Enric Torras, IFSW Europe Executive Member; Paola Pontarollo, IFSW Europe First Deputy Member; Pascal Rudin, IFSW Interim Secretary General
Representatives from IFSW Europe and IFSW Global participated in the Seventh International Congress on Community Wellness held in Chișinău, Moldova, from 30 April to 3 May 2026. The congress brought together more than 100 participants from 13 countries to explore community wellbeing, social solidarity, and innovative approaches to social work in times of growing uncertainty and fragmentation.
The IFSW delegation included Ruth Allen, President of IFSW Europe, who joined online, alongside Enric Torras, Paola Pontarollo, and Pascal Rudin. Their participation reflected IFSW’s ongoing commitment to strengthening professional dialogue, regional cooperation, and community-led social development across Europe and beyond.
The congress, organised by the National Association of Social Workers in Moldova together with international partners, positioned Moldova as an emerging space for international social work dialogue and professional exchange.
Participants reflected on rebuilding collective wellbeing, justice, and resilience in a fragmented world. They emphasised that community wellness is not something abstract, but is built through everyday acts of solidarity, participation, and shared responsibility. Discussions throughout the congress explored themes including mental health, rural vulnerability, migration, youth engagement, social entrepreneurship, and community-led development.
Commenting on the congress, Ruth Allen said:
“This congress demonstrated the strength of international solidarity and the importance of locally grounded approaches to community wellness. The work taking place in Moldova shows how social workers, communities, and local leaders can create hopeful and sustainable futures together, even in challenging circumstances. IFSW Europe is proud to support these important exchanges and partnerships across the region.”
Ruth Allen, IFSW Europe President, joining online
Ruth also emphasised IFSW Europe’s commitment to reaching out equitably to members across the region, and to collaborating at global level to increase learning across countries, advancing social work through strengthening connections and solidarity between member associations.
One of the most powerful moments of the congress was the visit to Seara Medievală at Sf. Ilie Castle in Voievodatul Cărbunei. What participants encountered was far more than a cultural experience. It was a living example of how community wellness can emerge through social entrepreneurship, cultural memory, and collective local action.
Delegates learned how a town that had once experienced decline and fragmentation has gradually been revitalised through initiatives led by local social workers and community organisers around Vadim Moldovan. Over time, spaces were created that reconnect people with their history, identity, and one another: memorial sites acknowledging difficult pasts, community cellars used for crafts and team-building activities, and the restoration of the castle itself as a place where medieval traditions such as fencing and archery now bring community life back into motion.
Participants reflected on how culture and heritage had become tools for strengthening belonging, participation, and local pride. Local Social Worker Alina Zagorodniuc shared a particularly moving reflection, explaining that people in the community had always felt proud of where they came from, but often struggled to express why. Through these community initiatives, that sense of identity has become more visible, shared, and actively lived.
Participants enjoying local food and culture at Seara Medievală at Sf. Ilie Castle
Delegates described the experience as a vivid reminder that community wellness is most sustainable when it is built from within, grounded in relationships, collective effort, and shared ownership of the future.
The congress also served as an important moment of reflection ahead of the Joint World Conference on Social Work, Education and Social Development in Nairobi in June 2026, reinforcing the importance of cooperation, collective wellbeing, and social justice within the global social work community.
Read the conference report here.