Moldova: Empowering Vulnerable Women and Men in Addressing Community Human Rights and Gender Equality Concerns
Date:
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The community mobilization approach, applied by the Programme focuses primarily on empowerment of communities with a particular attention to women and men representing the most vulnerable groups: older persons, women facing multiple forms of discrimination, religious and ethnic minorities, particularly Roma, etc. In this process the empowerment is considered by the JILDP as the starting point for local development and its core element along with the local governance and local service provision. Following the initial Training of Trainers (TOT) held in July JILDP started the process of community mobilization for empowerment in the target 60 rural communities aiming at empowering women and men representing vulnerable groups and mobilizing communities around common local development priorities. Having acquired skills for basic local development analyzing and advocating with Local Public Authorities (LPAs) for consideration of their needs and priorities the representative of vulnerable groups, such as religious and ethnic minorities, particularly Roma, older persons, women facing multiple forms of discrimination can meaningfully participate in local development planning and become equal partners with LPAs and other power-holders in the process of local development. Empowered communities have more chances to enjoy equal results and benefits of local development, and to have their human rights and gender equality concerns addressed.
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Throughout the past period of 7 months the JILDP facilitated the process of community profiling, setting up local community groups, elaboration of local socio-economic development strategies, and development of local development initiatives, based on the community priorities jointly identified by the representatives of LPAs and communities.
The follow up mission of Simon Forrester brought more insight into and deeper understanding of the next community mobilization for empowerment steps, particularly with regard to finalization of local development initiatives, sharpening focus on human rights and gender concerns, consolidation and further empowerment of community groups, particularly representing most vulnerable groups. Throughout this mission consultants and community mobilizers working on implementation of the community mobilization for empowerment cycle enjoyed a two-day long training in Chisinau, and two days of guided practical field work in the communities of Tibirica, Buda, Tartaul villages and Cantemir town.
The JILDP community mobilization for empowerment initiatives enable women and men of vulnerable groups to address their most priority and “forgotten” needs: access to safe drinking water, access of children to higher quality kindergarten services, improved sanitation and improved reproductive health, and many others.
The Joint Integrated Local Development Programme is implemented by the Government of the Republic of Moldova with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and with the financial support of the Government of Sweden.