Nutrition of children in orphanages in the Moldavian SSR (1944–1947)

Abstract

In this article, we elucidate the problem of providing food products to orphanages in the Moldavian SSR in the years 1944–1947. The research found that the expansion of the orphanage network in the MSSR in the post-war years was due to the social policy of reducing the number of wandering and orphaned children suffering from hunger. The number of orphanages increased during the famine, and gradually decreased after its overcoming. The controls carried out by the authorities in the field of education and healthcare found serious gaps in the process of providing food to orphanages, irregularities in the management of products and even abuse of staff towards children. These realities aggravated the situation of children in orphanages, who were affected by the difficult family situation, famine and precarious conditions in institutions. Survivors’ testimonies show that most of the orphans who were taken to orphanages were rescued from starvation, and in some cases, when taken by relatives for maintenance, they died. The archive documents, but also the testimonies of the survivors show that the difficult situation of the children in the post-war years, the starvation, the vagrancy, the increase in the number of orphaned children, etc. were a consequence of the totalitarian politics and the irresponsibility of the local authorities.