Closer to home: 14 localities call for migrants’ contribution to local development
18 December 2017
Natives from 14 communities are invited by local authorities and hometown associations to donate for local development projects. Today, fundraising campaigns were launched, that will last for 3 months in the partner localities of the Migration and Local Development Project. The project is implemented by UNDP Moldova with financial support of the Government of Switzerland.
Videos and detailed information about each project were posted on the online fundraising platform www.Guvern24.md to motivate and convince natives who left these localities to donate for a joint cause. Donations are accepted by card, SMS and phone call and thanks to the transparent mechanism, the entire fundraising progress may be tracked online, in real time.
"Projects aim to improve local services in native villages and towns. So, 14 localities will have better services of road infrastructure, waste disposal, local road maintenance and sewerage, created with the support of migrants. In addition to that, there will be established leisure and recreation facilities and modernized educational institutions”, says Olesea Cazacu, Migration and Local Development Project Manager.
The budget that residents are planning to collect varies from one locality to another: the smallest amount is USD 1,500, while the highest amount is USD 8,500. Natives' donations will be supplemented with local authorities’ contributions and USD 15,000 grants offered by from the Government of Switzerland.
The 14 communities have developed local development plans, by involving migrants, before starting the fundraising campaigns. In this way, 14 hometown associations were established and strengthened to improve their communications - several social media groups were launched. Based on online surveys that were conducted in each partner locality, natives selected their local priority to which they want to contribute financially.
“By implementing these projects, we actually succeed in creating a bridge between local authorities and natives. It is a mechanism bringing together inhabitants of the village, natives living in the wider world and local authority. Thanks to the joint efforts, we will have a beautiful park in Mereni village", said Lidia Beglita, President of the “With love for Mereni” Hometown Association.
The total budget of the projects that will be implemented by the end of 2018 is of USD 421,000.
The “Migration and Local Development” project was launched in 2015 in 25 partner localities, and in the summer of 2017, another 14 localities were selected based on a competition for the second phase of the project.
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