Moldova Rural LEADER Project (MRLP) was officially launched as a result of a new collaboration between USAID Moldova, Solidarity Fund PL and Polish Aid.
The event took place on the 22nd of September, attended online by Bartłomiej Zdaniuk, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Republic of Moldova, Scott Hocklander, Director of the USAID Mission in Moldova, Dorin Andros, State Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Aleksandra Jarosiewicz, Executive Director of Solidarity Fund PL. Additionally, the participants of the event received a welcoming video message by Brock Bierman, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia and Marek Kuberski, Deputy Director of the Department of Development Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. The event marked the official launch of the new project.
The project, with a total budget of USD 3 mln, pursues the implementation and promotion of the LEADER approach in the rural areas of the Republic of Moldova. MRLP helps to create diverse local development opportunities, as well as, to implement local micro-projects.
The Moldova Rural LEADER Project is a new component of the development process, that will help identify and value the local resources in micro-regions. It will support the active Local Action Groups (LAGs) in rural areas, and it will also contribute to the creation of new LAGs. A large part of the funds will be dedicated to financing local projects that will improve the rural economy.
The project consists of four LEADER activities:
- LEADER Inception – creation of 16 LAGs;
- LEADER Advancers – support is offered to the local development projects in partnership with ca. 12 LAGs;
- LEADER Innovators – piloting innovative instruments for the local economic development;
- LEADER Knowledge – analysis of the development impact.
The Moldova Rural LEADER Project is financed by USAID Moldova and Polish Aid, implemented by Solidarity Fund PL in Moldova and the National LEADER Network in the Republic of Moldova. Strategic partner: Ministry of Agriculture, Regional Development and Environment (MADRE).