Great results achieved in 2020 by CSOs supported by Sweden in Moldova

To be aware of and properly understand our own rights and responsibilities!

GENDERDOC-M 

• In 2020, within the framework of the Organizational Development Program, GENDERDOC-M employees conducted trainings on organizational development (strategic planning, advocacy, etc.) to other NGOs in Moldova. Previously, such support was provided mainly to LGBT organizations in the region. Therefore, 7 online trainings were organized for local NGOs working with different communities.
• As part of the Lobbying and Advocacy Program, three social information campaigns were carried out and the coverage of online in social networks significantly increased, as well as the number of materials published on the organization's official page more than doubled (116 in 2019 and 253 in 2020). For the first time, the organization conducted its own research on the attitude of society towards LGBT issues in Chisinau.
• Thanks to the work of the LGBT Community Development Program, more LGBT people have appeared who are ready to openly give interviews and talk about their experiences. Also, GENDERDOC-M has been continuing implementing community PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis for people at risk for HIV). The number of beneficiaries involved in PrEP has doubled compared to last year.  

East Europe Foundation (EEF)

• In 2020, with the assistance of East Europe Foundation,  four CSO platforms representing vulnerable groups (Roma, older persons, youth, disabilities), bringing together over 160 CSOs, conducted policy advocacy and oversight initiatives, shaping 17 selected public policies in the areas of health, social protection, employment and education from the perspective of inclusion.
• EEF contributed to the establishment and joint advocacy of the Coalition  for Inclusion and Non-Discrimination that that brings together most active human rights CSOs. 
• 10 youth banks, managed by 165 young boys and girls from 11 regions including the Transnistrian region, supported 138 youth led initiatives (for example: building playgrounds, greening up the schools, improving educational conditions, establishing youth councils) that mobilized around 35000 young people;
• Over 800 disadvantaged people benefitted from social services and various supplies provided by 17 social enterprises supported by EEF.

Learning democracy in a democratic way!

Legal Resource Center from Moldova (LRCM)

• In September 2020, LRCM, in cooperation with IPRE, organized the Justice and Anticorruption Forum, the main platform for inclusive debate to identify the feasible and effective directions for reforming justice and combating corruption in Moldova. 29 speakers took the floor within the Forum watched online by more than 5,000 people. 
• Within a 5-day seminar program carried out by LRC from Moldova together with Independent Journalism Centre, 18 lawyers have strengthened their knowledge on media legislation, in order to ensure quality and timely legal assistance to journalists in Moldova.
• LRCM organized a four-day school of democracy for 22 students in cooperation with Expert-Forum Romania. The topics discussed were about democracy, elections, human rights and civic activism.
• To help people better understand the judiciary, LRCM developed several informative materials concerning confidence in the judiciary, efficiency and quality of justice, justice sector personnel, salaries of judges and prosecutors, as well as resources allocated to justice. These materials compare Moldovan justice to 11 other countries. 

Together, we can put an ending to domestic violence! 

Women’s Law Center (WLC)

• Thanks to the work of WLC as well, Parliament adopted the law bringing national legislation closer to the provisions of the Istanbul Convention. The law provides the definition of violence against women, the extension of the application of the emergency restriction order outside the victim's house, the obligation to establish within the district sections / directorates of social assistance and family protection a service responsible for preventing and combating domestic violence, all specialists to assess the risks of recurrence / committing acts of domestic violence, the right to qualified legal assistance, regardless of income, of victims of sexual offenses, the right of victims of domestic violence and sexual offenses to benefit from emergency legal assistance, to be appointed a duty lawyer from the list of lawyers specializing in victim assistance.
• The Women's Law Center provided primary and qualified legal assistance, psychological counseling, social assistance and economic empowerment services for 670 women, 56% of assisted women being from urban areas and 44% - from rural areas. 
• In partnership with members of the National Coalition „Life without violence in the family”, WLC drafted the alternative report for the 75th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and most of the recommendations in the alternative report can be found in the final observations of CEDAW in the sixth report of the Republic of Moldova.
• Jointly with the National Institute of Justice, Women's Law Center contributed to the training of 158 judges, prosecutors, clerks, legal assistants and prosecutors' advisers on the application of legislation in the field of preventing and combating domestic violence.
• Women's Law Center carried out the national campaign to raise awareness among the general public regarding the seriousness of the phenomenon of domestic violence, being broadcast a social spot on 13 regional and 6 national TV channels. As a result of the campaign, the Women's Rights Center received hundreds of messages and dozens of stories and requests for assistance from women who have gone through or are going through the experience of abuse.

Artemida     

• In 2020, under the program  "Protection and Assistance to Victims of Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence", Artemida provided specialized services, such as: residential services to 23 beneficiaries - 9 women and 14 children (11 girls and 3 boys); day services to 185 beneficiaries - 137 women and 48 children (31 girls and 17 boys); services of monitoring and evaluation in the post-intervention period to 61 beneficiaries (27 women and 39 children).
• Artemida, within the program "Provision of assistance and counselling services for family aggressors", continued to offer support to 35 family aggressors (34 men and 1 woman). Also, in cooperation with local and district multi-disciplinary teams` representatives, 29 cases of domestic violence were solved. Over 400 beneficiaries participated in various informative and awareness-raising activities on the phenomenon of domestic violence.
• A regional training center aiming at developing and promoting capacity building initiatives addressed to partners as well as beneficiaries will be designed.

We all have a role to play in tackling climate change!

EcoVisio

• Eco Visio continued to mobilize communities around environmental issues by involving 9500 people in various activities despite the pandemic.
• 184 entities (NGOs, SMEs, educational institutions) trained and consulted on sustainability practices; 129 entities implementing at least one new sustainability practice.
• 3,87 ha of agroecological demoplots, including 2,69 ha in ecological conversion were created.
• 70 initiatives supported, implemented by 255 participants and reaching 40,476 people.
• 164 educational activities were held in 6 thematic areas: Climate, Agrifood, Community Development, Alternative Education, Entrepreneurship, Waste Management

EcoContact

• 9 sub-grants awarded to grassroot NGOs developing environment projects in two zones of our interest: Lower Dniester and Lapusna Hydrographic Basin. 8 grants were awarded under the Small Grants Programme “Active Citizens for environment protection” financed by Sweden and 1 grant was awarded as Sweden’s contribution to the project “Ecosystem-based adaptation, climate-resilience measures and institutional development in the Lower Dniester Area” funded by Austrian Development Agency. 
• Course on environmental legislation was conducted in partnership with National Institute of Justice and Center for Public Law and e-Government of Moldova State University. It consisted from 7 modules that were conducted online, combining webinars and information placed on the internal online platform developed for the course. About 150 participants have attended these training modules.
• 5 Articles/materials generated on medical wastes associated to Covid-19, as EcoContact has developed response to pandemic crisis, focusing on the newly arising waste problems (medical waste). Research was the basis for awareness raising activities: development of materials and publications.