Separated by borders: Story of two families from Rusestii Noi village
The issue of Moldovans seeking employment abroad is most apparent during the winter holidays, when families eagerly anticipate the return of their loved ones who have left. The team from Moldova 1 interviewed two families from the village of Rusestii Noi in the Ialoveni district, where the parents work overseas while the children remain at home.
Matroana Trohin is 74 years old and lives in a room with her two grandchildren. Her daughter has gone to Italy for work, as her teaching salary was not enough to support the family. During our visit, Matroana was at home with her youngest grandson, Marius, while the eldest was in the hospital.
“Mom, while you still have the strength, let me go for a year or two to build myself a house and have my own space. I don’t want to just sit around as time passes. What will I do then? We decided that she would go, and I would stay back to take care of the children as much as I could. She has been gone for two years now. She says she will come back, but she still doesn’t have enough money. She said she might stay,” says Matroana.
Matroana’s daughter is the only one taking care of the children. Their father left long ago when he learned that one of the boys had special needs.
“The father of the little boy – we had to work to support him. When the second child was born, he abandoned us and left. Where did he go? How did he leave? We didn’t look for him anymore. We focused on raising the children,” Matroana added.
Natalia Cîrlan has four children. For years, she worked abroad with her husband, but eventually, she decided to return to the Republic of Moldova to be with her kids. Her husband still works in France, where he went four years ago to earn money for their home. The house is now finished, but he remains abroad.
“Since we didn’t have enough money, we went to Moscow together. I left our two children with my parents. Then two more children were born, and I couldn’t leave four kids behind, so I decided to stay home while my husband went to France,” Natalia explains.
Natalia shares that her husband works hard abroad to provide a better life for the family, but the long periods of separation are an emotional burden, especially for the children.
“I stay at home and work, but I’m still with them. It’s different for my husband being far from the kids; they miss their father. He comes home two or three times a year, and although he has a job there, we can’t afford for him to come home more often. In the Republic of Moldova, working alone won't even provide enough for bread, even if I’m working too. The holidays pass quickly, and when I look back, it all feels like a dream,” confessed Natalia.
Over the years, many Moldovans, especially from rural areas, have chosen to go abroad in search of better-paying jobs. In 2023, the average salary in the Ialoveni district was 9,697 lei, while the national average was 12,210 lei.
