Competitiveness Enhancement & Enterprise Development (CEED)
Implementer: Chemonics International, Inc.
Project period: 09/2005 - 09/2010

The Competitiveness Enhancement and Enterprise Development Project (CEED) is a market demand driven project that seeks to enhance the competitiveness of Moldovan private sector enterprises within the global market with an emphasis on: 1) textile and apparel; 2) information and communications technology; and 3) winemaking. CEED will work to establish a business environment that stimulates sustainable economic growth and promotes capital investment. CEED will also stimulate effective private/public dialogue and pursue transparency, international codes and performance standards.

Over time, CEED will catalyze the establishment of apex trade organizations that will benefit from efficient and effective relationships within sector supply chains and value chains. The goals of the project are to develop new and better paying jobs for Moldovan citizens and to increase revenues for the targeted sectors.

Private Farmer Commercialization Program (PFCP)
Implementer: Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA)
Project period: 02/2001 - 08/2006

The second of the two post-restructuring programs, the Private Farmer Commercialization Program, is designed to support Moldova’s agribusiness sector. The program will launch 75 additional community-level farm stores that will provide an expanded input supply, credit, and market network to thousands of new private farmers. Nine new agribusiness partnerships will be developed to improve Moldova’s capacity to produce fresh and frozen products and compete in NIS markets. Farmer credit programs will be expanded with the cooperation of Moldovan banks and other donor programs such as the World Bank-supported Rural Finance Corporation. Farmers will receive training in management, business planning and cooperative development.

The USAID’s Grain Warehouse Receipt Program, a component of PFCP, is designed to address the remaining legal and regulatory constraints, deepen and expand existing reforms, and facilitate country-wide implementation of a warehouse receipts system that would allow to develop reliable and secure business relations among all participants in Moldova ’s grain market. The USAID’s Grain Warehouse Receipts Program aims to help Moldovan farmers to increase productivity and utilize their land to its best advantage by ensuring access to the short-term credit resources. The program seeks to increase access to credit by using the farmer’s own produce as collateral. The program will also allow to increase the farmers financial flexibility by providing lenders with liquid and guaranteed safe collateral that can easily be marketable in case of loan default.

Land Privatization Support Program
Implementer: Development Alternatives, Inc (DAI)
Project Period: 05/2003 - 05/2006

The objective of this project is to correct survey and land distribution errors made during the initial land privatization project. This privatization support project also will provide a means to consolidate land holdings, advance gains made in land privatization, and assist in the development of private property rights.  It will assist Moldova to achieve economic growth through the development of a land market and increased investment in agriculture for small, medium and large landholders.  This project will help consolidate land holdings through market-driven mechanisms, advance gains made in land privatization, and assist in the development of private property rights.  

Agribusiness Development Project (ADP)
Implementer: Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA)
Project period: 06/2004 - 06/2009

The Agribusiness Development Project (ADP) seeks to increase rural incomes and employment by improving the international competitiveness and trade performance of Moldova ’s agricultural sector ensuring that Moldova ’s private farmers achieve economic success in the transition to a market economy.  ADP addresses four areas: a) Information - Export Market Penetration and Diversification, b) Agribusiness - Establishment/Strengthening of Value-Adding Enterprises to Produce for Export Market, c) Farmers - Increasing for Export the Supply and Quality of Agricultural Products at the Farm Level, and 4) Organizational Development.

BIZPRO – Small and Medium Enterprises Development
Implementer: Development Alternatives, Inc. (DAI)
Project period: 05/2001 - 09/2006

The  objective of the BIZPRO Project is to increase the role of small and medium enterprises in the economy of Moldova by facilitating access of SMEs to business management skills and information, capacity building of business service providers (BSP), strengthening of business associations (BA), providing support to policy reformers and improving access to finance of SMEs. Achievement of this objective will create jobs and self-employment opportunities, and help alleviate poverty in Moldova. The project is assisting SMEs to acquire the capability of operating in a commercially viable and sustainable manner in competition with other business entities.

Western NIS Enterprise Fund
Implementer: Western NIS Enterprise Fund
Project period: 06/1995 - onward

The Western NIS Enterprise Fund, a private equity fund with a management portfolio of $150 million, promotes the expansion and strengthening of privatized Moldovan businesses by providing capital, management and marketing assistance, and information systems for new and/or existing enterprises. The Fund makes equity investments and debt transactions including direct loans to entrepreneurs and lease-financing for equipment and/or property to those companies that demonstrate strong prospects for growth and a high rate of return on investment.

Farmer-to-Farmer – Agriculture Volunteers Program (AVP)
Implementer: Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) 
Project period: 09/1999 - 09/2007

The Farmer-to Farmer program mobilizes skilled volunteers to assist individual farmers and farmer cooperatives in grassroots initiatives that impact agribusiness development. Roughly 35 volunteers, many of whom have over 20 years of farming and business experience in the U.S, participate every year. Volunteers work side by side with Moldovan farmers in assignments that help local farming communities with strategic marketing, development of farmer cooperatives, assistance with developing budgets and work plans, and training local trainers in financial management and record-keeping. The program works closely with the American Farm Bureau Federation and its Women’s Committee to strengthen the representation of women in agriculture and agribusiness.

Credit Enhancement Program
Implementers: Moldinconbank, Banca Sociala, Mobiasbanca, Corporatia Finantare Rurala
Project Period: 10/2003 – 9/2009

The Development Credit Authority (DCA) loan portfolio guarantee facility is intended to encourage selected Moldovan banks to grant credit to farmers and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by facilitating access to capital, cash markets and technical know-how to both small farmers and SMEs. The Development Credit Authority creates a mechanism to provide risk-sharing alternatives for mobilizing private capital in Moldova and to overcome major obstacles such as the lack of financing for to micro and small businesses, and small farmers for short, medium- and long- term loans. The program is also providing critically needed capital and opportunity for Moldova ’s small businesses and farmers.  This program is building on the successes of the existing guarantee facility of $5.0mln. provided to three Moldovan banks: Agroinbank ($3m), Victoria Bank ($1m) and Fincom Bank ($1m). By this project USAID is opening a Loan Portfolio Guarantee facility for four new financial institutions in total amount of $8m: Mobiasbank - $4m, Moldinconbank - $2m, Banca Sociala - $1m, Rural Finance Corporation - $1m.

Rule of Law
Implementer: American Bar Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI)
Project period: 09/1994 - 12/2006

ABA/CEELI works with Moldovan legal institutions, judges, bar associations, students, and lawyers to strengthen the quality and awareness of legal education and legal reforms, with an emphasis on environmental law, public awareness of the legal profession in a democratic society, and judicial reform. CEELI also develops continuing legal education programs with the Collegium of Advocates and the Judicial Training Center of the Republic of Moldova.

Local Government Reform Project
Implementer: The Urban Institute
Project period: 02/2000 - 08/2007

This project has three main tasks to: help establish legislation empowering local government and implementing regulations that clarify and decentralize authority to the local level; build the capacity of municipal officials to implement legislative, administrative and financial reforms through training in management of municipal services, assets, and strategic planning; and strengthen the capacity of indigenous NGOs and Mayors’ associations advocating local government reform while increasing public participation in the reform process.

Strengthening Democratic Political Activism in Moldova (SPA)
Implementer: Consortium for Election and Political Process Strengthening II 
(CEPPS): The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National
Democratic Institute (NDI)
Project period: 10/2003 – 09/2006  

The political parties project addresses the issues of political power, democratic initiatives and leadership skills at the grass-roots level.  The objective of the program is to create conditions for the political leadership to evolve in communities, involve local political structures, empower political activists, and build democratic practices from the bottom up. IRI activities focus on (1) increasing political activism among men and women, both party activists and independents, particularly at the local level; (2) augmenting the effectiveness of local political activists and local party members to achieve specific policy objectives (i.e. to achieve progress on issues identified by voters as important); (3) strengthening democratic local party structures; and (4) fostering concrete reforms within party structures at the national level. NDI will seek to strengthen Moldovan political parties by providing assistance and training in (1) organizing party structures, (2) methods and uses of public opinion research, (3) recruitment and mobilization of members at the local party level, (4) citizen outreach, (5) developing a policy platform, and (6) coalition building.

The Moldova Citizen Participation Program
Implementer: International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)
Project period: 09/2004 - 09/2009

The Moldova Citizen Participation Program (MCPP) will enhance the capacity of citizens throughout Moldova to create tangible and positive change in their own communities through civic activity and democratic practices. The MCPP will mobilize communities throughout Moldova (excluding Chisinau), build the capacity of community activists and NGOs to implement projects that create positive change in the quality of community life, fund local community-based development activities and projects, increase citizens’ knowledge of transparent government processes and procedures, and foster constructive citizen/local government dialogue and partnerships. At the end of the proposed project local communities throughout Moldova will have addressed a variety of their priority development needs by effectively mobilizing their own resources, selecting and supporting local leadership, and collaborating with a variety of public and private sector entities.

Reform and the Nonprofit Sector
Implementer: The Eurasia Foundation
Project period: 05/1993 - onwards

The Eurasia Foundation grant-making program awarded small grants to strengthen the nonprofit sector’s involvement in reform. Grant proposals are reviewed in business development; business education and management training; economic education and research; public administration and local government reform; NGO development; rule of law; media; and electronic communications.

Community Connections Program
Implementer: World Learning for International Development/Center for Social and Economic Development (CSED)
Timeframe: 09/2005 – 09/2010

Community Connections (CC) is a U.S. Department of State exchange program being transferred to USAID. It focuses on the public diplomacy goal of exposing participants to U.S. society and promoting reform in Moldova. CC interventions are homestay-based practical opportunities in the U.S. for entrepreneurs, local government, legal professionals, non-governmental organization leaders and other professionals.  Participants are placed with community organizations of similar interest in the U.S. that arrange such activities as hands-on internships with volunteer companies and organizations, site-visits, professional training, seminars, and community-based cultural activities. Community Connections activities will: expose participants to U.S. society; create links between U.S. and Moldovan communities; encourage public-private partnerships in Moldova by including private sector and government participants; and provide professional training and exposure to the day-to-day functioning of a free market system and democratic society.

Anti-Trafficking Initiative
Implementer: Winrock International, Inc.
Timeframe: 08/2004 - 08/2008

The USAID Anti-Trafficking Initiative will reduce the criminal trade in human beings in Moldova through a comprehensive set of activities focusing specifically on the economic roots of trafficking and improving access for young women and girls to employment within Moldova. The project will provide victim assistance and support services, an effective outreach component, improve access to employment and business opportunities, and implement an awareness enhancement program.

Strengthening Tuberculosis Control in Moldova
Implementer:  American International Health Alliance (AIHA)
Project period: 10/2003-09/2007

The Strengthening Tuberculosis Control program aims at assisting the GOM in combating the tuberculosis epidemic in Moldova by enhancing the nationwide implementation of the cost-effective Directly Observed Treatment, Short Course strategy (DOTS) approaches for tuberculosis diagnosis, treatment and surveillance procedures. The anticipated results will be reflected in the increased access to quality TB services for vulnerable groups and higher detection and cure rate that would break the spiral of tuberculosis transmission. These results will be achieved through the implementation of four components involving DOTS-based policies and practices that will: 1)establish a National TB Laboratory Network to diagnose infectious pulmonary tuberculosis, 2) improve human resource capacity and disease control services within the general health system, particularly at the primary health care level, strengthening the system’s capacity to initially detect YB suspects and provide post-hospital treatment and care, 3) improve TB surveillance, 4) increase public awareness on TB issues.

Combating Tuberculosis: Moldova/Romania Cross-Border Activities
Implementer: World Health Organization (WHO);
Rational Pharmaceutical Management Plus Project
Project period: 09/2002 - 05/2006

The project aims at improving the organization and management of TB laboratory services in the two countries by providing technical assistance and training of TB laboratory personnel; setting up systems for internal and external proficiency testing and to improve laboratory safety, including provision of a minimum amount of safety equipment; fostering collaboration between TB experts in the two countries.

Better Opportunities for Youth and Women in Moldova
Implementer: UNDP
Project period: 10/2004 – 09/2007

The project will establish a network of self-sustaining transitional living and educational “halfway houses” in Moldova. The purpose of the network is to reduce the vulnerability of returned trafficking victims and state boarding school and orphanage graduates to the criminal trade in human beings in Moldova by providing safe, affordable, supervised learning and living environments where they will have access to life-skills, job and employment training, health services and counseling, and tangible work experience that can prepare them for meaningful employment in Moldova and successful (re) integration into the community.  

Demographic and Health Survey
Implementer: Macro International
Project period: 08/2004 - 03/2006

This survey is expected to provide data on a number of indicators such as reproductive health, maternal, and infant health. The survey is a joint effort of USAID, Macro International, UNICEF, and UNFPA.

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