Oleg Oborocian:” With the ILO help I will develop a business that will sweeten my life”

Eight years ago, a car accident drastically changed the destiny of Oleg Oborocian, resident of the village of Cârnățenii Noi, Căușeni district.  At the age of 31, Oleg had to learn to walk again being forced to use a wheelchair.  Later on, he learned to live alone, after his wife, together with their two children, had left him. He looked for a job for a long time, because his disability pension, worth 1600 lei, was not enough for living.  Nevertheless, he failed to get a job, even though he has a profession and work experience.  "I am a veterinarian and I worked at the pig farm in the village, then as a veterinary inspector in Causeni district.  After most of the farms had been closed, and there remained very few animals in the villages, I also went to work in Russia, as many other people. Soon, however, I returned home, because my salary and working conditions there were below any expectations. Until the car accident that immobilized me in a wheelchair, I worked at the railway station in the town of Căinari. After that, all the doors and opportunities closed in front of me", says Oleg Oborocian.

Despite the difficulties, he did not allow despair to take hold of him. He found solace in work, remembered his old passion for beekeeping, and had set up a small apiary near the house. While studying veterinary medicine, he attended a training course in beekeeping, and in his free time, he regularly helped a relative to work in the apiary. That is how he got a taste for beekeeping and acquired the necessary skills, but he has never thought that this passion would become a life-ring for him and the only source of income. Although he owned the apiary, he failed to register the business, given the multitude of needed documents and his immobilization status.

”Beekeeping has proven to be a normal modality for a person with special needs, like me, to organize his/her thoughts and earn money.  I learned to do most of the work on my own, and when I couldn't do it, I call on my neighbours or parents", tells us Oleg.

But he did not get to enjoy the fruits of his labour. Last year, due to the severe weather conditions, his bees perished. Nonetheless, luck smiled on him from another side. He found out about a competition of grants to start a beekeeping business, run by the International Labour Organization (ILO) through the Local Employment Partnership (LEP) in Causeni district, and he thought it was the time to transform his passion into business. He looked for more information, attended all information sessions and trainings organized within the project, developed a business plan and joined the competition. He was extremely happy this spring when he found out that he is one of the 25 grant winners, which will allow him to buy 10 hives and as many bee families. Within the project supported by the ILO, Oleg, like the other beneficiaries, will be helped to register his business, to obtain all the sanitary-veterinary certificates and the necessary passports for the apiaries. There will also be an opportunity to access other state subsidies for the development of his business or to cover the losses, in case there will be other unfavourable years for beekeeping.

Oleg believes that the help provided by the ILO represents an encouragement and brings hope for better times to the people with special needs. "When life hits you, there always appear someone to help you get up. With the help of the ILO, I will set up an exemplary business, I will hire some people and so I will be able to earn a living on my own and be able to help my children, as well”, says Oleg Oborocian.

Business development in beekeeping is one of the most active initiatives of the Causeni LEP, launched at the end of February 2021 by the International Labour Organization. Causeni LEP aims to expand 50 small and micro enterprises of the district, create and formalize 145 jobs, launch 60 start-ups in sectors with job creation potential, as beekeeping.  The budget for the implementation of Causeni LEP is approximately 146,529 US dollars. The ILO provides support amounting USD 129,879, of which over USD 80,000 is provided by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of the Austrian Development Cooperation for various lines of intervention.