.              12.Overall, how satisfied were you with the voluntary work that you were doing with CCR?

My satisfaction just cannot be described in words, because I love children a lot, so this work was a big pleasure all the time, even if I sometimes felt maybe tired or ill...

13.Do you have any suggestions on how volunteering with CCR could be improved i.e. support, training, management, communication, the role?

I have a lot of suggestions about improving the role of CCR for volunteers (but I am a teenager, and I do not know much about that field). For example, every day the CCR should try to prepare a job for the volunteers that will be appreciated.

14. What motivates you to volunteer?

From a little age I was motivated to help other people and work, because in the end you will be proud of yourself. So, what motivated me was the happiness of other people because of my help.

15. What is the hardest thing about doing volunteer work?

The hardest thing was to wake up at seven o'clock every morning in order to come to Chişinău on time. That was the only hard thing during my volunteer work.

16.              16.What do you find most rewarding about volunteering?

I find most rewarding the personal satisfaction and appreciation.

17.Have you volunteered somewhere else before?

Yes, and not just one time!

18. What is your viewpoint on the status of refugees in Moldova?

Maybe we are not the same people with the same language or religion, but if they come here, we need to encourage them to be more close to people and this country.

19.What would you change for the benefit of refugees, if you had the chance?

I would change the mentality of refugees, who are coming from a lot of countries.

20.Is there something you would like to say to the refugees, the UNHCR or generally, to the Moldovan society?

Work, work, and once again – work! Because if you work, you will obtain all that you want.