Great results achieved in 2021 by CSOs supported by Sweden in Moldova

Environment

AJMTEM – follow us on ecopresa.md!

• Environment Day Festival. Participants experienced ethical tourism in Trebujeni (Orhei), planted rare plants on the cliffs, guided by the Botanical Garden team, visited wind turbines, a photovoltaic park , a cold storage room, powered by photovoltaic panels installed on the roof, kayaking on Dniester and Răut river,  sanitation actions, visited Copceac, a village saved from landslides, due to the forestation strips planting and the rehabilitation of pastures.
• “Petition for the cessation of destructive tourism in Dumeni and other protected areas!". A campaign was launched to protect the shore of Lake Costești, in Dumeni (Râșcani), invaded and in continuous destruction by the tourist flow. The petition gathered more than 1,300 signatures. Following the submission of the document, the Ministry of Environment organized a meeting with the responsible institutions, which undertook to resolve the issue. AJMTEM will continue to monitor and get involved in resolving the case.
• Straseni Festival Mon Amour was organised in Codrii Reservation (Lozova village, Straseni) dedicated to environmentally friendly local public services. It was an event with a fair, thematic activities and exhibitions, public discussions with local authorities and Zdob și Zdub live concert.

AO National Environnemental Center – report an environnemental problem on ecoalert.md

• The annual planting campaign of the river protection strips was organized - this year on the tributary of Răut, Ciuluc, Dumbrăvița village, Sîngerei, with the participation of over 100 people - villagers, students, LPA representatives , of the police, so that about 2ha of eroded land were planted, near the banks of the stream in the locality, which is a tributary of the river Răut.
• EcoAlert tool has been promoted, so it is becoming more popular, citizens are becoming more involved and aware of environmental issues and looking for ways to improve it (188 complaints are registered, of which 158 are resolved, and only 12 rejected).
• Members of the Sub-Basin Committees (Bîc, Răut, Larga, Tigheci, Naslavcea-Vasilcău) continued their activities and met in 13 meetings to discuss issues and to be informed about opportunities and exchange of experience.

Human development and resilience

East Europe Foundation – close to community development

• At national level, four CSO platforms representing vulnerable groups (Roma, persons with disabilities, older people and youth) comprising around 180 NGOs, advocated for more inclusive policy making and implementation. They monitored implementation of 9 national public policies and engaged in policy dialogue to shape 31 public policies from the perspective of inclusion in key development areas such as health, employment social protection, education.
• EEF strengthened the capacity of over 50 CSOs all over the country to promote social and economic inclusion of most vulnerable groups through policy advocacy, innovative social services, entrepreneurship and social economy. Preparatory work was conducted to set up 6 business hubs, 22 social enterprises, set up 5 youth entrepreneurship funds for NEET youth, pilot 15 innovative NEET youth inclusion services.
• At district level, three District Participation Councils (DPCs) in Soroca, Cahul and Causeni, comprising 58 NGOs, monitored implementation of 7 local development policies and influenced 43 draft decisions of district authorities.  At community level, 18 grass-roots CSOs mobilized vulnerable women and men to actively participate in local decision-making in 33 communities. They supported the establishment of 35 initiative groups, created 13 local participative mechanisms, influenced 25 draft decisions of local public administrations. 120 people increased their capacities in the field of community journalism, 56 of them wrote articles on the www.jurnalist.md platform raising community issues.  

Women’s Law Center – close to women’s rights!

• Prevention and combating violence against women and girls has become a national priority in 2021. Thus, on October 14, 2021 Parliament of Republic of Moldova endorsed Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). WLC’ commitment and advocacy work on national level has determined political leaders, members of Parliament and Government to prioritize the issue of domestic violence and step up to ratification of Istanbul Convention. WLC has become a strong advocate for women rights and reliable partner for prioritizing a number of strategic directions towards ending violence against women, under an overall Theory of Change that the country has embraced which is related to social welfare of people.
• Agents of change are empowered and have increased capacities to build communities free of gender-based violence and modeling collective action to change social norms around domestic violence. Over 2021, WLC empowered through trainings, workshops, supporting local initiatives through (small grants) various agents of change, such as librarians, young people, grassroots activists, journalists to help the communities enhance its response to gender based and domestic violence.  It is also designed to help improve the way people react, act and help the members of communities to report GBV and access the services for people affected by gender based violence and domestic violence.
• WLC have released the First National Analysis of Femicide cases in Republic of Moldova. Analysis of Femicide cases for the years 2016-2019 have broadened analysis of gender-based violence and domestic violence. The aim is to provide a national context and trends, a concise overview describing the phenomenon, its prevalence in the country, the different social contexts in which it occurs and the prevailing risk factors. Femicide continues to be a pressing issue in Moldova and requires immediate attention to address the societal root causes of oppression and violence against women. There are a number of emerging trends that have been highlighted throughout this report that must be addressed. The aim of the study is to know the peculiarities of femicide in the Republic of Moldova, to improve the institutional response mechanisms to cases of gender-based violence and domestic violence.

 Contact Center – get involved, you can be the change!

• The first edition of the “reSTART” Development Program for NGOs was initiated. Within this program 19 CSOs were capacitated from 14 districts / municipalities of the country.
• The secretariat of the Platform for the Promotion and Development of Philanthropy in Moldova was ensured. Philanthropic actions were carried out in various regions of the country, and it were organized events/informative sessions on importance of developing philanthropic culture in Moldova and improving the legal framework.
• Women candidates in the local elections in the People's Assembly of Gagauzia were trained in the field of female leadership, methods of conducting electoral companies, decision-making, Also, women entrepreneurs from ATU Gagauzia benefited from a training to develop their business in the conditions of the COVOD-19 pandemic.

 Artemida – we can stop together gender-based violence!

• A regional baseline study on gender-based violence and domestic violence has been developed (it covers Briceni, Edinet, Ocnita, Donduseni, Soroca, Drochia, Rascani, Glodeni, Floresti, Falesti, Sangerei, Soldanesti and Balti municipality). It will allow understanding the strengths and weaknesses in terms of identification, registration, documentation, sectoral and intersectoral intervention of specialists (social assistance, police and medicine).
• 311 holders of rights benefited from specialized psychological and legal counseling services. Specialized assistance and counselling services for both victims of domestic violence and family aggressors were offered. Additionally, good practices were shared with members of multidisciplinary teams, relevant state institutions and active NGOs.

Genderdoc-M – we are there to help!

• Diagnosis services of the beneficiaries of 4 sexually transmitted infections were piloted. It ensured the access of the beneficiaries to diagnostic of STIs and qualitative services by medical specialists.
• Continuous legal and psychological support was provided to LGBTQI+ people.
• Several events were organized and LGBTQI+ people spoke out publicly or shared their experiences anonymously. In this way more personal stories could be shared, and a healthier communication promoted.

Legal Resource Center from Moldova – advocating for a better justice for all!

• LRCM organized the Justice and Anticorruption Forum in partnership with the Government. The event gathered together political actors, justice sector representatives, development partners, international experts and civil society representative who discussed on the key points concerning the justice reform and the vetting, the fight with corruption including the investigation and sanctions for the grand corruption. The Forum was attended by the leadership of Moldova and was followed by almost 40,000 people on privesc.eu only.
• LRCM compared the Moldovan judiciary to judiciaries from other 12 countries. The funding, salaries, personnel and efficiency of judges and prosecutors were analyzed. It revealed that the Moldovan judges have the lowest wages, that there is no need to increase the personnel from the judiciary, as well as that the Moldovan justice is among the fastest in the Council of Europe area.
• In August, 24 young people participated in the fifth edition of Summer School "Applied Democracy". The participants deepened their knowledge about democracy, learned about critical thinking and how to be civically engaged in order to bring positive changes in their society. The school had as speakers prominent influencers and experts from Moldova and Romania and from Moldova.