History of Action

From Crisis to Classrooms:
Helping Students Continue Their Studies Amid Conflict

When war disrupted Ukraine in 2022, hundreds of students from across the world — including India — were left in limbo. Among them were aspiring doctors who had invested years in their education and were suddenly facing an uncertain future.

For Grigore Hincu, Charter President of Lions Club Chișinău Viliumas, this was not a distant headline. It was a call to action.

Working through 2023 and 2024, Grigore coordinated with the Republic of Moldova's educational authorities and embassies in Dubai and Delhi to facilitate entry visas, transfer documentation, and financial assistance for Indian medical students from Ukrainian universities. This enabled them to continue their studies at the Nicolae Testemiţanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Moldova.

The scale of the effort was significant. Over two academic years, all 121 students who were in their 2nd through 5th years of study transferred without losing a single academic credit. These future doctors can now complete their qualifications and return to India to serve their communities.

"For Grigore, the true reward lies in the smiles of students who can now fulfil their purpose — and in the knowledge that when the world closed its doors, Lions opened one."

Water Care Environmental Project:
Breathing Life Back Into a Contaminated Village

In a village of 3,000 residents in the Republic of Moldova, the water running beneath their feet carries a silent threat: dangerous concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH₄⁺) and hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). The air smells of rotten eggs. Children develop rashes. Elderly residents suffer respiratory illness.

The problem is invisible to outsiders — but devastating to those who live it every day.

Through the Water Care Environmental project, our Association secured biological water treatment equipment capable of processing 120m³ per day. This reduces NH₄ and H₂S indices to safe levels, transforming underground water from a health hazard into a clean, potable resource for families, children, and the community's agricultural future.

Simultaneously, the project addresses air and soil contamination — H₂S and NH₃/NH₄⁺ do not stay in water. They rise into the air and leach into soil, compounding health risks for an entire rural community.

Honouring Dr. Ashok Mehta:
A Commemorative Stamp Across Continents

In 2012, Grigore Hincu — then freshly awarded the Lions International Service Award Finalist — travelled to Bangalore, India, to meet Dr. Ashok Mehta on the occasion of his 80th birthday.

Born in 1932, Dr. Ashok Mehta's life of service and scholarship deserved recognition beyond words. Grigore designed and produced a commemorative postage stamp — a lasting tribute embodying both the man and the mission.

The stamp (25×20mm) features Dr. Mehta's portrait in natural colours on a pale green background, adorned with the "Labarum" — the ancient symbol evoking the Sun as the source of all life. Inscribed: "65 RUPEES INDIA · Anniversary Dr. ASHOK MEHTA · 80 YEARS".

This stamp is the centrepiece of our current fundraising campaign. Donors receive the full high-resolution version — a piece of history, and a symbol of enduring friendship between Moldova and India.

Children First:
Community Health Outreach in Vulnerable Villages

For communities where clean water is a luxury, children bear the heaviest burden. Contamination-related illness, malnutrition, and limited healthcare access create a cycle that traps generations in preventable suffering.

Our Community Health Outreach programme — coordinated across 5 villages in Moldova — delivers monthly health screenings, nutritional supplements, and basic medical care to children under 12, entirely free of charge to families.

In partnership with three local clinics and Lions Club volunteer doctors, the programme has conducted over 1,200 health screenings, distributed supplements to 500+ children, and referred critical cases for specialist treatment.

The programme also trains parents in water safety, hygiene, and nutrition — creating lasting behavioural change that protects future generations.