Launch of the new project ”Empowering Women, Local Communities, and Refugees in Moldova”

The Women’s Law Centre launches the project “Empowering Women, Local Communities, and Refugees in Moldova” financed by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF). The Project aims to create a sustainable framework for the empowerment of women and for promoting gender equality through the joint engagement of women and men, including displaced women from Ukraine.

Project Objective: The proposed action aims to enable a positive environment for women’s economic, social, and educational empowerment, by building inclusive and sustainable communities through the joint engagement of women, men and relevant authorities in identifying viable solutions to the local needs.

Among the underlying causes for the problem addressed by the project, is the fact that Moldova registers one of the lowest women’s employment rates in Europe, with a proportion of domestic violence that is pervasive. Moreover, the set of beliefs rooted in stereotypes often delay changes and create gaps in achieving gender equality, although progress is made through laws and structural changes.

Within this context, the project seeks to reach its objective by pursuing three main lines of actions, which are designed to complement each other:

1. Through capacity-building and facilitation, it would first seek to stimulate the joint participation of 15 women and 15 men from 10 communities in identifying priority local problems and in communicating about them with local leaders through a gender-based lens. The project will include, among its beneficiaries, women from vulnerable groups, such as women who are prone to domestic violence, and Ukrainian women refugees, to empower them, and reinforce their communitybuilding, networking, and leadership skills.

2. Secondly, the project would seek to engage local leaders to support 10 gender-equal driven initiatives that were developed by the participants and inform leaders from relevant Ministries about the identified gaps. Additionally, participants will be equipped with skills to ensure the sustainability of their initiatives beyond the scope of the project.

3. Thirdly, the project will capitalize on these developments through the implementation of local initiatives that strive to create gender-balanced and sustainable communities. In this regard, the proposed action aims to enable a positive environment for women’s economic, social and educational empowerment, by building inclusive and sustainable communities through the joint engagement of men and relevant authorities in identifying viable solutions to the local needs.

Expected results:

• Improved capacity of women and men to jointly participate in the promotion of gender equality and women empowerment.
• Improved capacity of women and men to jointly participate in the preparation and design of gender-equal driven initiatives.
• Enhanced cooperation between men and women in the joint implementation of concrete projects promoting gender equality.

In order to achieve these results, the project incorporates activities that include, among others, workshops on gender issues and deconstructing stereotypes, on identifying and mapping stringent needs in the local community, and on fundraising and monitoring. In order to support the implementation of the local initiatives, the project includes a mentorship program aiming to guide participants and offer them assistance. Finally, the project focuses on strengthening the involvement of local and state stakeholders, by organizing, on the one hand, round-table discussions allowing local key stakeholders and participants to jointly identify local needs and solutions, and on the other hand, sub-group discussions with representatives from relevant Ministries in order to allow participants to inform about community needs and to advocate for their transposition into policies or other state measures.

Project duration: 1 August 2023 – 31 July 2025

Donor: United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF)