The Civic Society Organizations (SCOs) working in northern Moldova will make public their projects within the sixth Fair of SCOs that will be mounted in Balti on September 11, starting at 12 midday, IPN reports.
The fair will present the activity of 25 SCOs operating in Balti and other regions and will enable the people to become civically engaged. Among the main themes of this year’s event are the contribution made by the SCOs to the rapprochement between Moldova and the European Union and the projects supported with European funds. The fair will yet keep its key goal – to familiarize the ordinary people with the activity of the SCOs. The Civic Society Organizations from different areas of activity will interact to present their activities and services and to attract beneficiaries, volunteers and donors.
The event is staged within the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society Project that is implemented by FHI 360 and is financially supported by the USAID. The goal of the program is to improve the capacity of Moldovan civil society to represent the people’s interests, to influence the public policies and to support the democratic role of the NGO sector.
“Even if the activities of civil society have been lately covered broader, many of the accomplishments of the SCOs remain far from the public agenda. The fairs are a good occasion for filling this information gap and for bringing the people and the SCOs closer to each other. These events are designed to highlight again the successes of the SCOs as well as the challenges they face when promoting the people’s interests,” said Anatol Beleac, program director of the Moldova Partnerships for Sustainable Civil Society Project.
“In the previous Fair of SCOs held in Balti, we met organizations working in the same area, but about which we heard nothing until then. Now we often exchange experience and ideas. Furthermore, many students who came to the fair accepted to act as volunteers for our organization and we also met several persons who afterward supported us financially. We have great expectations of this year’s event. Our volunteers grew older and many of them left. We would like to attract other young people who would like to gain experience and to help people in difficulty,” stated Valentina Statii, manager of the organization “Protection and Prospects for the Women and Children of Balti”.
The beneficiaries, donors, volunteers and people with civic initiative can each find at least one activity or organization of interest at the Fair of SCOs in Balti. According to the organizers, the visitors of the fair will be engaged in a rather unusual activity – they will together weave a carpet under the supervision of craftsmen. Children and young people will learn how to weave smaller carpets, will be involved in educational games centering on subjects related to the European culture, history and geography and will do entertaining scientific experiments and works from recyclable materials. The grownups will be able to take part in contests and to win prizes.
