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EU4Moldova: Focal Regions

to support the development of smart, inclusive and sustainable regional growth poles in Cahul and Ungheni, to bring a better quality of life and new opportunities to citizens

The "EU4Moldova: Focal Regions" Programme (2019-2024) has a total budget of €23.3 million, is financed by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

The "EU Focal Regions" is a pilot initiative which aims at spurring systemic changes by creating stronger synergies from past, ongoing and future EU funded initiatives and the other many projects of Donors Development partners and Public Institutions. Filling the gaps and connecting the dots among these initiatives will create a solid and sustainable basis for a long-lasting economic development.

UNICEFMoldova Children from Ungheni enjoying a renovated playground

The EU4Ungheni and EU4Cahul are also ensuring inclusive development in line with the goals and aspirations of the renewed European Union (EU) Youth Strategy 2019-2027 seeking to engage, connect and empower young people.

In the next years of programme implementation - 2023 and 2024, this EU initiative will support a number of initiatives on social services, such as education and protection services for adolescents and children, including child care services but also policies in favour of children and youth will be improved as well as innovative tools will be deployed to ensure youth empowerment, engagement and participation.

The EU Focal Regions contributes to increase the investment and entrepreneurship attractiveness of the areas by fostering their role as growth poles also by leveraging the Smart Specialisation approach with the view of creating new and attractive job opportunities.

The programme is also meant to improve citizens’ engagement in the decision-making process through strengthened transparency and accountability of local public authorities. Citizens will be involved and engaged throughout the project.

EU4Cahul

The European Union launched on 17 January 2020 in Cahul the first of the two initiatives under the new "EU4Moldova: Focal Regions" programme. The initiative EU4Cahul will involve Cahul city and its neighboring communities within the Cahul district during 2019-2024.

Read more about development activities in Cahul here.

UNICEFMoldova/2022 The parents from Cahul received the ‘Child Development Diary’, a specially designed diary for young parents, to guide them through the first years of their children’s lives.

EU4Ungheni

The European Union launched on 24 January 2020 in Ungheni the second of the two initiatives under the new "EU4Moldova: Focal Regions" programme. The EU Focal Region of Ungheni shall benefit from substantial EU support to improve the quality of life of its citizens, ideally to a level comparable with EU standards.

Read more about development activities in Ungheni here.

UNICEFMoldova/2022 The parents from Ungheni received the ‘Child Development Diary’, a specially designed diary for young parents, to guide them through the first years of their children’s lives.

Project description

Title of the Action:	EU4Moldova: Focal regions
Location(s) of the Action:	Republic of Moldova (with a focus on the Ungheni and Cahul focal regions)
Total duration of the Action (months):	60
Budget (EUR)	23,300,000
Key outputs/results	UNICEF will be in charge for the implementation of the Support joint community-based initiatives to improve the local service delivery for vulnerable groups: The action will focus on strengthening the capacities of local authorities for improved provision of quality maternal, child and adolescents’ social services, including focus on participatory planning, budgeting and budget monitoring and identifying opportunities for strengthen local financing of social services. Capacities of citizens’ organizations and structures, including women and youth led one (CSOs, youth councils and centres, youth led organizations), in public planning and budgeting, will be also strengthened for meaningful participation in local governance processes and to generate demand. Business model for financing of social services in the focal regions will be developed and tested. The action will also promote the establishment of adequate child care services in order to increase opportunities for young mothers to re-join the workforce, Strengthening of health services for children and adolescents ensuring adequate child growth and development will also be pursued. Specific focus will be placed on services for children with disabilities, including equipping and strengthening capacities of primary health care providers to reach out and provide services to such children while facilitating the access of children with disabilities and their parents to early intervention support. The action will seek to strengthen quality of education in pre-schools and schools by introducing various e-education content, including school performance monitoring tools through various modalities. Interventions under this result will further support the development of favourable conditions for youth participation through support to various youth initiatives, strengthened participation through discussion forums, strengthening the work of youth centres, promoting volunteerism and cultural and sports activities for youth The action will raise awareness on child rights amongst various stakeholders.
Target groups	Communities and community-based organizations (NGOs, volunteer groups, community groups, children, adolescents and youth and their parents).
Final beneficiaries	Communities and individual women, men, girls and boys.  Local authorities and their staff in the local governments.

UNICEF, with the support of the EU, UNDP, and together with the implementing partners - Institute of Mother and Child, Early Intervention Centre "Voinicel", Educational Programme "Step by Step", Information and Resource Centre "Pro Bono" - managed to contribute to the improvement of several child-centered services.

Education

Health

Youth

Early Intervention Services

Key developments and results

Social infrastructure projects. Refurbishment of “Tereza Sobolevschi” kindergarten in Ungheni, of No. 8 “Prichindel” kindergarten in Cahul and procurements for “Delia” kindergarten.

UNICEFMoldova/2020 „Delia” kindergarten, after renovation

UNICEFMoldova/2022 Children from „Delia” kindergarten play with the games they received as part of a donation within the "EU4Moldova: Focal Regions"

Grants to Civil Society Organisations for improved services for children and adolescents. UNICEF completed a Baseline Assessment for the "EU4Moldova: Focal Regions Programme" in Cahul and Ungheni, focusing on child and adolescents’ related interventions.
Local Public Authorities (LPAs) Capacity Building in participatory child rights strategic planning, budget formulation and budget monitoring. A public finance training course has been developed in response to findings from the capacity gap assessment conducted in the period May to June 2021 in all four LPAs covered by the project. UNICEF in partnership with the Institute of Mother and Child (IMC), is implementing a project on "Strengthening capacities of health care workers at the level of Primary Health Care in provision of quality mother, child and adolescent health services in Cahul and Ungheni regions" - Eight training seminars for 265 health specialists (family nurses) on the implementation of the adjusted Standards for child growth and development (home visiting programs) were organised.

Development of Education Services for Children and Adolescents in Cahul and Ungheni. The intervention is focused on strengthening the implementation of the child-centred methodology and supporting the quality of education in pre-schools and schools.
Development of Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) services for young children with developmental delays and disabilities in Cahul and Ungheni districts. Three experts from the CSO partner in this activity, Voinicel Centre, provided high quality, transdisciplinary, methodological support to 16 families with small children with disabilities or developmental delay (2 families from Cahul and 14 from Ungheni). Transdisciplinary ECI services were provided to another 67 children with disabilities or developmental delays from other remote areas of the country that is an additional benefit of the project. Within the project, Voinicel Centre developed a specific database where all beneficiaries are managed, clustered, and continuously supervised in order to receive punctual needed intervention.

UNICEFMoldova/2021 Donations of anthropometry equipment for family nurses from Ungheni and Cahul

Strengthening capacities, development and empowerment of Adolescents and Youth in Cahul and Ungheni regions. UNICEF partnered with a national NGO Probono working with the local youth NGOs in Cahul “Perspectiva” and in Ungheni “Faclia”. Probono will support LPAs, schools and youth centresto develop their local strategies on youth and programmes for vulnerable groups of adolescents and youth.