Transnistria

Lying between the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, Transnistria is 200 kilometres in length, and in some places only two kilometres wide. This strip of land is officially called the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), and has a population of around 500,000.
More than 20 years ago, Transnistria declared itself an independent mini-state.

85 percent of the population live below the poverty line. Unemployment figures are increasing and, like in Moldova, many people leave the country to find work elsewhere.

Many children are left behind, cared for by grandparents or older brothers and sisters. Some of them are also left to look after themselves. Juvenile criminality and alcoholism among street children and seriously neglected children are major problems.

Ignored and marginalised by society, the street children in Transnistria are left on their own, and without help it is impossible for them to find their way into a normal life.