Moldova: Vulnerable youth and women make a fresh start

When Nicolae was just five years old, his sole caretaker died, forcing him to beg for money on the street. At the age of eight, Nicolae quit school and turned to petty theft. Soon afterwards he was sentenced to four years in prison for stealing electronic equipment.

Once out of jail, Nicolae vowed to turn his life around. However, he couldn’t do it alone.

A social reintegration centre – supported by the Government of Moldova, the US Agency for International Development, the Soros Foundation, and UNDP – offered Nicolae the help he needed. It gave him the necessary life skills and vocational training to become a productive member of society.

“I learned how to eat properly, take care of myself, communicate with people, earn money, and find a purpose for my life,” recalls Nicolae. “I found here the home I had been looking for.”

Moldova suffers from high levels of poverty and unemployment, especially among youth and women.  Many leave the country in the hope of a better future, only to become exploited by human traffickers.

In 2005, the Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family, together with UNDP, launched an initiative to provide these at-risk citizens with psychological support, life skills development, social assistance, vocational training, and employment.  

The programme established 10 social reintegration centres throughout Moldova that offer safe, affordable living and learning environments to youth and women. The centres are staffed with psychologists and social workers, who can help people deal with abuse and feelings of shame.

“A woman can become self-confident again,” says Ana Schiopu, a service coordinator at a reintegration centre. “Here she gets psychological, social and legal assistance.”

“In the Centre, I was given moral support,” recounts one abused woman. “They showed me which way to go…I can now argue for myself.”

The programme also created 9 social enterprises that provide at-risk citizens with vocational training and job opportunities. The enterprises run profitable businesses that employ vulnerable individuals. A portion of the profits go towards supporting the reintegration centres.  

Between 2005 and 2010, the reintegration centres and social enterprises assisted over 7,200 persons. Additionally, in communities that host social reintegration centres, the number of abandoned children fell by 80 percent, and youth unemployment dropped by 20 percent between 2008 and 2009.

Today, Nicolae is a respected carpenter in his village. He has attended engineering college and is currently employed by a private company. Members of his community say he is an excellent tradesman and citizen.

Sustainable results

To ensure programme continuation, UNDP has been teaching NGOs, which manage the social reintegration centres, how to generate income and manage their finances. The Government has also provided increasing levels of financial support to the centres, and has worked to improve the legal environment so that NGOs providing social services can receive state funding.

“Sustainability does not mean simply self-financing, but developing institutional capacity,” says Viorel Albu, UNDP project manager.