IREX recently launched its USAID-funded Moldova Citizen Participation Program (CPP) [6] with a powerful outreach and assessment campaign, reaching diverse populations in all regions of the Republic of Moldova. The CPP is a five-year program that increases citizens’ awareness of their potential to make a difference and promotes local self-reliance while improving living and social conditions in over 200 communities throughout Moldova.
From November 29 through December 16 CPP staff, together with Partners for Democratic Change Romania (PDC), conducted a widespread publicity and community assessment campaign throughout Moldova to raise awareness about the program’s goals, activities, and benefits, to assess communities’ needs for training and mentoring, and to evaluate citizens’ readiness to mobilize local resources in tackling and solving local challenges. The campaign was conducted in all 35 raion city capitals and in 287 villages, reaching over 12,000 citizens throughout Moldova.
CPP community meetings gathered representatives of local and regional nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), active groups of citizens of all ages, local government officials, and representatives of local business and media. An assessment team member noted, “In the northern area the number of participants ranged from 20 to 200…the overall interest in CPP is very high and that is proved by the loads of letters that are coming every day.” IREX has already received more than 300 letters and visits from citizens and NGOs interested in participating in the program. The assessment revealed the major concerns of citizens, including infrastructure problems such as deficient gas piping, water supply, and decaying roads; social and ecological issues; and economic problems at the community level.
The CPP outreach campaign had a dual impact: while citizens learned about new opportunities for developing and funding local projects and about CPP’s beneficiary-friendly approach that combines technical assistance with training support, the CPP team also made the first steps in identifying local stakeholders’ needs, information resources, and empowered community leaders.
After a CPP meeting Ivan Nedov, leader of the Association for Development of Tomai village in Ceadir-Lunga raion, said “You confirmed my belief that we are able to overcome the old-fashioned thinking of people by providing them with concrete evidence in the form of successfully implemented local community projects. People need to be aware of their own potential and their capacity to make a difference. And this is the only way citizens of Moldova can make their country a more stable and prosperous democracy.”
The hundreds of reactions and expressions of interest coming from all corners of Moldova are evidence of IREX’s success in communicating CPP’s goals to the citizens of Moldova. IREX’s CPP team, encouraged by the reactions in towns and villages they visited, are eager to begin working in earnest with citizens dedicated to effecting positive change in their communities.
