Ten new benches have appeared in the village of Costuleni — rest spots meant for everyone, from children and young people to parents and the elderly. And the idea did not come from the city hall, but from the village’s own seniors: the need for the benches was flagged by the active members of the local elderly mutual-support group, according to Costuleni City Hall.
The benches reached the village through a three-way partnership: the Costuleni natives’ association “Cu drag pentru Acasă”, Costuleni City Hall and the organisation HelpAge Moldova. The purchase was supported by HelpAge, while the city hall provided transport and installation, the local administration says.
Part of a German project for “age-friendly communities”
Installing the benches is part of a larger project — “Improving the social participation of older people in Moldova through the development of age-friendly communities” — implemented by HelpAge Moldova with the financial support of the German Federal Government (BMZ), over 2024–2027. Under it, a mutual-support group was set up in Costuleni, and it was this group that identified where benches were needed.
It is the same programme through which, in the town of Ungheni, a similar group of seniors practised using the phone and electronic services, so as not to be left behind as ever more services move online.
Why the gesture matters in an ageing district
A bench may seem trivial, but the stakes are demographic. Nearly a quarter of Ungheni district residents are over 60, and their number is rising even as the district empties, according to National Bureau of Statistics data. For older people, a shaded rest spot on the way to the shop or to the village centre means more mobility and less isolation — exactly what “age-friendly communities” aim for.
Under the city hall’s post, several residents thanked the organisers and said they were proud of their village. The administration, in turn, asked them to keep and care for the benches, “so that they can be used for as long as possible by the whole community”.