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About us

Fifteen years of work, led by the people it serves

The association was founded in Comrat in 2009 by a group of residents with locomotor impairments who were tired of being told that access was a matter of goodwill rather than of law.

History

Our first activity was simple and unglamorous: a list. Members went door to door across Comrat and the surrounding villages recording who used a wheelchair, who could not leave their apartment because of stairs, and whose equipment was broken. That list — around 180 names in the first year — became the basis of everything we do.

In the years that followed we opened a small repair workshop, negotiated our first equipment donations from partner organisations abroad, began accompanying members to medical-social expertise commissions, and started auditing public buildings. Today the association works with members in Comrat, Congaz, Chirsova, Cioc-Maidan, Beșalma, Avdarma and neighbouring localities, and cooperates with district authorities on accessibility planning.

Vision

A Moldova in which a locomotor impairment determines nothing about a person's education, employment, family life or civic participation — because the environment, the services and the law are all built with them in mind.

Mission

To empower, support and rehabilitate individuals with physical mobility impairments and musculoskeletal conditions across Moldova; to advocate for accessible public infrastructure; to supply and maintain mobility equipment; and to build inclusive local communities where our members are neighbours and colleagues, not cases.

Values

  • Nothing about us without us. People with disabilities lead the organisation and set its priorities.
  • Dignity before charity. Assistance is delivered as a right, never as a favour.
  • Evidence. Advocacy is based on documented audits, not opinions.
  • Openness. Members and donors can see how every resource is used.

Organisational structure & governance

The association operates under a statute registered with the Public Services Agency of the Republic of Moldova. Responsibilities are separated between the assembly, the executive and the internal auditor.

General Assembly of Members

The highest decision-making body. Convenes at least once a year in Comrat to approve the annual activity report, the budget, and changes to the statute. Every registered member has one vote.

Executive Director

Responsible for day-to-day management, programme delivery, staff coordination and reporting to the assembly. Signs contracts within limits set by the board.

Advisory Board (5 members)

Volunteer board including a rehabilitation physician, a lawyer specialising in social protection, a municipal engineer, and two elected member representatives. Reviews programme priorities and approves expenditure above set thresholds.

Censor / Internal Audit

An independent internal auditor verifies annual accounts and reports findings directly to the General Assembly, in line with Moldovan associative-sector requirements.

Volunteer Corps

Around forty active volunteers — workshop technicians, drivers, students and members' family relatives — supporting distribution, repairs, home visits and events.

Members and volunteers working together at a community training session
Legal accreditation

Registered non-commercial association

Official name
Asociaţia Invalizilor cu Dereglări ale Aparatului Locomotor
Registration number (IDNO)
1009620002196
Legal form
Non-commercial organisation (association), Republic of Moldova
Registered office
Strada Lenin 188, MD-3800, Comrat, ATU Gagauzia, Republic of Moldova

The association is a non-governmental, non-political and non-profit legal entity. It does not distribute profit to founders, members or staff; all income is directed to the statutory objectives described above.