Life in rural Moldova is pretty tough. For most people, all their efforts are focused on providing the next meal and keeping a roof over their heads. There is no time for other things. There is no money for other things. So, adults no longer dream about other things, large or small.
As a child, Snejana dreamt of going to the theatre, to see a play, but her family was so poor that it was never an option. The village she grew up in was so small it didn’t even have a school, which meant long daily treks to get to the nearest one. Her parents scratched a living by hook and crook. If Snejana stayed in the village her dreams would recede, just as those of the people around her had.
When Snejana came to the House of Opportunity, her dream of leaving the village began to be realised. She began new studies, new work, new friendships, but she still had a small dream…
“When we learned about her dream, we organised a trip to the theatre for a high-quality premiere. We decided to do this together with all the House residents”, says Radion Velcev, who manages the House of Opportunity in Comrat. “Snejana was inspired by this trip and was very happy to see the performance live, not on a computer screen. She was really impressed by the actors’ performances. If Snejana was not in the House of Opportunity, most likely, the theatre would have remained just a dream. The House made the dream of an ordinary village girl come true”.
Of course, we want to help the young people who join our programmes to go on and realise the big dreams they have for their lives. That’s the reason we ask every new programme participant to share their dreams when they first come to the House of Opportunity. But, amongst all the hard work, we want to make sure the small dreams aren’t forgotten.