Five women-led organizations have successfully expanded their gender-based violence (GBV) prevention initiatives through a Grant Programme supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the European Union (EU), in collaboration with the Gender Center NGO. The programs primarily aimed at fostering social cohesion between refugees and host families, while also raising awareness about gender-based violence and the available services for refugees and host communities.

„These grants symbolize our belief in the power of community engagement and women-led organizations working on the ground, and our commitment to investing in their capacity,” said Natalia Plugaru, UNFPA Assistant Representative. “We stand by them, supporting them as they bring about real change,” she added.

Women-led organizations played a crucial role in responding to the initial stages of the refugee crisis, reaching women and girls in the most remote and vulnerable locations. The five women-led organizations, namely NGOs Afina, Women for Contemporary Society, Baștina Frăsinești, Association for Human Rights Lex XXI, and Pro Cimislia, are all part of the Gender Platform Association, with the mission of promoting gender equality in the Republic of Moldova.

„The essential idea is that together, refugee women and women from local communities had the opportunity to engage in joint resilience activities, communication, and community cohesion,” said Valentina Bodrug-Lungu, President of the Gender Center. „Together, they undertook activities to prevent and combat gender-based violence, building that connection between humanitarian assistance, development, and peace”.

Over the past six months, these organizations have reached more than 7,400 women and girls through nearly 300 sessions, consultations, and cultural-educational activities. The focus has been on facilitating the integration of refugee women into the community, serving as a platform to address the sensitive issue of gender-based violence. Irina Jukova, a refugee from Ukraine accommodated in Bălți, shared her experience: „During the sessions, we ask a legal expert about what interests us, and he tells us how to ensure temporary protection, what we need, and what rights we have. We had discussions about family violence: financial, physical, in various forms. Here in Moldova, we looked at family violence issues differently”.

To provide quality support to refugees, almost a thousand representatives from the state and civil society have benefited from training aimed at preventing gender-based violence and human trafficking.

The Grant Programme was facilitated within the framework of the program „Improving access to life-saving Health and Gender-based Violence response services for Ukrainian Refugees and vulnerable host communities”, supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in the Republic of Moldova and funded by the European Union.

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