Strengthening the entrepreneurial spirit of the rural women in Moldova

“As a global development organisation working in the field of rural development, we, as We Effect, know that the empowerment of rural women is crucial for the prosperity of the rural community. That is why we have put women at the heart of our development programme,” said Anneli Leina, Regional Director of We Effect Europe at today’s online roundtable – Business Development Opportunities for Women Producers, organized by the project focused on supporting Moldovan women producers in business development, implemented by the association of women members of our Moldovan partner NFFM and funded by UN Women through Sweden.

Furthermore, Regional Director Anneli Leina said that We Effect’s supported projects in Moldova and in the entire region demonstrate that investing in women can generate significant improvements in productivity, food security and sustainable farming.

“For us, as an organisation, it is clear that the most effective way to achieve development is to empower women. Entire communities benefit socially and economically when women have access to land, education, training, financial services and strong organisations. And one of those strong organisations is NFFM. We are proud of the work we do with them here in Moldova, trying to revitalize the rural areas and improve the livelihoods of the rural population, especially of the rural women by strengthening their entrepreneurial spirit,” said Anneli Leina.

Iurie Scripnic, Secretary of State at the Moldovan Ministry of Agriculture, Katarina Fried, Ambassador of Sweden in the Republic of Moldova, Raimund Jehle, FAO representative in Moldova and Dominika Stojanoska country representative of UN Women Moldova, also had their welcoming speeches, while project manager Nicolae Tiltu from our partner organisation the National Farmers Federation of Moldova (NFFM) presented the priority concerns and needs of women producers in Moldova on their path of establishing sustainable agri-businesses.

The roundtable discussions revolved around the topics of gender equality, rural women empowerment and business entrepreneurship as a model of rural community development, also touching on the victories of women farmers in front of international organisations such as the CEDAW committee in Geneva, presented by We Effect’s Gender Officer Neda Chalovska.

As an organization We Effect strives to be a driver in moving gender equality to the top of the regional rural development agenda.