Moldova
Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Eastern Europe, has long faced challenges such as low economic growth, mass emigration, unemployment and political instability. Our activities in Moldova have focused on democracy promotion, civil society building and local media development, and we have sought to contribute to improving the quality of life in the country through concrete projects.
Since the end of 2008, we have been implementing a project in Moldova aimed at exchanging experiences in the field of investigative journalism between Slovak and Moldovan journalists. Our work included organizing training and study trips for Moldovan journalists, who had the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge from experienced Slovak journalists. In 2009 and 2010, several seminars and training sessions were held in Chisinau, where Slovak experts passed on their knowledge and experience in the field of corruption detection, journalistic ethics and political analysis. In addition, Moldovan journalists had the opportunity to undergo a week of practical training in Slovakia, where they met with experts from the media and NGOs, which helped them to enhance their professionalism and skills.
Between 2018 and 2021, we focused on the development of civil society and improving the functioning of local governments, particularly in the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia. In 2018, we supported the creation of several NGOs that focused on developing young people’s entrepreneurial and IT skills, promoting local tourism and improving gender equality. We also helped the municipalities of Comrat and Ceadir-Lunga to set up client centres and introduce web portals, contributing to improving the accessibility and transparency of public services.
Between 2019 and 2021, we continued these activities through two SlovakAid-funded projects. The first project focused on strengthening the transparency and efficiency of local governments and civil society capacity building, which resulted in the opening of additional client centres. The second project, focusing on the involvement of local governments and civil society in the development of Gagauzia and the Taraclia region, allowed us to continue selling the Slovak experience of building a democratic state. These projects have brought significant improvements in local government as well as opportunities for young people through trainings and mini-grants.
In 2022, we opened another client centre in the village of Besarabesca in the south of Moldova, enabling local residents to access public services in one place. In addition, we streamlined the operation of existing client centres by introducing electronic voting systems and electronic household registers in the municipalities of Comrat and Ceadir-Lunga. These steps have contributed significantly to the transparency and efficiency of local governments.
Our work has also included supporting local media, which face problems of polarisation, lack of staff and funding. In 2022, together with our partners, we selected 13 established media outlets and 2 media startups to receive specific training, expert support and financial resources. The aim of this support was to improve the quality of their journalistic content and ensure the financial sustainability of these media outlets.
Our long-term engagement in Moldova has yielded concrete results in promoting democracy, developing civil society and improving the quality of local media, helping to improve life in one of Europe’s poorest countries.
