The USAID- and Sweden-funded Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP), in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, and other local organizations, created the Tree of Life agenda — a centralized calendar of cultural events. One component of those events is the IA Mania Festival — a unique festival celebrating the traditional Romanian embroidered blouse,…
The Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP) invested in a multi-channel digital marketing campaign, #BeOurGuest, which focused on attracting visitors to Moldova’s rural areas. More visitors result in more jobs in hospitality, providing a valuable alternative to migration for the thousands of rural women who leave the country each year. The project created a campaign inviting youth…
A Moldovan man, who previously worked in Italy for a better livelihood, is now able to return home and achieve his dream of creating high-quality wine, with the help of his daughter and the Moldovan Competitiveness Project (MCP). Funded by USAID and the government of Sweden, the MCP launched the Association of Small Winemakers (ASW)…
Wine is not only a part of Moldova’s cultural heritage, it’s also a major component of its modern economy, generating revenue for over 200,000 people and representing five percent of all exports. When Moldova’s largest market, Russia, launched two trade embargoes, exports shrank three-fold and the industry fell into recession. Grape growers and bulk wine…
The Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP), funded by USAID and Sweden, invests in targeted design, technology, and business-knowledge training for workers in the fashion industry. The project addresses education gaps and equips workers with creative and technical skills to increase the competitiveness of businesses. Through MCP, OldCom, a Moldovan shoe company, not only employs but improves…
At OldCom, one of Moldova’s most famous shoe manufacturers, production has transitioned from low-value technical and work footwear, to fashionable, modern shoes, but the people and processes in the factory struggled to keep up with demand. Until recently, all of OldCom’s products were conceptualized and sketched by a single designer, and materials were cut by…
The Moldova Competitiveness Project (MCP) SMART program (Streamline Manufacturing, Accountability, Resource efficiency and Transparency) supports large factories to assess risks, enhance productivity, and improve occupational health and safety. This results in more jobs, good working conditions, and salaries up to twice the national average for the thousands of women these factories employ. This is significant…
Iulian Gulea, a Young Moldovan programmer, came across the issue of how employers were struggling to connect youth with jobs, and vice versa. From that problem emerged the idea for an app that he developed with recruitment expert Eugeniu Girla, combining their expertise to create their startup GAUS. This app leverages Moldova’s expertise in Artificial…
Svetlana Arabadji, director and owner of the RiDiager apparel company based in Comrat, Gagauzia, envisioned her business as a good quality workplace providing decent salaries for rural women. This in turn would result in strong returns for her business: quality production with a lower turnover of seamstresses, and higher productivity. This vision is in alignment with the USAID- and Sweden-funded Moldova Competitiveness Project’s (MCP) strategy to enhance the…
In Peru, communities who rely on coca cultivation for their livelihoods are often wrought with insecurity and poverty. Data shows that coca cultivation only exacerbates these conditions. In recent years, to limit drug trafficking, Peruvian anti-drug institutions have eradicated coca cultivation fields, while other Peruvian institutions have provided alternative livelihoods to alleviate poverty and take…
While Ghana has experienced much needed growth and development in the agriculture sector, the Ghanaian government has identified many opportunities to address remaining challenges to unlock its full economic potential. To address these challenges, the U.S. government launched the five-year, $15 million Feed the Future Agriculture Policy Support Project in 201, which increased the capacity of…
This post originally appeared on the SEEP Network. What is the difference between a market distortion and a market disruption, and do we need to track data differently in these contexts? These are the fundamental questions that panelists at the 2018 SEEP Annual Conference session, M&E for Markets: Building Evidence, Tracking Distortions, and Measuring Success tried to answer. In…