There is an old Moldavian proverb that says: your life has been worthwhile if you have built a house, raised a son, planted a tree, and dug a well. I cited this proverb at the closing conference for the Moldova Civic Participation Program (CPP) [8] last Friday because for me, it encapsulates the industrious spirit of the program. I was honored to represent IREX/DC and to join US and Moldovan government representatives as well as CPP staff, partners, and beneficiaries in celebrating everything CPP has achieved over the past six and a half years. The 323 projects implemented through CPP in every corner of Moldova are proof that there is no end to the time and effort citizens will contribute to a project if they have a stake in its success.
Many of the CPP beneficiaries who came from all over Moldova to participate in the closing conference had devoted a great deal of energy to CPP projects in their communities – from participating in meetings and tenders to conducting fundraising and advocacy campaigns. The results of their hard work is seen in renovated schools, gyms, and hospitals marked by CPP plaques across Moldova. But these visible results of CPP only scratch the surface of what the program truly accomplished. Even more impressive are the skills they developed and continue to use to improve their communities. Many of them are applying the leadership, community mobilization, grant writing, and project implementation skills gained through CPP to obtain funding from local public administrations or other donors for additional projects. Their communities recognize these skills, choosing 130 CPP alumni to serve as mayors or members of local councils and electing 12 to parliament.
In addition to everything CPP has meant to Moldova, it has also meant a great deal to IREX as an organization. Development programs often talk about citizen participation but work only through local NGOs rather than engaging communities themselves. While NGOs certainly played an important role in CPP, the program allowed IREX to work directly with communities. We developed a unique participatory methodology that we refined over the course of the program with input from partners and beneficiaries. IREX is currently using the experience gained through CPP to implement participatory development projects around the world – from the North Caucasus [9] to Lebanon [10] to Liberia [11].
We at IREX/DC are sad to see CPP end, but we know that Moldova is in good hands.
Shannon Bruder [12] is a Senior Development Officer at IREX