Across the Ocean, United by Friendship:A New Chapter for Rotary in Moldova and the United States!

By Irina Rusanovschi- Intercountry Committees Chair –Moldova -Rotary D2241 –Romania and Republic of Moldova

The Republic of Moldova is a small country in the heart of Europe, situated between Romania and Ukraine. It is a country with a rich cultural heritage, warm and welcoming people, and a strong desire to build a better future. At the same time, Moldova remains one of Europe’s lowerincome countries and continues to face many challenges in healthcare, education, social development and community life.

For Moldova, international friendship and cooperation are not simply words. They are opportunities to learn, to grow, to share knowledge and, most importantly, to make a real difference in people’s lives.

This is where Rotary has an extraordinary role to play.

The Rotary journey in Moldova

The Rotary movement began in Chișinău in the 1998, with the establishment of the first Rotary Club in Moldova. Since then, Rotary has grown and developed across the country, with clubs and Rotarians now active not only in the capital, but also in cities such as Soroca, Cahul and Comrat, among others.

Over the years, Moldovan Rotarians have increasingly understood the power of international cooperation. We have become more active in developing Intercountry Committees, creating bridges between Rotary members from different countries and transforming friendships into long-term cooperation.

Today, we are taking another important step: working toward the creation of an Intercountry Committee between the Republic of Moldova and the United States of America.

For me, this is much more than the creation of another Rotary structure. It is the next chapter of relationships that have already existed for many years.

A friendship across the Atlantic

For more than 25 years, Moldova and the State of North Carolina have shared a remarkable partnership. The official bilateral cooperation began in 1999 and has developed into a strong relationship involving healthcare, education, academic exchanges, humanitarian assistance, professional training and many other areas.

Rotary has become an important part of this story.

For more than 14 years, Rotary members and healthcare professionals from Moldova and North Carolina have worked together through projects, professional exchanges, humanitarian assistance and, particularly, nursing cooperation.

One of the most beautiful examples of this partnership has been the series of Global Grant projects developed between Rotary clubs in North Carolina and Rotary Club Chișinău Centru, District 2241 Romania and Republic of Moldova.

Among these GG are:
2014 –GG152883 –Nursing Moldova
2016 –GG1746134 –Nursing Collaboration between North Carolina and Moldova
2018 –GG1872768 –Nursing Collaboration between North Carolina and Moldova
2021 –GG2099865 –Nursing Collaboration between North Carolina and Moldova

These projects have created much more than training opportunities. They have created professional friendships and a continuous exchange of knowledge between nurses and healthcare professionals on both sides of the Atlantic.

Today, regular webinars continue to connect nurses from North Carolina and Moldova, allowing them to share experiences, discuss challenges and learn from one another.

This is the true spirit of Rotary: people serving people, learning from one another and building relationships that last.
The nursing collaboration has also been recognized for its impact on healthcare education and professional development in Moldova.

From friendship to action

Our cooperation has not stopped with professional exchanges.

In 2022, Rotary Club Greensboro, Rotary Club Guilford, Rotary Club Summit in Greensboro and Rotary Club Wilmington East, together with Rotary Club Chișinău Centru, joined efforts in a humanitarian project that brought a container of approximately 11,700 kilograms of medical supplies and equipment to Moldova.

The donated equipment and supplies were subsequently distributed to dozens of medical institutions across the country.

For a country where many healthcare institutions continue to face shortages of equipment and resources, such assistance is not simply a donation. It represents dignity, support and hope for healthcare professionals and for the people they serve.

Another meaningful project connected Moldova and North Carolina through education and access to knowledge.

The Scientific Medical Library of Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, together with eight other university libraries across Moldova, received technical equipment —including notebooks, printers and supplies —from Rotary Club Wilmington East, District 7730, as part of the broader North Carolina–Moldova partnership.

These projects demonstrate what can happen when Rotary clubs decide to look beyond their own communities and work together for a common purpose.

A partnership that continues to grow our relationship with North Carolina has also created opportunities to bring people together at the highest levels. In October 2023, we had the great honor of welcoming North Carolina Secretary of State Elaine F. Marshall, together with nurses from North Carolina, to Rotary Chisinau Centru meeting.

Secretary Marshall has been one of the strongest and most committed friends of Moldova within the North Carolina– Moldova partnership. Her personal dedication has helped bring together hundreds of American volunteers and partners involved in medical, educational, humanitarian and development projects in Moldova. The partnership between Moldova and North Carolina was renewed in 2024, reaffirming the commitment of both sides to continue and expand cooperation.

And the story continues.

This summer, new connections were created during the visit to Moldova of Angela Bendorf Jamison, Past District Governor of District 7710, and Leah Flach, both members of the Rotary Club of Wake Forest, North Carolina.

New friendships are becoming new opportunities. New conversations are becoming new projects. A new Global Grant and a new horizon Just recently, we received extraordinary news.

The Rotary Foundation has approved Global Grant GG2686088 –“Oncological Reconstruction with Modern Microsurgery Methods,” a project dedicated to the Institute of Oncology in Chișinău. The project will be implemented by Rotary Club Chișinău Centru, as the host club, together with our international partner, Rotary Club Honolulu Sunset, District 5000, Hawaii.This project is another powerful example of how Rotary connects communities across thousands of kilometers.

It also reminds us that our cooperation with the United States is not limited to one state or one city. The possibilities are much broader.The next chapter: an Intercountry Committee between Moldova and the USA

The ocean separates Moldova from the United States. But friendship has never been measured in kilometers.

Over the years, we have received humanitarian assistance, welcomed American volunteers and professionals, developed Global Grant projects, organized professional exchanges, held regular online meetings and, most importantly, built friendships.

Now we want to give these relationships a stronger and more sustainable framework.

We are working toward the creation of an Intercountry Committee between the Republic of Moldova and the United States of America.

I believe an ICC can become a bridge connecting Rotary clubs, districts and Rotarians from both countries. It can help us discover new partners, develop new Global Grants, encourage youth exchanges, support professional and cultural exchanges, strengthen humanitarian cooperation and create opportunities for Rotarians to meet not only through projects, but also as friends.

Our goal is not simply to do more projects.

Our goal is to build lasting relationships between people and communities.

Because every successful Rotary project begins with a conversation.

Every partnership begins with trust.
And every friendship begins when someone reaches across the distance and says: How can we help each other?

A shared commitment to peace

At a time when our world needs understanding, solidarity and peace more than ever, Rotary has a unique opportunity to bring people together.

Moldova may be a small country, but our aspirations are not small.
We believe in cooperation. We believe in friendship.

We believe in service. And we believe that whenpeople from different countries come together with an open heart and a common purpose, geographical distance becomes irrelevant.

The ocean separates us — but friendship unites us. For me, the creation of an ICC between Moldova and the United States is not the beginning of our relationship.

It is the continuation of a story that has already been written through years of service, generosity, professional cooperation and friendship and I am confident that the best chapters are still ahead of us.

CREATE LASTING IMPACT!