Just nine kilometers away from the center of Balti municipality, spring evenings became warmer and lighter. As soon as you cross the city border, you find it hard to believe that you found yourself in a village. Here, you no longer need to worry about your velvet shoes, which you bought two days ago, getting dirty. This is because the local authorities make sure that villagers walk on well-groomed and clean streets. I have heard that Europeans have invested significant amount of money in modernizing of the street lighting system in this village.
Entrance to Răuțel village
I arrived in Răuțel village, in Falesti rayon, it was the most beautiful time of the year, when everything around longs for a new life. Although we arrived with a special purpose, the benevolent atmosphere in the town amazed us. We started wandering and exploring the streets and alleys of the village. We were very surprised to found that what we heard corresponds to reality. Street lighting here is installed not only for the sake of appearance, but for the comfort of each inhabitant of the village.
The central street in the Răuțel village
The central street, which runs along the village, like an arrow with a steel point, is decorated with neat households, which gates are always open, for people who have good thoughts or not too…
Locals do not lock the padlocks in the household building or the cellar at night. Ever since every alley was lit, even grandmothers, who were left alone after their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren decided to settle abroad, were left alone, sleeping more peacefully. And Labouche, the old dog on the corner of the house who has guarded the yard for years, does his job more easily. And even a rooster in a barn does not need to sleep all night with his eyes wide open so that the fox does not pass him by.
Aunt Zinaida is no longer afraid of bandits
I met aunt Zinaida on one of the central streets of the village, she was in a hurry. Despite the fact that she had many things to do that could not wait long, the woman was glad when I asked her how she was doing. She confessed to us that, since the whole village was lit up, she spent evenings calmly, not being afraid of bandits who still walk around the villagers' yards from time to time. When I asked her about her grandchildren, a blessing smile appeared on her face. For a grandmother, children are true divine communication.
“"It's very good, it can be seen from one end to the other. It is very good on the road and on the rest of alleys. We feel very good, we are very happy to have light. Children are more protected, there is light and there is also protection", Aunt Zinaida said.
Although we didn’t want to say goodbye, I didn’t detain Aunt Zinaida for long. I wished her health, and verbally in a few moments the woman reached the end of the road, where she disappeared from view being all in the housework. In spring, the responsibility of a person to take care of his land comes to Moldova, to prepare it for the new agricultural year.
Aunt Ludmila came out of the gate being out of curiosity
The luckiest resident of Rautel village
We didn't stay too, after we saw a woman running in the yard at the first intersection, we approached her to ask her about the benefits brought to the community by the European Union, but also to her personally. We walked along the street, and seen a long column of pillars on the right and to the left side with brand new lamps shone brightly. Seeing us at the gate, the hostess hurried to open it for us.
"Hello, my children, what roads have led you to my gate with this device?"
Aunt Lyudmila was very happy when she saw that the camera lens was directed towards her. She stood on tiptoe to get a better look, and rested her elbows on the fence, a gesture of country hospitality. She listened to us attentively, and then said in a friendly tone that she was watching with great pleasure everything that was happening in this village. She also told us that she is one of the luckiest villagers; when the lighting poles were being installed, it fell out so that one post appeared to stand "on guard" at the corner of the house. Every time after 6 pm, when everything plunges into the darkness of the evening, Aunt Lyudmila is guarded by the pure light of a bulb. A watch made of iron and concrete stands on guard until dawn, when the first rays of the sun appear. The woman admits that her sleep has become calmer and safer.
One of the LED bulbs installed in Rautel village
“We need to have Health, but this is very good, we have light, we have a good road. You know what I can tell you, it was very difficult for us. We walked, the road was bad, there was no one to tell about, whom could we address to? Now I sleep well, because the light shines even inside the house. I am calm, you know how is the world today, ” Ms. Lyudmila said.
Having said goodbye to aunt Lyudmila, on the way we met uncle Vladimir, who was puzzled by how some light bulbs attract so much attention of journalists.
“It was bad enough when we had to go somewhere in the mud at night,” Uncle Vladimir said.
We intercepted Mrs. Elena leaving the store in the center of the village. First, she asked us if we write well, and warned us that if we intend to put the village, which she loves so much, in the bad light, she will not talk to us. After a few minutes of conversation, the woman told us that LED lights installation throughout the village is a very good idea. Since every alley is lit, youth behave more decently. Previously, guys gathered in the center of the village and did all kind of "stupid things", and now, in the light of bulbs, all are exemplary.
“It has become more beautiful, at night it is very good, everything is visible, and there is no such big noise,” Ms. Elena said.
Street lighting in Răuțel at night
One can judge a mayor based on what people tell about him
When we approached the Village Hall, we were greeted right at the entrance by the Mayor of the village, Tudor Istrati. As they say that if the owner is known by the kind of household he has, then the Mayor can be recognized by what people tell about him, so inhabitants of the of Rautel village respect their local elected one. Passing through the Village Hall to the Mayor's office, we met citizens who, seeing that we had a video camera, did not hesitate to say kind words to Mr. Istrati without being asked about it.
Răuțel Village Hall
The first thing that Tudor Istrati told us was how difficult it is to get European funds for the countryside when political customs in Moldova put a spoke in the wheel. However, the Mayor learned to fight for his native village. In 2016, the local Mayor decided that a modern village should also have a modern street lighting system. In thisr regard, he developed a project, which he submitted to the Moldova Social Investment Fund (MSIF), which is monitored by the German bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). Immediately after the approval of the project, the work has begun, and just a year later, lights came on in streets of Rautel village.
“We presented the project to the MSIF and became one of the four mayoralties that won a project. Two cities won 100 thousand euros each, and two villages - 50 thousand euros each. I have implemented this project quickly, in almost a year. The project included 323 LEDs. The central street was not originally included in the project, later it was re-planned and equipped with LEDs at the expense of the Village Hall. We now have 450 LEDs installed. I want to tell you that every year we pay about 170 thousand lei for electricity. People are happy, judging by what I heard, firstly, the percentage of people who want to steal something, to steal something from their personal plots has decreased. It is very beautiful at night and Raucel looks very beautiful during the day. Every alley is lit; even recently we have installed two more LED lights on a small street with about three residential buildings,” the Mayor of Raucel village, Tudor Istrati, said.
5-6 years ago, the street lighting in Raucel village seemed like an image taken from the movies. People here enjoyed only the light of the lanterns on the main street, which is part of the Balti-Skuleni highway. Light bulbs were installed on the side of the road, which consumed an insane amount of electricity. The old light bulb consumed as much as up to five new LEDs are consuming today, and its intensity, according to the Mayor, was ten times lower. Local authorities had to take out of their pockets at least one million lei a year for electricity consumption.
“LED bulbs are designed for 60 volts but have very strong light. Once upon a time, DRL LEDs have been installed in the center of the village, which were designed for 250 V. This is also an economy for the local budget, because, practically, the local budget bear all costs,” the Mayor added.
From the Mayor's point of view, with the installation of street lighting, material assets on the balance sheet of the Mayor's Office have become more protected. For example, no one dares to vandalize the sports field equipped with all kinds of exercise equipment in the open air, or the playground.
Children's playground
The sports field in the village
The sports field in the village
Even if he feels that his political opponents are unhappy with his success, even trying to tarnish his image through the National Anti-Corruption Center (CNA) or the Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), the Mayor says that he will continue to work for the benefit of fellow villagers.
