Extending a Helping Hand: Moldovan and Romanian NGOs Join Forces in a Cross-Border Project to Support Refugees

People in Need has launched in Chisinau the Moldovan-Romanian project in support of Ukrainian refugees. It targets 18 NGOs (10 from Romania and 8 from Moldova) that provide services to war-affected people, especially refugees from Ukraine, and promote their integration into their host communities.

"We want to build the capacity of the participating organisations and increase cross-border cooperation between NGOs from Romania and Moldova. In addition, by supporting the organisations they will be able to achieve real sustainability and better positioning in the civil society ecosystem," said Nadia Pascaru-Botnaru, Programme Manager - Civil Society and Good Governance.

The project started with a meeting of representatives of the 18 NGOs, which focused on identifying common points of cooperation, sharing experiences and best practices, and discussing the creation of future partnerships between organisations from both countries.

This project has been divided into several phases. In the first phase, activities will focus on training. Workshops will be organised on organisational development and capacity building, improving knowledge on working with vulnerable groups and humanitarian interventions, social standards and practices, advocacy and communication methods, application of MEAL tools. These activities will be tailored to the identified needs of the participating NGOs.

Subsequently, cross-border study visits to Romania and Moldova will be organised for all participating organisations. These visits will provide an opportunity to exchange best practices and observe how NGOs in the neighbouring country approach refugee interventions.

Finally, a network of NGOs will be established to facilitate the continuous exchange of best practices and to promote partnerships. Through dedicated activities and workshops, this network will also facilitate the identification of opportunities for cross-border cooperation between NGOs on both sides of the Prut River.

"We thank People in Need for such useful projects that also support the organisational development of NGOs. We know that in any project the beneficiaries are the most important, but you have shown us that the team is also important", said Lucian Grigorescu, founder of the association "Împreună pentru Miroslava".

People in Need Moldova supports civil society organisations to provide better services to vulnerable people, especially refugees from Ukraine. The project is funded by People in Need from SOS Ukraine.