The festive opening ceremony took place on August 26 2022 and brought together dozens of employees' children, who will be able to spend fun and safe time with their parents. The executive director of Asena Textil, Ludmila Sert emphasized that UNFPA's support is a first step for improving the working conditions of employees.
"For our company, it is very important that our employees manage to successfully combine work and family life. By arranging this play space for employees' families with children, along with other initiatives, we will succeed in keeping employees at work and creating a family-friendly environment. We don't stop here, we plan to develop other family-friendly projects", emphasized Ludmila Sert, Executive Director of Asena Textil SRL.
At the event, Irina Vlah, Head of UTA Gagauzia welcomed the initiative of the company and the results of the project Expanding Choices: Gender-Sensitive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and the Republic of Moldova", implemented by UNFPA, and encouraged the representatives of the private sector in the region to adopt similar good practices. "Setting up this play and rest space is a first initiative among private companies in Gagauzia. By creating family-friendly conditions, we help people stay and continue to work in the country”, stated Irina Vlah.
The initiative is part of the UNFPA Demographic Resilience Programme that aimesto support the countries in the region to develop demographic policies and programmes for people to respond to demographic changes, strengthen human capital and define a prosperous future.
"Implementation of concrete examples of family-friendly initiatives in the workplace will boost the development of gender-sensitive, inclusive and socially sustainable workplaces in the Republic of Moldova. Thiswill offer flexibility to women and men in balancing professional and personal life, which contributes to achieving fertility aspirations and strengthening the demographic resilience of the country", reiterated Nelea Rusu, UNFPA Moldova project coordinator.
The play and rest area was set up as part of the project competition "Granting Funds for the development of family-friendly initiatives", launched in the spring of 2022 by UNFPA together with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova, in order to support companies for development and setting up family-friendly spaces at work.
"Setting up this play and rest space is a reason for happiness , both for the children and for us, the parents, as we spend a good part of the day at the workplace. From now on, we will know that when children accompany us to work, they will be in our sights, they will play and build new friendships", said a mother employed at the Asena Textil company.
During the event, the company offered school bags and sets of school supplies for the employees' children who go to 1st class.
Unpaid care work is an exclusive responsibility for the majority of women in the Republic of Moldova, the situation being exacerbated as a result of the pandemic, according to the "Generations and Gender" survey. The government, private sector and external partners joined forces to expand opportunities for women and men to support couples having the desired number of children and achieve their professional and personal aspirations.
In the spring of 2022, as part of the Family Friendly Workplace Initiatives Launch Ceremony, the private companies Orange Moldova, Panilino, Premier Energy Distribution and Asena Textil were co-financed by UNFPA with USD 5,000 each, and the companies doubled the contribution to arrange family-friendly spaces at the workplace.
The "Expanding Choices: Gender-Responsive Family Policies for the Private Sector in the Western Balkans and Moldova" project is implemented by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), with the support of the Austrian Development Agency, in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Moldova.
