In the village of Catranîc, in Moldova’s Fălești district, Natalia Dumbravă and her family are building Vișinella, a business rooted in a simple idea: finding new ways to use the fruit grown in their own orchard. What started with processing sour cherries has gradually grown into a business offering a variety of products, with plans to expand into international markets. On International Day of Rural Women, we share the story of a teacher who turned an idea into a business while creating opportunities for other women in her community to earn an income.Natalia began her career teaching physics before moving on to computer science and robotics. For years, she balanced her work in education with the demands of running a growing family business. But as production increased, she made the difficult decision to step down as deputy principal to devote more time to entrepreneurship. She hasn't left teaching behind entirely, however, and still teaches a few hours a week at the Eugen Coșeriu school in her village.“Processing fruit was my idea, and as the business started growing, I realized I needed to dedicate more time to it. Stepping down as deputy principal wasn't an easy decision, but I couldn't keep juggling everything. I wanted us to keep building on what we'd started together as a family,” Natalia recalls.Under the Vișinella brand, Natalia Dumbravă produces sour cherries preserved in their own juice, dried cherries and tomatoes, and other preserves. Photo credit: Ana Galatonova/UN WomenThe family's entrepreneurial journey began in 2019, when they decided to plant a sour cherry orchard. A few years later, low prices for fresh fruit pushed them to look for ways to get more value from their harvest. Natalia came up with the idea of processing the cherries and began building a small production operation. Today, Vișinella produces sour cherries preserved in their own juice, dried fruit, dried tomatoes as well as other preserves, which Natalia sells locally and showcases at fairs and exhibitions across Moldova.“When we first planted the orchard, the trees were still small and weren't bearing fruit, but we loved going there. It gave us so much energy. Even now, whenever I visit the orchard, I feel that same sense of strength. We've put so much love into everything we've done,” she says.In the beginning, Natalia pitted the cherries by hand using small, handheld tools. As demand for her products grew, she began looking for funding to expand and modernize production. Through entrepreneurship support programs and other funding opportunities, she gradually invested in equipment, including a cherry-pitting machine, a food dehydrator and an autoclave for sterilizing preserved foods.Her next goal is to build a dedicated processing facility near the orchard, allowing the business to increase production, obtain product certification and reach new markets.“Financing has been our biggest challenge. When you want to process large quantities of fruit, you need an entire production line, and the equipment is very expensive. In the beginning, we worked two shifts, sometimes finishing at two or three in the morning, because we had to process the cherries as quickly as possible to preserve their quality,” she explains.Natalia prepares Vișinella products for sale, building a family business around the fruit grown in her own orchard. Photo credit: Ana Galatonova/UN WomenOne of the programs that helped Natalia grow her business was Prietenește pentru Femei, implemented by UN Women and EFES, through which she received financial assistance, training and mentorship.She also participated in She Leads, a program organized by the Association for Entrepreneurial Training and Development (AFAD) and Global Business Access under the EVOLVE4GE project, funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women Moldova. Through the program, Natalia strengthened her skills in time management, customer relations and team coordination.With financial support from UN Women, Natalia has also had the opportunity to showcase her products at national and international trade fairs, including RIGA FOOD 2025 and Produs Autohton 2026. These events have helped her introduce Vișinella to new audiences, build business connections and explore opportunities to enter new markets.Natalia Dumbravă showcases Vișinella products at the Produs Autohton 2026 exhibition. Photo credit: Ana Galatonova/UN WomenAs the business grows, Natalia is also creating employment opportunities for women in her village. During peak production periods, she employs 12 local women who help process the fruit, operate specialized equipment and prepare the finished products.“I'm happy that I can give women in the village a chance to earn some money and stay close to their children instead of having to go abroad for work. Even though I can't offer them work every day, I try to involve them whenever we have the opportunity,” Natalia says.For Natalia, her experience has also highlighted the barriers many rural women face when trying to start a business. She believes that access to information, financing and practical support can make a significant difference for women who have ideas but may lack the resources or confidence to pursue them.Natalia's story shows how rural women can turn their ideas into businesses and create new opportunities for their communities. Photo credit: Ana Galatonova/UN Women“There are so many women in rural communities with great ideas, but they're afraid to take that first step because they don't know whether they'll succeed or have anyone to support them. I would encourage them to believe in their ideas and have the courage to get started. But to keep moving forward, women also need access to information, financing and support.”This article was produced under the project “Advancing Climate Resilience and Women's Empowerment in Moldova,” funded by the Government of Canada and implemented by UN Women Moldova and UNDP Moldova.

On the International Day of the Girl Child, observed annually on 11 October, global attention this year focuses on ending child marriage and investing in girls’ rights and opportunities. Child marriage can force girls to drop out of school, limiting their access to education and, later, to equal opportunities in the labour market, while increasing their vulnerability to poverty.For Romanița Rădiță, a young Roma woman from Griboveni village in Drochia district, this issue is closely connected to her own experience. Choosing to continue her education instead of marrying early gave her the opportunity to shape her own future. Today, she is a law student at Moldova State University and an activist, encouraging other girls in her community to choose their own paths.My mother encouraged me from an early age, but what motivated me even more were the challenges I witnessed: discrimination, stereotypes and the fact that many people do not believe in Roma girls. I wanted to prove that it is possible and to be among those who set a different example.Romanița recalls facing the choice between continuing her education and getting married twice: first at the age of 15, after completing lower secondary school, and again after graduating from high school. “I was afraid that something like this might happen to me, that I would be married off. But my mother told me that if I wanted to continue my studies, I was free to try. After graduating from high school, I received many marriage proposals again. My relatives tried to convince me, but I stood firm in my decision and continued on my chosen path.”Child marriage can interrupt a girl’s education and is associated with a higher risk of adolescent pregnancy, as well as reduced opportunities for employment and financial independence. In the Republic of Moldova, although the trend is declining, adolescent childbearing remains high. In 2025, the adolescent birth rate among girls aged 15–19 was 15.6 births per 1,000, approximately twice the European Union average.Girls in Romanița’s community have different experiences. Some continue their education or pursue vocational training, others move abroad with their families, while some marry at a very young age.“It varies greatly from one family to another. Some families are traditional, while others are more modern. There are girls in my community who got married at 14, or even at 13. Most often, parents and relatives choose this path for them, but there are also situations where girls make the decision themselves. Perhaps because they are not aware of other opportunities available to them. This is how they were raised, with family and marriage placed above everything else. You are considered successful as a woman if you have your own family and children, and I think this is the only path many of them can see. Many girls even initiate marriage themselves. This is why we need to talk not only to adults, but also directly to girls about the other opportunities available to them.”          
Source: Romanița Rădiță, archiveFrom Romanița’s experience, support from adults can play an important role in the choices girls make. This is why she engages not only with young people in her community, but also with parents, community leaders and Roma community mediators. She also raises these issues through Romano Drom, a programme broadcast in the Romani language, where she discusses education and opportunities for young Roma people.Community leaders have a very strong influence within the Roma community. What they say and promote is much more easily embraced by others, which is why it is important for them to be open to change. Through Romano Drom, where we speak in the Romani language, we bring together different representatives of the community, from young people to community leaders. We have discussed the importance of education on several occasions, and my guests encourage families to allow their children to study longer.Source: Romanița Rădiță, archiveRomanița also highlights the importance of the opportunities she has had outside the classroom. She was a member of the UN Moldova Youth and Adolescents Advisory Panel, participated in the Youth Parliament and completed an internship at the Ministry of Education and Research.“Being part of the Youth Advisory Panel was a wonderful experience for me because I learned so many new things. It gave me the motivation to become more active and make my voice heard. I realized that opportunities exist and that many girls have a chance, but we need to bring these opportunities into our communities and help girls access them.”Source: UN Youth Advisory Panel Moldova, 2023As part of the Youth Parliament, Romanița’s group proposed introducing dedicated university places for young Roma people during a legislative simulation. Later, during her internship at the Ministry of Education, she helped inform community mediators and leaders about educational opportunities available to young Roma people, including dedicated university places. The introduction of these places was the result of joint efforts by activists, community mediators and state institutions.According to the2024 Population and Housing Census, approximately 9,300 people in the Republic of Moldova identified as Roma, including an estimated 1,600 adolescents aged 10–19, based on census data. For Romanița, the opportunity to shape her own future began with the decision to continue her education. For every girl, access to education and opportunities should be a reality.With UNFPA’s support, programmes focused on life skills education, personal development and civic participation provide girls and young women with access to information and opportunities that help them learn, grow and make informed, independent decisions about their futures.On the International Day of the Girl Child, the message is clear, both globally and locally: only together can we end child marriage and ensure that every girl has the freedom to choose her own future and the opportunity to reach her full potential.

In one of the rooms at the Early Childhood Intervention Centre at the Institute of Mother and Child in Chișinău, Samuel moves from one activity to another. Different toys and objects are placed in front of him, one by one. Some immediately catch his attention; others take him a little longer. Mariana Calac, Head of the Centre, watches him carefully and takes notes, while his father closely follows each of his reactions.Samuel is four and a half years old and is the first child to be assessed at the Institute of Mother and Child using ADOS-2 – one of two new standardized assessment tools provided to the Centre with UNICEF support. ADOS-2 is internationally recognized as one of the leading assessment tools used when autism spectrum disorder is suspected.For Samuel’s mother, however, this day is not about a test or a label. It is about a question she has been asking for almost two years: “What do we do next?”“I wouldn’t say I have great expectations of the test or of therapy. My expectations are of myself. Whatever this assessment tells us, to me it is a characteristic of my child at this stage of his life. It doesn’t mean we put a full stop there and that everything is over. I look at where things are more difficult for him, and that is where we work. Six months later, we come back and see what has changed. Because he continues to develop,” says Constanța, Samuel’s mother.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaUNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaThe small things that began to matterThe journey that brought them into that room, however, began much earlier.Samuel was a long-awaited child. For seven years, his parents had hoped to have a baby. When he was born, they noticed nothing out of the ordinary. Samuel grew, played, and his development seemed typical.The first questions began to arise when he was around one and a half years old. He was a very quiet child. He seemed somewhat withdrawn, and the world around him did not always spark the same curiosity his mother noticed in other children. When other children saw something interesting, they would point to draw their parents’ attention to it. Samuel did not. Later, his mother also noticed that he used very few words.At first, his parents found simple explanations. Maybe he was simply quieter. Maybe he took after his father, who was more introverted. Maybe they just needed to give him more time. But by the time Samuel was two and a half, his mother felt she no longer wanted to wait.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSaulea“I would look at other children his age. Physically, it seemed that he could do many of the same things, but there was still a difference. I could see it. I could feel it. When I spoke openly with his nursery teachers, they also said that perhaps we should look into it. And that is when we started searching for answers,” Samuel’s mother recalls.The first conversations took place at the family doctor’s office, where the parents were encouraged to consult specialists, including a neurologist.“Our family doctor told me that, as his mother, because I observe him every day in his normal home environment, I know him better. A doctor cannot see all these things during a 10- or 15-minute consultation,” Constanța remembers.A consultation with a neurologist followed, and then early childhood intervention services. For Constanța, it was an entirely unfamiliar world.“I didn’t even know services like this existed. I had heard about autism and Down syndrome, but I didn’t know what it meant for a child to have a developmental delay. My first reaction was panic. I didn’t know what would happen next or what I was supposed to do. But then it was explained to me that we needed to work with our child. And that is how our journey began.”UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaUNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaSupport closer to homeFor a family, early childhood intervention should not begin with a long journey to Chișinău. In an increasing number of districts, support can now be found closer to home.Today, 16 early childhood intervention centres operate across the country. These services support young children with developmental disorders, disabilities or those at risk of developing them, as well as their families. Their teams can assess and monitor a child’s development, provide therapy and counselling and, importantly, help parents understand how they can continue supporting their child at home.In recent years, UNICEF, together with international partners, the Ministry of Health, local authorities and partner organizations, has contributed to expanding this network. With UNICEF and partner support, over the past three years early childhood intervention centres have been opened, equipped or strengthened in Cantemir, Cimișlia, Strășeni, Fălești, Chișinău, Edineț and Anenii Noi. In Cimișlia and Fălești, child development rooms have also been established in rural communities, bringing initial assessments and support closer to families, as not every family is able to travel to the capital for consultations and procedures.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaIn many districts, children can now be assessed and supported close to home by a team working together with their family. When a situation is more complex or additional assessments are required, the child can be referred to a specialized service such as the Early Childhood Intervention Centre at the Institute of Mother and Child (IMC). The Centre also provides physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and psychological counselling, as well as support in developing an individual intervention plan.“Early childhood intervention works best when support is available as close as possible to the child and family. Expanding services in the districts means that parents can receive guidance sooner and children can benefit from intervention during a crucial period of their development. At the same time, it is important to have a referral-level service capable of managing more complex cases. By strengthening the Centre at the Institute of Mother and Child and equipping it with standardized assessment tools, we are working to connect these two levels of support,” says Angela Capcelea, Health Specialist at UNICEF Moldova.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaUNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaParents learn alongside their children and specialistsOver the next almost two years, Samuel’s home gradually filled with games, learning materials, and activities. Some days are devoted to colours, numbers, or matching exercises. On others, Samuel takes part in movement and sensory stimulation activities. If he is tired or not in the mood on a particular day, his parents change the plan and choose something simpler.The family’s week has developed its own rhythm, built around the things Samuel learns little by little. But one of the most important lessons, his mother says, was understanding that early childhood intervention is not only about what a specialist does with a child.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSaulea“First of all, we as parents have to start with ourselves. We have to change the way we behave with our child and understand how he perceives the world. I would watch the therapist working with Samuel and try to do the same at home. Sometimes I would film what I was doing and then show it to the specialist. If I was doing something wrong, she would correct me. I also had to learn how to connect better with my child and how to understand him when he cannot tell me what he wants.”Progress came in very practical ways. Samuel learned to sit at the table for longer, pour water into his cup, take things to the bin, and put away his toys. He became more independent in everyday activities.“Maybe these seem like small things to someone else. For us, they are huge. I understood that the centre is there to support us, but it cannot do the work for us. What you learn there has to continue at home. A child learns over time. You see the results over time. Miracles do not happen in one or two months,” says Constanța.After nearly two years, Samuel could do things he had not been able to do before.But as he progressed, the family’s questions also changed: What does he need next, and how can they support him in the best possible way? It was no longer only about what he could or could not do, but about how he was developing, what support he would need going forward, and which approaches would be most appropriate for him.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSaulea“What do we do next?”That is how the family arrived at the Early Childhood Intervention Centre at the Institute of Mother and Child, which also assesses children whose cases require a more in-depth evaluation. Recently, with UNICEF support, the Centre was equipped with ADOS-2 and SON-R – two standardized tools that help specialists better understand different aspects of a child’s development and provide recommendations tailored as closely as possible to their individual needs.In Samuel’s case, the team determined that ADOS-2 could provide additional insights into how he communicates, interacts, and relates to the world around him.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaUNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaCommunication is about more than wordsADOS-2 is a standardized assessment tool used when autism spectrum disorder is suspected. It is not an exam that a child passes or fails. Through play, activities, and interaction, the specialist observes how the child communicates, initiates and maintains interaction, plays, and uses their imagination.For Samuel, Module 1 of the assessment was used, selected according to his level of language development. Language had long been one of the main areas of concern in his case.“For a long time, language was at the forefront. But as a child grows, social expectations increase as well. That is when difficulties with interaction can become more visible. Communication is not only about speech. We communicate extensively through eye contact, gestures, and the way we sustain an interaction. Samuel is a boy who does very well with structured activities. He has quite a broad vocabulary and knows the names of many things, but he does not always use what he knows to communicate,” explains Mariana Calac.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaAn assessment, however, does not end with a score.“I have administered this assessment many times, and every time the combination of findings is different. Two children may have the same score and yet present in completely different ways. The assessment shows us not only areas of difficulty, which are often already evident, but also the child’s strengths,” says the specialist.In Samuel’s case, one of these strengths became apparent during the assessment itself.“We saw that he has a very good imagination and well-developed imaginative play. That is something we can use when developing his intervention programme. An assessment helps you look at the child from a different perspective.”UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSauleaWhen language does not tell the whole storyFor other children referred to the Institute of Mother and Child, the question may be different. A child may speak very little or not at all, making it difficult for a specialist to understand their cognitive abilities through language alone. For such situations, the Centre now also has SON-R, a non-verbal test used to assess intelligence and cognitive abilities. The child does not need to respond through speech or writing. Through visual and practical tasks, specialists can observe how the child reasons and solves problems without language becoming a barrier. “Sometimes it is very difficult to assess a child’s level of cognitive development when the child is non-verbal. Some children may have difficulties with speech but not experience the same difficulties cognitively. A non-verbal test helps us greatly in understanding how a child reasons and what they are capable of,” explains Mariana Calac.For a referral centre such as the one at the Institute of Mother and Child, having ADOS-2 and SON-R available means specialists can carry out more nuanced assessments of children with very different developmental profiles and provide families with recommendations that are more closely tailored to each child’s needs.UNICEF/2026/Moldova/DanSaulea“Equipping the Early Childhood Intervention Centre at the Institute of Mother and Child with ADOS-2 and SON-R complements UNICEF’s investments in strengthening the health system for children and expanding early childhood intervention services at the local level. A child should be able to receive support as close to home as possible, while families who need a more complex assessment should have access to a national referral service within the country. In this way, we are building not simply individual centres, but a network of services that can support children and families according to their needs,” says Igor Codreanu, Health Officer at UNICEF Moldova.At Samuel’s paceFor Samuel’s mother, the value of the assessment is ultimately much simpler than the names of the tests or the scores they produce. It means knowing what comes next.The family’s next goal is school. Samuel’s mother wants him to start school as prepared and as independent as possible.“If I need to take certain courses, I will. If there is something I need to learn, I will learn it. I want to give him the best possible start. I don’t want our life to stop because he has certain difficulties. He is our child, he is who he is, and we have to see what we can do to make his life and our life better.”Two years ago, Samuel’s mother says, she focused a great deal on the things he was not yet doing at the same pace as other children. Today, she tries to look at things differently.“Maybe he will progress at his own pace and perhaps not according to my expectations. But when I look back, I want to know that I did everything I could and that he received the very best of what I was able to give him,” she adds. Then she sums up, in just a few words, perhaps the most important lesson the family has learned along the way: “I think he will be happy at his own pace. And we have to learn to be happy at ours.”

After years of living with the effects of war and serious health conditions, Yevhen arrived in the Republic of Moldova with his family, no permanent place to stay and no insulin. Timely access to protection, healthcare and financial assistance helped them take their first steps towards stability.For Yevhen, who lives with diabetes, has survived multiple strokes and requires regular medical care, leaving Ukraine was more than a search for safety. It was also a race to secure the treatment he urgently needed.The family arrived carrying few belongings and no certainty about where they would live. They also carried the strain of years marked by repeated air raids, the daily stress of war and a decision Yevhen had long wanted to make but could not."I would have left at the beginning of the war," he recalls. "But I couldn't. Only after I received disability status was I able to travel, and then we left immediately."Once Yevhen obtained the documentation that enabled him to travel, the family left without delay. The journey meant leaving behind their home and familiar surroundings without knowing what awaited them across the border.Before departing Ukraine, the family searched online for information about life in Moldova and the assistance available to refugees. That search connected them with Anna Kondratenko, a health mediator working with the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The connection would prove critical.When the family reached Bălți, they had no permanent accommodation, and Yevhen’s medical needs could not wait. With support coordinated by IOM and local partners, they found temporary shelter at a local church while looking for longer-term housing."At that moment, they were in a very vulnerable situation," Anna recalls. "They contacted us while still in Ukraine. We later learned about Yevhen's health condition and that they were travelling without insulin. It was a situation that required immediate action."The family needed more than emergency assistance. To access healthcare and begin rebuilding their lives, they also had to navigate unfamiliar administrative procedures in a new country.Working across its health and protection programmes, IOM helped facilitate an accelerated process for the family to obtain temporary protection. IOM also supported their registration with healthcare providers and connected them with essential medical services.For Yevhen, obtaining temporary protection marked a turning point. It opened the way to the continuity of care his health required and allowed the family to begin looking beyond their immediate needs."As soon as we received temporary protection, we could register with a family doctor and begin arranging specialist consultations," he says. "Without that support, it would have been much more difficult."The family also received one-time financial assistance funded by the European Union, helping them cover urgent expenses as they searched for housing and adjusted to life in unfamiliar surroundings.Today, life remains far from what it once was, but a sense of stability is gradually returning.The family now lives in a rented apartment. Yevhen is receiving medical follow-up care, and specialists are adjusting his treatment plan. His son continues his studies online through a Ukrainian school, maintaining an important connection with home while adapting to life in Moldova.A safe place to live, access to a doctor and the ability for a child to continue learning may appear to be ordinary parts of everyday life. For a family forced to leave behind everything familiar, they represent the beginnings of recovery and the return of routine.For Anna, the change is visible."You can see that they have become calmer," she says. "They found housing, they are planning for the future, and there is hope in their eyes."The family’s path forward is still taking shape. Yevhen continues to manage serious health conditions, while his wife has begun looking for work. He, too, is exploring opportunities that match his professional experience and health condition.Their future remains uncertain, but it is no longer defined solely by the urgency of arrival. The family can now begin to make plans, consider new possibilities and regain a measure of control over what comes next.For Yevhen, rebuilding began with one of the hardest choices a person can make: leaving home without knowing when, or whether, returning would be possible.Reflecting on that decision, he speaks not only about what his family left behind, but about the courage required to take the first step towards a different future."The most important thing is to find the strength to make a decision," he says. "Leaving home is never easy, but sometimes you have to take that step."With support from the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations through the project “Addressing the humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable refugees from Ukraine and third-country nationals,” IOM Moldova helps refugees access protection, healthcare and essential assistance.