There’s No Place Like Home
USAID helps Moldova’s older small-scale farmers show younger generations the economic opportunities of farming at home.
Varvara Botnari used to walk miles to sell her strawberries in the local market. When she arrived, she wasn’t always able to sell her goods as they were damaged in transport and often there wasn’t a buyer. Other times she relied on a middleman and as a result, her income was minimal. While disappointed with the loss of time and money, she was determined to show her children there were opportunities to make money in Moldova. More ...
Business Registration in Moldova – Faster and Easier!
Entrepreneurs in Moldova now have fewer steps to register a new business, with the transfer of some functions from the National Bureau of Statistics to the State Registration Chamber. This is a success of the USAID Business Regulatory and Tax Administration Reform (BIZTAR) Project, which is helping the Government of Moldova move towards a “one stop shop” registration process to facilitate the creation of new businesses. More ...
Patients Learn Their Rights
A nationwide survey by USAID gives patients a voice in the healthcare system. More ...
Paying By the Rules
USAID assists Moldova’s Ministry of Agriculture on the road to reform through the country’s first Paying Agency.
Given Moldova’s naturally rich fertile soil, its long-term economic growth depends on developing its agricultural sector. However, in a country where a farmer’s economic success still depends on the weather, government support to agricultural producers is uncertain at best. Currently, the way Moldova pays agricultural subsidies is not very transparent, and often doesn’t reach the small farmers who need it most. Several government working groups determine which producers receive subsidies, which subsidies they are eligible for, and how much the subsidies will be. Some group members are even directly involved in payment delivery and field inspections. The groups meet irregularly with ad hoc rules and no public oversight. More ...
Upgrading the Moldovan Apparel Sector
When USAID began working in the Moldovan apparel sector a few years ago nearly all the companies relied on the Cut, Make & Trim (CMT) production model, where foreign clients provide the patterns, fabric and other raw materials, and the Moldovan factories assemble the garments. More ...
Hands-on IT Courses Close Skills Gap
USAID supports interactive Cisco and Microsoft IT courses to match students skills with employers’ needs.
Information Communications Technology (ICT) is one of the highest-paying and most-dynamic sectors in Moldova. However, research by USAID in 2007 found that even though more than one thousand students graduate annually with degrees in the ICT field, companies requiring ICT professionals struggled to find qualified candidates. The ICT course offerings in Moldova were too theoretical and too outdated. More ...
Citizens in Transnistria Get Involved in Citizen Participation Program
The first community meeting facilitated by the Citizen Participation Program (CPP) in Bender, a small city in the Transnistrian region of Moldova, did not start well. Citizens attending the preliminary meeting argued that CPP’s objectives were impractical and its methodology irrelevant. In exasperation, one participant challenged CPP facilitators to show them just one successful project implemented by a community with CPP support. More ...
Demonstration Plots Help Farmers Increase Their Profits
Moldova is importing 95% of fresh vegetables consumed out of season – in late fall, winter and spring. Even during the season, supply and prices vary from year to year, depending on weather conditions, as most local producers grow vegetables in open field and often without irrigation or with the wrong type of irrigation. More ...
ADP Improves Competitiveness of Moldovan Apple Exporters
Agribusiness Development Project convinces Moldovan apple exporters to implement innovative technology that increases product quality and shelf life.
Since 2004, the United States Agency for International Development has been assisting Moldovan companies to develop high value agriculture and boost their exports through the Agribusiness Development Project (ADP). More ...
From Fruit to Cereal: Expanding Moldova’s Possibilities
Established in 1992, Triodor LLC was designed with a vision to introduce scientifically advanced production methods to food processing in Moldova. Triodor’s first success dates back to 1994-1996, when many of Moldova’s canneries and processors found themselves facing a surplus of apple juice stock. The juice’s limited shelf life, lack of adequate storage conditions and the loss of sales markets for juices, had created a situation where the processors were forced to find ways to dispose of the surplus. Triodor LLC identified this as an opportunity to expand their production and began to process the rejected apple juice into apple vinegar, thus becoming the first producer of apple vinegar in Moldova. Triodor’s innovative approach and quick thinking planted the seeds of its early success. More ...
Competition Crunch Requires New Image
When international lingerie companies arrived in Moldova they easily attracted the pocketbooks of consumers eager for new, stylish trends. Olga Ceban, a local company selling its products under the Ravetti brand, had experienced stable sales for many years, but suddenly it faced a steep decline in revenue as the competition in Moldova increased. The company’s brand image was old and outdated. Customers saw it as representing the past. With its future uncertain, urgent changes were needed, but the company was uncertain how to adjust. More ...
Law Students Help Bring Justice to Moldovan Citizens
Success is measured differently by different people, but for law students working at the USAID Rule of Law Initiative (ROLI) clinics in Moldova, success is measured by how much they have helped others. This theme was prominent in submissions entered for a writing competition sponsored by ROLI. Students volunteering at ROLI’s four legal clinics were asked to submit an essay describing an accomplishment or achievement in their clinic experience. More ...
Moldovan Winery Revamps Its Style
When a bilateral trade dispute resulted in a Russian ban on Moldovan wine imports in March 2006, Salcuta Winery, like most Moldovan wineries, was devastated. Historically, Russia has been Moldova’s principal wine market – accounting for over 80% of total exports. Sending many of its employees on unpaid leave, Salcuta Winery had to quickly find a way to save its business. More ...
From Housemaid to Entrepreneur
After Working as a Maid in Turkey, Moldovan Woman Starts Her Own Business at Home. When Irina and her husband separated, she needed to find work outside of the home. Having married when she was just 18, she had no work experience and couldn’t find employment. Desperate to support her children, she joined the estimated 40% of working-age Moldovans who work abroad. Leaving her children with her mother, she took a housekeeping position in Turkey where, after two years, she saved enough money to return to home. More ...
Protecting Jobs for a Better Future
Losing its only client would have been a serious blow for Covoare-Ungheni, a producer of wool carpet yarn. More ...
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