More than 1,000 people from villages and towns in northern and central Moldova during eight months had been informed and had taken part in public debates, exhibitions and other events held to present the impact and benefits of the European integration of Moldova. The activities were carried out within a broad project in the form of an information campaign implemented by FHI 360 with the support of USAID. On October 13, experts of the project and regional coordinators came together for a meeting to assess and sump up the results, the impact and impediments and to formulate recommendations for improving the subsequent activities and for ensuring their continuity, IPN reports.
Lilia Porumb, program coordinator at the Center CONTACT, said the project was implemented in five communities in northern Moldova and in five communities in central Moldova, including Ocnita, Briceni, Telenesti, Straseni and Donduseni. The key goal was to make the people from these regions realize the positive impact of the European integration on the socioeconomic situation and to familiarize them with the European projects implemented in these regions and their impact on local communities.
The coordinator said that 22 public debates on the implemented European projects and the benefits of continuing the European course were staged within the program. There were mounted 12 one-day itinerant exhibitions in the target communities, where there were placed information posters accompanies by comments of local experts. Also, there were printed and distributed about 5,000 copies of the so-called ‘passports’ that describe the European projects implemented in the regions and their impact on the people and about 6,000 copies of brochures with information about the project.
Doina Ipatii, PR and communication manager of FHI 360 Moldova, said the campaign involved the effort of a number of NGOs and experts from different areas as they wanted the message intended for the people to be transmitted in an accessible and explicit way and the direct contact with the beneficiaries ensured a huge impact. In parts, there were faced difficulties generated by the social and political events that coincided with the implementation of the project and that aroused dissatisfaction among the people as regards the European course.
The project’s experts-facilitators, who included journalists, university lecturers and people of science, said that this campaign offered them the opportunity to communicate directly with the people and to know the views of people of different ages and from different communities. According to them, the beneficiaries from the northern region showed greater reticence and skepticism about Moldova’s European course. The people are influenced by stereotypes established as a result of manipulation, including through the Russian mass media.
The experts consider that these activities helped increase the people’s awareness of the European projects and the benefits of the European integration. The next activities should be aimed chiefly at the young people because it was ascertained that mainly this group is confused about the country’s external course and about the benefits of the integration into the EU. The most efficient activities are those where there are presented concrete examples and the local media outlets play a great role in this regard.
The project “Campaign to inform and raise awareness of the impact and benefits of the European integration process in Moldova in the northern and central regions” was carried between February 15 and October 14, 20015 with financial support from USAID through the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society, implemented by FHI 360.
