last day of school two girls, clad in the traditional school uniform of the soviet era, walk by an orthodox

christian church on the last day of classes in Bratuseni.

there is lots of grain grown around the village. My father rents some of his land to grow grain, says Alexei, who adds that together he and his father have brainstormed some resourceful business practices such as trading baked bread to local farmers in exchange for grain. Though they knew very little about launching an enterprise and next to nothing about baked goods, they opened Oltex Aqua bakery and cafe in 2007. They set up their shop in the only building available for sale in the village at the timethe former school, which was constructed in the early 1900s out of bricks from Romania. Like the bread and buns they bake daily at their bakery, they started their business from scratch after first spending a considerable amount of funds on renovations. SETTING UP SHOP Using a makeshift improvised oven, they toiled day and night. We learned everything we could about how to prepare dough, how to cook it, what we should do before baking it and after, says Alexei. We searched for information. We read. The brothers recruited their wives and a couple of women from the village with bread-baking experience, initially using all of their earnings to pay their staffs salaries. After about six months, they had learned everything they needed to know to operate their business and were earning enough to collect their own paychecks, say Alexei and Nicolae. While they were refining their baking techniques, they gave away their goods for free. They didnt begin charging for their baked products until they felt they had mastered each item. Their marketing ploy worked wonders,

PARTNERSHIP PROMISES
Jobs Plus purchased new oven for the bakery, which will allow the business to vastly increase productivity. Oltex Aqua commits to creating 17 jobs.

ALEXEI AND NICOLAE OLTEANU fit the profile of the Moldovan migratory workers perfectly. They are young, 30 and 25, respectively, married and university educated. But unlike an estimated 50 percent of the working population from their hometown who are lured abroad by the promise of higher incomes and better living standards, neither of the brothers has any interest in moving away. Our parents are here. We have roots here, they say of Crihana Veche, a sleepy agricultural and fishing village of 4,420 people located in southern Moldova, about 175 kilometers from Chisinau. In fact, it was their father who planted the seed in the minds of the young men to open a bakery. He recognized that the demand for bread in the village seems to grow everyday and

rOLLINg OUT ThE DOUgh A couple of bakers at Oltex Aqua in Crihana Veche prepare dough in the bakerys kitchen. Staff at Oltex Aqua bakery return home from each shift with a free loaf of bread. The business is one of the few enterprises operating in the village of 4,420 and is expected to figure in efforts to revitalize the local economy.

Starting

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NEXT GENERATION Alexei, right, and Nicolae Olteanu (posing beside the improvised oven that will be replaced with financial support from CRS) are part of a new generation of young business people who are sparking economic development of rural communities in Moldova.

Compared to where we were when we began, were doing very good now. We are pleased with our progress. We work well now and the salary isnt so bad. Alexei and Nicolae Olteanu

particularly since the brothers operate the only bakery in Crihana Veche. Business became so good they had to recruit more staffdrivers to deliver their baked goods and salespeople to sell them as they expanded their clientele to include the local administration, schools, kindergartens and local bars. But they had to turn down opportunities to increase sales to a nearby penitentiary and sanitarium because their oven lacked the capacity to meet the burgeoning demand. With the aim of expansion, they put together a business proposal and were thrilled to learn they had earned the chance to collaborate with Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in the Jobs Plus program.

The bakery is expected to figure prominently in efforts to revitalize Crihana Veches economy, according to an independent assessment of the town. During Soviet time, most of local population was employed either at the towns collective farm and technical school as pig farmers and cattle ranchers or the fish nursery, where fish was exported to other republics in the union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and privatization of state-owned property, the farm and technical school were shut down and the animal farms destroyed. Four agricultural associations continue to operate in the village, but many farmers gave up on farming long ago. Vineyards also dot the local landscape, but the price of grapes has dropped significantly in recently years, depriving many locals of a significant source of income. The fish nursery went bankrupt in 2002 and business was suspended. But fisherman from Crihana Veche continue to illegally fish the nursery and ponds located in the meadows of Prut River, selling their catch on the regional markets. EPITOME OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP Alexei and Nicolae embody the spirit of the rural village entrepreneurship that will be required to revive the local economy in every single aspect, says CRS Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. They are straightforward, serious and care for their community. With the new oven, Alexei and Nicolae will no longer have to refuse orders for their baked products. They will be able to diversify the range of fresh baked goods they make available every dayeven on holidaysto their customers and expand sales to include neighboring towns and villages. Compared to where we were when we began, were doing very good now. We are pleased with our progress. We work well now and the salary isnt so bad, they add.

retaining workers Catholic relief services is helping employers acquire the skills they need to retain workers.

RISING FORTUNES CRS provided the funds for a brand new industrial-quality electric oven that allows the brothers to vastly improve productivity since it is capable of baking 90 loaves of bread at once. They can only bake a maximum of 36 loaves in their existing oven, which also is problematic because it does not maintain heat at a consistent temperaturean absolute necessity for baking bread. The brothers have made a commitment to create 17 new jobs that they will fill primarily with young people to help stem the tide of migration away from Crihana Veche. They dont expect their new recruits to have any experience or formal education and they are prepared to provide on-thejob training to the young people they hire. At least one of the young women they currently employ used to work abroad and she is happy to have landed a job in her home village, says Alexei. After we won the Jobs Plus project, people in the village began to believe in us and were eager to work with us, he adds.

TRAINING IN HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

A COMBINATION OF job scarcity and economic poverty forces many Moldovans to seek work abroad out of necessity. But even when jobs are created locally, some Moldovans are still choosing to migrate to countries they believe offer higher paying jobs and better working conditions than they can find at home. With barrierswhether psychological or materialto leaving the country for work virtually eliminated, it is not enough merely to recruit workers; successful businesses also must learn how to retain them. Our employers are now competing with employers pretty much everywhere in the world. Work-related migration is so widespread that our employers often have difficulties filling jobs, says Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. In theory, local jobs are very much needed because going abroad to work means leaving behind families. But were finding its not enough to create the jobs. You need to create very good jobs if you want to retain people. I didnt expect we would face this kind of issue but its an important lesson learned. Being profitable and good at business are two traits essential to any successful enterprise, but effective human resources management is also critical in retaining employees, says Igor Fetiniuc, CRS Business Development Specialist. Since many Jobs Plus partner enterprises are small, rural companies with very flat organizational structures, they dont necessarily have the human resources management know-how and skills required to retain the best professionals, he adds. To help fill the gaps, CRS recruited one of the top human resources management trainers in Moldova to help its partner employers focus on crafting policies and practices to retain and motivate staff.

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first job Anastasia Lupanscaia, 18, is completing a jobs Plus seamstress-training program at Victoria fashion in basarabeasca.

jobs plus social investment fund

construction and renovation of kindergarten fence
SAFEr SChOOLS Fears that children would be harmed if they ran into traffic adjacent to their kindergarten led the Local Project Management Board (LPMB) in Basarabeasca to use cash from the Social Investment Fund to construct a fence around the preschool (behind the children in the top photos) as their first community improvement project. LPMB members Olga Caici, the director of the Basarabeasca employment agency (left in photo at left) and local coordinator Tatiana Sajin pose outside the fence.

Total cost: US$6,667 Partner enterprise: $1,717 Community: $1,500 Local administration: $3,450

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rECrUITINg wOrkErS is an important task of the local coordinator. But even in depressed rural villages, where Moldovans are smarting from decades of high unemployment and a scarcity of career opportunities, filling the jobs generated by Jobs Plus partner enterprises is not necessarily easy. Svetlana Cires, Senior Project Officer for Catholic Relief Services (CRS), recalls one frantic telephone call from Tatiana Sajin, local coordinator in Basarabeasca, who panicked after she couldnt find experienced seamstresses fast enough to fill the new posts created at Victoria Fashion garment factory.

I told her, take a deep breathe, everything will be OK, says Svetlana, who adds that the young woman was very disheartened but also very brave in the face of adversity. Tatiana, 23, thought through the problem logically, completed a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis and, a couple of days after threatening to quit out of exasperation, pitched her solution, which was to pay a professional seamstress to train inexperienced recruits how to sew. To support her plan, Tatiana traveled around to neighboring villages and held community meetings to reach out to poten-

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tial beneficiaries about the program, adds Svetlana. Tatiana also managed to persuade the regional administrative center to contribute to the Jobs Plus Social Investment Fund (SIF) and convinced the local television station to broadcast a story about the Jobs Plus program, which generated a great deal of buzz in the community. The goal of CRS is to recruit young people who are familiar with their communities and the people in them as Jobs Plus local coordinators. Experience has shown that younger people tend to be more creative and open to new ideas, which is precisely what the program requires, Svetlana observes. Tatiana certainly is a testimony to that. BOOM TO BUST Programs like Jobs Plus were unnecessary in Basarabeasca during the Soviet era, when the communitys economy was booming and the towns infrastructure was state-of-the-art. Sheep growers and industrial enterprises specializing in the production of food, aluminum, bricks, textiles and electronics prospered. The economy went from boom to bust with the dismantling of the Soviet Union as economic ties were severed, markets disappeared, demand for products evaporated and the industrial and scientific potential of local businesses was destroyed. Privatization only exacerbated the problems, forcing businesses either to slow production or cease their activities completely. A mass exodus of the towns educated class and skilled professionals followed. At least 160 families are said to have left Basarabeasca to settle permanently in other countries and the towns population dropped to 11,192 in 2004 from 14,438 in 1989, according to the national census. Whats more, the local public administration estimates that a third of all townsfolk of working age are employed abroad.

Olga Caici, the director of the Basarabeasca employment agency, says most of the new recruits at Victoria Fashion garment factory would have been forced to leave their communities in search of work had it not been for the Jobs Plus program. Olga first learned that Victoria Fashion was a Jobs Plus partner enterprise at job fair that her agency sponsored and she regularly refers unemployed people to the factory. The fact that inexperienced workers have the opportunity to learn how to sew is an added bonus because we dont have to send them away on courses, she says. But her collaboration goes well beyond referring new recruits to Victoria Fashion. She is also a member of the Local Project Management Board (LPMB) that raised funds and collected in-kind contributions for the SIF. PARTNERS IN JOB CREATION CRS provides each LPMB with a two-day training session on team building and public-private partnerships followed by a second training session a few months later on action planning to reduce economic and human poverty in their communities. Olga says the team-building experience was a tremendous help to LPMB members. Now, we know how to work together whereas earlier we didnt hear the opinions of others. We only considered our own opinions as important. But now we can work together and resolve our problems together. She says she has been impressed with the level of enthusiasm on the board and amazed by what the group has managed to achieve so far. The group of women on the board has demonstrated to the entire community what they are capable of doing. If they have a goal, they go for it, adds Olga. To collect unemployment benefits in Moldova, workers must first register with local employment agencies, which can be

DIVErSIFyINg ThE ECONOMy The state-operated railway in Basarabeasca has been one of the towns largest employers since 1879, when the first train station was opened in the community. But the global economic crisis resulted in the partial suspension of railway activities in the town and severe cuts in wages for employees, dramatically lowering the purchasing power of a large segment of the population. Businesses like Victoria Fashion garment factory, above, are helping to diversify the local economy.

PARTNERSHIP PROMISES
Jobs Plus co-finances repairs to the factory and equipment for the workers canteen to improve the work facilities for employees. Victoria Fashion commits to creating 100 jobs in Basarabeasca and 50 jobs in Cimislia.

found in all of the countrys district centers. Although it doesnt always happen in practice, in theory when an enterprise has vacancies, they have to report them to the local employment agency, which matches unemployed people to those vacancies, explains CRS Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. Since the employment agency and CRS, through its Jobs Plus program, share the mission of assisting unemployed Moldo-

vans, it makes good sense for the organizations to work together. We want to ensure that we not only help people who are unemployed, but we also support the local system and collaborate with those who also are trying to solve this issue, says Ludmila.

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On the Job training

IF ShE hAD NOT had the opportunity to join the Jobs Plus seamstress-training program in Basarabeasca, Anastasia Lupanscaia would be packing up her suitcase and moving to Chisinau. The 18-year-old recent high school graduate was offered a job in a beauty salon in the Moldovan capital at the same time she was invited to join the training program at Victoria Fashion garment factory. I like to sew so I decided to come and learn, says Anastasia, who has completed some cosmetology courses but decided to try another profession after she could not find work as a manicurist. In the future I would like to open a salon, but thats only a plan for now. At present, I like to sew and I want to be a seamstress. Anastasia is surprised by the number of people who are astonished to discover that she is learning how to sew for free as part of a training program provided at a garment factory in the community. Nobody thought that such a project and such training would be offered in our little town. There are many people who just dont believe it. They are amazed we have a labor contract and that the minimum salary at the factory is 1,100 Moldovan lei (approximately US$100), she says. All of the trainees are thoroughly enjoying the experience and they also are pleased that the program provides free transportation from home to work and back again at the beginning and end of each shift, she says.

Nobody thought such training would be offered in our little town. Anastasia Lupanscaia, 18

ries. Participants really enjoy it and many report a change in their attitudes, how they see their lives and how they can improve some aspects of their lives, such as communication within the family, using the resources that they already have to improve their lives. Its all about quality of life and the opinion that people have of themselves, especially women. Its also about shifting a little bit the traditional roles women had, giving them more power. But its also about improving their quality of lifetransforming the way people see themselves, she explains. CRS recognizes that feeling happy and fulfilled on the job is closely linked to developing positive, healthy relationships with coworkers, which is why the TSL is provided to cohorts of new Jobs Plus recruits. Having that cohort, or group of people, with whom the beneficiaries share similar experiences allows them to make the sort of connections and linkages that will help them stay in the job because sometimes the reason women leave their jobs is conflicts in their relationship with management or their coworkers, observes Ludmila. Anastasia says she learned many helpful, fun, interesting new things during her TSL experience ...about behavior, how to solve conflicts, my family situation. She particularly enjoyed learning about human psychology, she says, adding that the experience made her a more patient and attentive person. Her family, she points out, noticed the change in her and responded by becoming more respectful and less likely to bicker with her. Thus, the training not only changed Anastasias behavior, it also helped her transform relationships within her family. Even my brother discovered a lot of new and amusing things about himself after he completed some of the personality and behavioral tests I took during the TSL seminar, she says.

Anastasia would be thrilled to spread the word about the training program, but there are few people to tell since most of her friends and acquaintances from Basarabeasca and the surrounding communities are abroad, working in Russia or Italy. TRAINING BRINGS CHANGE Besides a job, each Jobs Plus recruit receives Training in Sustainable Livelihoods (TSL). It is a three-day interactive experience that teaches beneficiaries that there is more to sustainability than money, says Catholic Relief Services Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. Young women meet in small groups with a facilitator to discuss transitioning into work, how work affects their families and relationships and the personal, social and financial skills they need to improve their lives. In the groups, the women form strong friendships and build a social support system as they learn how to manage their finances and their personal relationships while designing an action plan customized to their individual needs. We think that its a great tool, a great methodology, says Ludmila. I cannot say enough about the transformative power of the shared TSL experience for beneficia-

Promoting worker rights and responsibilities

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) distributes during Training in Sustainable Livelihoods a small, accessible guide describing the rights, responsibilities and obligations of workers in Moldova, including what it means to have a labor contract. Respect for private property is one of the issues that partner enterprises have reported is a concern to them. During Soviet era, everything was owned collectively and some Moldovans are still trying to grasp the concept of private ownership, explains CRS Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. Discipline can be another source of friction between Jobs Plus employers and employees, who typically are required to work from 8 am to 5 pm.

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competitive advantage ivan ianac of Romnava fruit export and transport services company in Bratuseni says the Jobs plus program is helping his family-run business take its service to the next level.

geTTiNg an edge

new technology Romnava is introducing new packaging technologies at its warehouse facilities in Bratuseni thanks to new equipment (photo below) purchased by Jobs Plus.

FEArINg ThEy wErE losing their competitive edge and customers along with it, Inna and Ivan Ianac approached Catholic Relief Services (CRS) in March 2011 for help taking their family-run business to the next level of service and quality. Meeting the shipping standards expected of their Russian clientele required specialized equipment that RomNava fruit exporting and transport services enterprise didnt have and couldnt afford to buy. Russians have long had a seemingly insatiable appetite for apples grown in northern Moldova. But Moldova is now competing against the entire world. It is no longer enough to have earned a reputation for producing good tasting apples, says Igor Fetiniuc, CRS Business Development Specialist. You have to deliver the product in good quality, in standard-sized containers at the right time. To do that you have to be able properly prepare the product in a warehouse

prior to deliveryto sort them out, to calibrate precisely the weight of the packages, he points out. So, CRS, through the Jobs Plus program, stepped in, providing funds for the couple to purchase state-of-the-art electric carts capable of weighing produce in the orchard and packing fruit in the warehouse. There was a mutual interest in the collaboration, explains Ivan. Since we had been exporting apples for only three years, we didnt have enough funds to buy the necessary equipment. At the same time, we wanted to create new jobs and, thus, help unemployed people find work. While the support from CRS is significant and very important, we are also investing money of our own to create jobs. We also are taking action. RomNava has contracted a Polish company to produce the materials in which the fruit will be packed. The products will be packed

PARTNERSHIP PROMISES
Jobs Plus purchases state-ofthe-art electric hydraulic carts to measure and pack fruit for shipping.
manually to start, but the companys longterm goal is to introduce new packaging technologies that eventually will allow them to fully automate the process, says Ivan. Ivan says he has been impressed with CRSs positive attitude towards workers and he is optimistic that new RomNava recruits will acquire new knowledge and a good attitude towards their jobs through the training provided to Jobs Plus beneficiaries.

RomNava commits to creating 31 jobs.

Meanwhile, he adds, Jobs Plus already is having a positive influence on Bratuseni. Besides creating much-needed jobs, thanks to CRS, the village has changed for the better. For example, the new school fence would not have been built without CRS support, says Ivan.

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revitalizing local economies Job creation at vatnors garment factory, with support from the Jobs Plus program, is helping to revitalize the Bratuseni economy.

haPPy wOrkerS Jobs Plus recruits Ludmila andruh, 44, left and Nelia rus, 30, say they have turned up at work in a good mood every day since they were hired as seamstresses at Vatnors garment factory. we have a good work team and modern equipment that makes sewing a pleasure, they say.

i feel gratitude from the people who are working because of the jobs i created. Vladimir Ozarchuk, owner of Vatnors garment factory

The main problem is a lack of jobs, which makes young people leave the village. This is the issue we have to solve together with CRS and to make Bratuseni one of the most prosperous villages in Moldova. Former Mayor Ivan Buruian

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the village, says Vladimir, who considers himself lucky to have the support of Catholic Relief Services (CRS). I didnt believe it when I was told that there was an organization providing support to economic entities. But when I met with CRS, I understood its not a joke. Most of all, I enjoy the way CRS solves problems. CRS doesnt forget its promises and, in my opinion, this is a positive feature of CRS, he adds. Vladimir has significant garment industry experience. Most of his professional life has been linked to light industry in one capacity or another, he says. Early on in his career, he set up a company that specialized

in knitted apparel in Lvov, Ukraine before transferring to Riscani, in northern Moldova, where he oversaw up to 300 workers per shift. Still, it took a considerable amount of time, effort and money to establish the factory in Bratuseni and initially it was a challenge to produce the sort of quality products that customers expected, admits Vladimir, who expects to eventually turn the business over to his daughter. It was very cold when we began and it was impossible to do good quality repair work. Thats why we decided to start by training people. So far, weve trained 16 seam-

VLADIMIr OzArChUkS gOAL was not to get rich when he founded Vatnors garment factory late in 2010. Naturally, the self-described pensioner, who was born in the Ukraine, would prefer his new business be a source of income. But he insists that turning a profit is not as important to him as generating new workspaces in his second Motherland. My main purpose is to create new jobs in

stresses who have improved their productivity and the quality of their workmanship tremendously, Vladimir says. We sew medical gowns, surgical blouses, trousers, bibs and overalls. Currently, we are working on an order of uniforms that will be sent to Germany. CRS agreed to finance the purchase of modern, high-tech sewing machines and other equipment for the garment factory and Vladimir has made a commitment to create 40 new jobs at Vatnors. While the weather is warm, Vladimir also plans to upgrade the factorys heating system and complete other refurbishments to

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the property. He says he has observed a marked change in the behavior of some of the Jobs Plus recruits since they were first hired. I noticed that some have changed their attitude towards work. If at the beginning they were irresponsible and might be late for work, now they arrive on time. They understand all of this was done for them and thanks to their jobs, they can keep their families together, he says. CREATING JOBS CLOSE TO HOME Jobs Plus recruits Ludmila Andruh, 44 and Nelia Rus, 30, say they have turned up at work in a good mood every day since they were hired as seamstresses at the factory. Both women have had to work abroad in the pastin Moscow and Ryazan, respectivelyto help supplement their familys income, which makes them especially grateful to be earning a steady income close to home. In fact, they think the best part of the Jobs Plus project is that it gives Moldovans an opportunity to work at home, in the village, so they dont have to go abroad like an estimated 30 to 50 percent of economically active villagers. The women say their paychecks have ranged from 1,300 lei (US$118) to 2.500 lei (US$227). If they hadnt been hired at Vatnors, the women say they would be struggling to make ends meet working odd jobs here and there. Our lives have become more stable. In the past, we were always looking for work, now we go to work being sure we will be paid, say Ludmila and Nelia, who add that they are more optimistic about the future now than they were in the past. Of course we are satisfied because we have a good work team and modern equipment that makes sewing a pleasure.

PARTNERSHIP PROMISES
Jobs Plus purchases modern sewing machines and other equipment for the garment factory. Vatnors commits to creating 40 jobs. Factory owner Vladimir Ozarchuk contributed 20,000 lei (US$1,754) to the Social Investment Fund, which was used to erect a new fence around the village high school.

at risk of being trafficked the largest individual group of migratory workers from Moldovabratuseni includedis men leaving to work in the construction sector in other countries in the commonwealth of Independent States. Though most identified victims of trafficking from the country are young women from rural areas, there has also been an increase in the number of men identified as having been trafficked for forced labor, particularly in the agricultural or construction sector. since victims do not easily identify themselves as victims of trafficking, it can be assumed that the real numbers of men trafficked for labor exploitation are much higher than indicated. this is especially true in a country with deeply rooted traditional gender roles, where men are unlikely to see themselves as victims needing assistance and protection.

Thanks to CRS and to Mr. Ozarchuk, today we have jobs in our village, say the women. The main problem is a lack of jobs, which makes young people want to leave the village. This is the issue we have to solve together with CRS, and to make Bratuseni one of the most important villages in Moldova, says Bratusenis former mayor Ivan Buruian. Larisa Grabciuc, chair of the Jobs Plus Local Project Management Board, agrees. During Soviet times all of our people were employed but we now have a critical shortage of workplaces. Thats why, through the Jobs Plus project, we try to mobilize people and improve communication. Even though he might not be cashing in on his enterprise just yet, Vladimir says he already feels enriched by the experience. I feel gratitude from the people who are working because of the jobs I created. They now have a secure income that they can use to support their families. Being employed has motivated them, he says.

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VASILE grABCIUC was a confirmed pessimist before collaborating with Catholic Relief Services (CRS). He makes no bones about acknowledging that joining Jobs Plus as director of the partner enterprise Lavitest, which produces and sells construction materials, has made him a changed man. I have always been a pessimist. I never believed that in Bratuseni it would be possible to implement a project like Jobs Plus or make community improvements through the Social Investment Fund. I can affirm that I was the first person that changed due to this project, he says. Vasile has always relied on his own forces. But when his business was hit hard by the global economic crisis he acquiesced to his wife, Larisa, the chair of the Jobs Plus Local Project Management Board who suggested he collaborate with CRS. Vasile admits he didnt take the Jobs Plus program very seriously at first, but he had a change of heart when he observed the impact the project had on Vatnors after CRS purchased much-needed equipment for the garment factory. He and two of his children put together a Jobs Plus proposal to create 12 new jobs through the establishment of a sawmill in the town. Upon the stipulation that Lavitest would hire young people, CRS purchased modern equipment for the new enterprise, which was imported from the Ukraine. Since no other timber is produced locally, Vasile expects interest in the locally pro-

Hope

Reviving

PARTNERSHIP PROMISES
Jobs Plus purchases sawmill equipment to produce timber to sell in the community. Lavitest commits to creating 12 jobs.

opportunities at home The flow of migrant workers from Moldova has slowed due to the global economic crisis and some have begun returning home. Authorities in Moscow have been applying much tougher measures against immigrants, which is prompting Moldovans to return from the Russian capital. The time is ripe to engage Moldovans in the economic development of Bratuseni and other villages through the creation of decent jobs that require their expertise and skills.

duced wood products will be high in Bratuseni and neighboring villages. Consumers will benefit by being able to purchase their lumber in the community and at lower costs than they would pay elsewhere. Improved access to lumber will be a boon to the local construction industry. GOOD BUSINESS SENSE The proposal made good business sense, says CRS Business Development Specialist Igor Fetiniuc. With the addition of the sawmill, Lavitest no longer will have to import its timber products from suppliers in the Ukraine. Instead, the company will have the capacity to process and sell a good range of timber products and the value-added will be left with the company. It means more sales and profits generated locally and more benefits for the village, he says. With the support of CRS, Vasile hopes to eventually use the raw timber produced at the new sawmill to construct products such as doors or windows to sell at Lavitest. As demand for the timber grows and profits from the new enterprise increases, Vasile will add even more new jobs. Alexander, 36, is filling one of the 12 new

sawmill jobs. A self-described workaholic, he averages 3,000 to 4,000 lei (US$272 to US$363) per pay period. I think this project will have a positive influence not only on our company, but our village as well. Besides creating new workplaces, we will have cheaper and better quality building material available in the village. Im sure that our loyal customers will enjoy discounts because our director is a very good man. He appreciates very much his customers. Vasile has put aside Lavitests contribution to the Social Investment Fund, which will be spent on creating a new community playground for children, which will make our village more beautiful. Besides the financial support and the way the Jobs Plus project has united his community, Vasile admires ...the attitude of CRS towards people and its organizational methods. Thanks to these, even I changed my outlook.

i never believed that in Bratuseni it would be possible to implement a project like Jobs Plus or make community improvements through the Social investment Fund. i can affirm that i was the first person that changed due to this project. Vasile Grabciuc, owner of Lavitest

Transforming mentalities is one of the aims of Jobs Plus, says CRS Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. We try to promote the idea that an entrepreneur that creates jobs in a community is an important member of that community and theres a relationship in that community that should be built because the enterprise needs the community and the community needs the employerits an interdependent relationship.

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Greater than the SUm of iTS ParTS

BrATUSENI BOArD Local Project Management Board members from Bratuseni (left to right) Larisa Grabciuc, Violeta Cernei of Catholic relief Services, Maria Domusciu, Oleg Domusciu, Ivan Buruian, Vladimir Ozarchuk, Elena rotari, Marina Cucureac, Ludmila Vacarciuc, Inna Didoruc and Ludmila Barbeliuc pose in front of the fence that was constructed at the high school with Jobs Plus Social Investment Funds. anatoliy kinakh, the prime minister of the Ukraine from 2001 to 2002, is a graduate of the high school.

jobs plus social investment fund

construction and renovation of the high school fence in bratuseni
Total cost: US$5,368 Partner enterprise: $1,754 Parent-Teacher association: $1,754 Community: $1,421 Local administration: $438

Local Project Management Boards

Local Project Management Boards (LPMBs) manage and implement the Jobs Plus project in their respective communities. They are made up of community stakeholders and usually include a representative from the mayors office, a representative from the school, as well as an employment agency, a partner employer and a local coordinator. The mission of the LPMB is to form an alliance of public-private sector partners to reduce economic and human poverty in their community through social enterprise and sustainable job creation. insisting that a LPMB be established in each village where Catholic Relief Services (CRS) carries out Jobs Plus activities signals to the community that the project is not strictly about job creationits also about community development. CRS stresses that point when Jobs Plus team members personally visit the mayor of each community, before contracting a partner employer. in order for the community to see Jobs Plus as a job creation opportunity that they can learn from and build upon, we form these local councils, explains CRS Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. We tell the mayor, this is a project for the community and it is about creating jobs in the community. We want you to use this as a first step to continue the effort and for that we create a LPMB. Once a LPMB is in place, CRS provides teambuilding training to each LPMB so that members have the capacity to carry out community building activities in their village. The training includes an explanation of private-public partnerships. LPMB members are transported from their villages into an atmosphere where they can get creative, think and learn how to work together. We emphasize that were all different but we need to collaborate for the good of the community, says Ludmila. Usually a couple of months later, a second twoday training workshop is held around the theme of economic development where LPMB members are asked to brainstorm strategies to help their community create more jobs and develop even further. everything is done with the idea that this project is just the beginning. A lot depends on the LPMB as well, she adds.

needed to clean up the nearby river, build a new playground, and establish a landfill site where villagers could discard their refuge. The board makes decisions about how to proceed democratically by voting, she says. The majority of the board agreed that the first priority should be replacing the dilapidated fence around the high school, which is situated in the center of town. To this end we had 20,000 lei (US$1,818) that had been contributed by Vladimir Ozarchuk of Vatnors garment factory to the Social Investment Fund (SIF). But it wasnt enough to complete the project so we collected an additional 25,000 lei (US$2,273). When it became clear the collected funds would still fall short of the projected total, people participated actively. We didnt expect such responsiveness because so many in our town are facing financial difficulties, says Larisa, who adds that the school parent council donated funds as did local Jehovahs Witnesses, the Pentecostal church and even a few pensioners. Of course it was difficult but even if there were misunderstandings, we managed to work together for this common cause. Members of the LPMB divided themselves up into groups, which were assigned to carry out specific tasks in carrying out the project. One group drafted a budget, another designed the fence, a third raised

The JOBS PLuS Local Project Management Board (LPMB) is a testament to Aristotelian adage that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

being of our children and our village.

Jobs Plus activities in Bratuseni united the village in a way it never was before, says the 49-year-old LPMB chair, Larisa Grabciuc.

We have a lot of talented people in the village, agrees her husband, Vasile, the director of the Jobs Plus partner enterprise, Lavitest. There is somebody who knows how to budget and distribute money; another is good at organizing people. But where previously everyone was acting by himself now we have pooled our resources and we are working towards a common purpose to achieve tangible goals for the future well-

Initially, the Bratuseni LPMB had only six members. But as interest in the Jobs Plus project grew so did the size of the board, which now boasts more members than any other Jobs Plus LPMB in Moldova. As word spread through Bratuseni about the boards efforts to improve the community, more and more people either were invited onto the board or asked to join the highly motivated group. The LPMB meets every Monday at 4 pm like clockwork. SETTING PRIORITIES Prioritizing how the Social Investment Funds would be spent was no easy task given the pressing needs in the community, admits Larisa. The town desperately

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funds and kept the community updated on the projects progress and another focused on constructing the fence, says Vasile Grabciuc. The board kept a running tally of donations collected for the project, including the name of each person or organization that contributed funds and the amount. The list was updated regularly and available to any villager who wished to see it, adds Larisa. TRAINING TO SPARK A REBIRTH The villages family doctor for the past 20 years, Maria Domusciu, remembers the disparate ideas that were proposed for community improvement projects at the first LPMB. It was only through listening to each other that we understood the order in which the projects should be implemented, she says, adding that the training provided to the LPMB at the launch of the Jobs Plus program in Bratuseni helped members learn the skills needed to work well together. We learned how to plan our work because even with good ideas and money we couldnt accomplish much without good planning. We were taught to do this, to listen and to not interrupt each other, and how to choose the best ideas wisely. There are people in the village that even at home with their families use the principles and knowledge they acquired at these trainings. Thanks to this training, we understood that there are a lot of things we need to do for the village, but is necessary to motivate people to act and to work together on behalf of the community, says Maria. Once the first SIF project is completed people will be impatient to carry out other projects and after implementing several projects, we will not be able to stop the momentum. We will have more and more ideas and we will implement more and more projects, predicts Maria. Thirty-two-year-old Inna Didoruc says she knows of no other community development

Plus local coordinator, was one of the young people who had to leave the village after she graduated in 2003 from university in Balti. She is grateful she returned. I learned a lot of new things due to Jobs Plus and I began to communicate with many interesting people. I have a tremendous appreciation for our team. These people really want and can achieve something for our village, she says of the 20-member LPMB. Our team showed dignity and won this CRS project. I love this village very much and I want to contribute to its development. I hope the collaboration with all my colleagues continues until we see our village prosper, says LPMB member Galina Cuzuioc, who is the director of the kindergarten. Jobs Plus opened new doors for us, agrees high school teacher Elena Rotari. I hope we will continue working together, coming up with new ideas and winning grants for community projects. This way we will develop the village for our childrens future. It is as if Bratuseni was asleep before its collaboration with CRS began, says Ludmila Vacarciuc, a bookkeeper at Lavitest. The experience has opened the eyes of the LPMB members ...to all of the different organizations that can help us to make progress. I consider it a good beginning and I think we will not stop here. RESTORING TO ITS FORMER GLORY Bratuseni flourished during Soviet times, recording upward economic growth until the first symptoms of economic recession in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. The villages collective farm was consistently one of Moldovas top three performing collective farms, famous for its piglets as well as milk and meat production. Orchards at the time covered 500 hectares

REVISED outlook Bratuseni high school director oleg Domusciu poses in front of an unfinished high school. Construction was abandoned two decades ago after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He says the Jobs Plus project is transforming how people in his village think.

projects that Bratuseni has participated in since she started her job as a lawyer at the mayors office in 2003. Now we have begun a very fruitful collaboration with CRS, which has a very good team that honors its pledges. Finally our village has started to develop. It is like a rebirth, says Inna. Before we participated in these trainings, we thought that our living conditions were bad. But we met people from other regions of the Republic at these trainings and understood that others have it even worse. The project helped us to notice and appreciate all of the things we have. Thanks to CRS projects, people changed. They became more active, sociable, friendly and kind, she adds. Our village woke up because of this program, began to work and we are all satisfied with the result. Im sure that subsequent projects we implement will have great success. Ludmila Barbeliuc, a high school teacher

and LPMB member, can think of several advantages of the Jobs Plus project in her community. But the most important in my opinion is it has provided a moral basis that we didnt previously have. Thanks to this project we learned the democratic principles of listening to and understanding differing opinions. The project also encourages people to participate in the village life and to help it to develop. She adds that the school plays an important role in helping to shape the personalities of youth in the village and its a pity to see our graduates going abroad for work. Jobs Plus is a good opportunity to create new workplaces in the community so that at least some of our graduates will have the possibility to remain here and get a job. Of course, we face some difficulties, because these are the first steps, but I think its a good beginning. Marina Cucureac, the 29-year-old Jobs

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(1,236 acres). A technical school that was established along with the collective farm employed 2,000 villagers. Villagers who were not employed at the farm or technical school worked at a mechanized furniture fleet that served Moldova and the Ukraine, a textile factory that exported blankets and robes to other republics in the USSR or produced at the village bakery or sausage factory fresh goods that were coveted all over northern Moldova. The concrete skeleton of an unfinished building a few feet away from the existing high school stands as a cruel reminder of the prosperity that the village once enjoyed as a spark plug in the once powerful Soviet economic engine. The authorities in charge of such things two decades ago halted construction of what was to be a new village high school almost as hastily as the former republics that once made up the USSR began to break away. Though the worst is over, the last 20 years have been disastrous for Moldova from all points of vieweconomic, political and social, admits the high school director, Oleg Domusciu.

training in sustainable livelihoods

TRansfoRms
ThE rAIN hAD TUrNED the dilapidated roads of the run-down and rather unsightly village into a muddy mess on the cold and dreary November day that Svetlana Cires was introduced to the Catholic Relief Services Training in Sustainable Livelihoods (TSL) experience.

children and had decided not to divorce her husband. The woman said her selfconfidence had vastly improved and she was learning how to tell her children and her husband that she loved them. LIFE-ALTERING EXPERIENCE I suppose sometimes people need just a few encouraging words, someone to acknowledge them and tell them they are important. In Moldova, like most former Soviet countries, weve never had this sort of training for adults. It is something totally new and it brings people together, says Svetlana. She describes the transformations that the TSL experience brings about as ...a great victory, something really good for my county.

About Bratuseni
Bratuseni is one of the largest villages in northern part of the Republic of Moldova located 200 kilometers from Chisinau. eighty percent of the estimated 5,536 inhabitants of the multinational village are of Ukrainian ancestry. According to a legend, three brothers from the Land of Hotin founded the town, originally naming it Bratushani. it was officially founded in 1725, though historical records suggest the village is much older.

When she first saw the bewildered townsfolk filing into community hall to begin the three-day seminar, Svetlana thought, What have I gotten myself into? The unwashed and unkempt men and women, coupled with the unmistakable waft of alcohol, made Svetlana seriously doubt that it would be possible to carry out the TSL event, let alone transform the lives of the trainees who had assembled that day.

After growing steadily for many years, mainly due to the influx of peasants from former regions of Russia and Ukraine, the population dropped to 5,536 in 2011 from 12,000 inhabitants in 1997. Shortly About 10 years ago, our state was reborn. after the collapse of the Soviet Union, thousands From my point of view the main advantage emigrated to Russia, the Ukraine and the United of this project is the way it has transformed States. ethnic tensions were high during this period, and approximately 80 percent of the villages how we think. We have ceased to be indifbusinesses were forced to close. However, there ferent. We had a stagnation period when are encouraging signs that suggest a renaissance everyone made up their mind to the situation and people had no initiative to change of sorts is under way in the village. The number of enterprises has doubled in the past four years. things. While working on this project, we came to understand that it is possible to change our lives and our attitude towards each other. This project showed us that to solve challenges in the community, he Bratuseni is inhabited by very good and points out. responsible people. The villages former mayor, Ivan Buruian, is grateful that CRS ...found time for us and came to discuss issues that have concerned us for a long period of time. Though the local economy thrived during Soviet time, villagers did not take initiative CRS helped villagers understand that the past is over and that we have to work together. Im glad to see the changes that have occurred because of these trainings and the projects we have carried out. Im proud of how our village has changed, says the former mayor.

Jobs Plus beneficiary Alexander says the TSL experience gave him the courage to pursue new dreams. My goal is to build a greenhouse. I am going to take out a loan and buy the necessary equipment, says But her opinion had changed completely by the 36-year-old employee of Lavitest in the second day, much like the appearance Bratuseni. of most trainees in attendance. Some had managed to get a haircut the night before TSL is especially beneficial in a country and their clothes were clean and pressed. with agrarian roots like Moldova, where The women were passing around a tube of people are employed mostly in seasonal lipstick. I was totally surprised by how they work that does not provide any sort of job had transformed, recalls Svetlana of her security. We need to take action so that first experience carrying out TSL for Catho- people can achieve their own success and lic Relief Services. help society succeed, says Alexander. By the third day, people were moved to tears as they received their certificates and there was a round of applause at the end of the training. Some said that it was the first time in their lives that someone asked them how they feltthe first time someone was really listening to them. I can still see those faces, she adds. One woman even insisted on completing TSL a second time when it was offered in the community, proudly informing the facilitator that she had stopped consuming alcohol, was taking better care of her TSL provides young people, in particular, with an opportunity to build a future at home even if it is difficult. Its important to make people understand that they are needed and they have to improve their abilities, he adds. Ludmila Andruh, 44 and Nelia Rus, 30, Jobs Plus recruits who work at Vatnors garment factory in Bratuseni thoroughly enjoyed TSL, which they found a very instructive and positive experience. We reviewed our values. The training was useful for us, the women say.

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jobs plus social investment fund

construction of a childrens playground in ceadir-lunga
Total cost: US$9,602 Partner enterprise: $2,070 Community: $5,377 Local administration: $2,155

Social Investment Funds

Local Project Management Boards (LPMBs) work with employers and beneficiary employees to establish a Social investment Fund (SiF) in each Jobs Plus program community. The funds are created from contributions from the employers and administered by the LPMB. The board and the employer meet regularly with beneficiaries and other community members to decide how best to spend the money for the good of the community. When we sign a contract with a partner employer, we have a couple of conditions: We provide material assistance and equipment; they expand and agree to create new jobs, says Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Program Manager Ludmila Ungureanu. We also have a concrete provision in our contract in which we ask our partners to contribute a certain amount of money to a community improvement project. its usually not a lot of money, but its something that all employers have to do. The amount is negotiated but it is tied to how much we give the employer, who has a time limit for making the contribution (usually a couple of months from when they have the equipment procured for them). The LPMB has the responsibility of determining how the money will be spent in a specified period of time. We tell them, you have this money that the enterprise will provide, but you have tocollectivelydecide what is needed in the community. We dont dictate the kind of need, but it is usually a social need. We like to see a considerable contribution from the community to build upon the investment provided by the employer and the amount raised by the board often exceeds the amount contributed by the employer. its pretty much like a catalyst, says Ludmila. Boards may decide to leverage additional contributions for community improvements from the local or regional government, local businesses and others. CRS expects at least 25, and possibly more, locally designed and funded community improvement projects will be implemented under the Jobs Plus program, improving the quality of life in the communities as well as imparting knowledge and capacity at the local level for socially responsible enterprises.

MAkiNg
PraCTICaLLy eVery aduLT can recall at least one magical, halcyon day from their childhood and for many the neighborhood playground is strongly associated with those memories. But few outdoors spaces in Nicolay Kroitors hometown of Ceadir-Lunga are intended just for children, which is why the communitys Jobs Plus Local Project Management Board (LPMB) decided to use the Social Investment Fund (SIF) to construct a playground. We have in our town a lot of beautiful and spacious buildings, but they are all designed for adults. There is little or nothing for children and we have a lot of children in our town, says Nicolay, who is a teacher in the community and a LPMB member. In an egalitarian bid to involve children in the creative process, the LPMB launched a contest, encouraging children to share what they would like the new playground to look like by submitting hand-drawn illustrations.

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ChILdS PLay Nicolay kroitor inspects a model of the playground in top photo. he hopes that children and grandchildren will come and play at the playground. Everything we are doing is for the children, says Nikolay. he and Ecaterina Cojocari, right photo, look over the drawings that were entered by children in a contest to help woodworkers conceive a design for the childrens village. The local housing and Communal Services department provided tree trunks for the artisans to carve.

The LPMB received dozens of entries from children who captured in their drawings precisely how they imagine the new playground. In turn, the board will do its best to respond to their wishes, explains LPMB member Ecaterina Cojocari, who is the director of the Ceadir-Lunga womens center. Traditional woodworkers from the Association of Gagauzian Artisans have been tasked with constructing the new playground, which will be made entirely out of wood, says Nicolay, who is the associations president. Many people have asked why everything will be made from wood. I think that wood is beautiful. It looks warmer than other materials. We will build a playhouse for the children out of wood as well. We will have a lot of playground equipment and toys for childrena slide, mushrooms, play pits, benches that will be placed in the shade of trees. We will also have a stage, where entertainers such as

clowns can perform for children. In other words, we will do the maximum we can with the modest funds we have, he adds. The playground will be constructed on school property and is expected to take about five months to complete. The budget for the community improvement project is US$9,602. Valentina Uzun, the Ceadir-Lunga Jobs Plus partner enterprise contributed US$2,070 to the SIF and the LPMB and Association of Gagauzian Artisans are actively fundraising to cover the balance. Nicolay has no doubt the board will raise the necessary funds. We have a lot of energy, he says, adding that once completed all those who made cash or in-kind donations to the playground will be invited to its grand unveiling, which he expects will be a big fiesta for our children. Meanwhile, Nicolay already has picked out a name for the new playground, The Magic City. Its great when there is magic in our life.

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jump for joy Children in Bratuseni perform one last dance before being dismissed from their classes for the summer.

Michael McKennett Head of Office Email: mmckennett@eme.crs.org Ludmila Ungureanu Program Manager Email: lungureanu@eme.crs.org

Writing and Graphic Design Alanna Jorde Photography Victor Munteanu and Alanna Jorde Cover Design Angela Robak

Catholic Relief Services staff members in Moldova include standing (left to right) igor Fetiniuc, Svetlana Cires, Daniela Cuzicov, Adrian Catan, Violeta Cernei and Michael Mckennett and seated (left to right) Angela Alexeiciuc, Ludmila Ungureanu and Mariana Romanciuc.

CRS Moldova Headquarters 106 Columna Street, 2nd Floor Chisinau, MD-2012 Republic of Moldova Tel. +373-22-226065 Fax +373-22-229542 Website: www.crs.org/moldova

CRS programs improve the lives of over 130 million people in more than 100 countries. In emergency response, agriculture, education, food security, health, HIV and AIDS, microfinance, peacebuilding, water/sanitation and policy change the scope of our work is global, with large-scale results.