The power of together
Moldova Partner's Group
Beginnings
by David Crossman
My first visit to Moldova lasted three weeks. It was supposed to be a two week stay, but I came down with pneumonia. Welcome to Moldova. During the extra week, however, I realized something: Moldova is broken. Of course, I knew what had to be done to fix it; simply build food processing plants to create value-added products of all the vegetables that - because of new Russian restrictions - were rotting in the field, and fruit on the vine.
My second trip lasted four months, and about mid-way through that I realized something else; I didn't have a clue. I began to wonder if this complex little country was a kind of Twilight Zone of fun-house mirrors in which every solution produced a crop of new, well, let's call them challenges.
The third sojourn was for five months, that I really began to realize how deep and many-layered the disfunction was. And I wasn't alone. I've often said it seems that, pound-for-pound, there are more missionaries, NGO workers, agents of foreign entities, and non-profit volunteers in Moldova than there are Moldovans.
Well, it certainly seems that way sometimes.
One day I was sitting in a favorite coffee shop (no, not that one), working away at my computer on my latest solution to fix Moldova, when I noticed a familiar triumvirate of men at a nearby table:
Man #1 Well-intentioned foreigner
Man #2 Enthusiastic Moldovan
Man #3 Moldovan translator.
Eavesdropping shamelessly, it became evident that #1 intended to start a new organization dedicated to rescuing trafficked children from the streets and training them in vocations whereby they could become self-sufficient. #2 Was very eager to help #1 achieve his goals. I seem to remember him saying: "This could be done with very little money..." or something to that effect. #3 Seemed receptive to the idea, and was very encouraging as well.
The thing is, I already knew an organization, operated by nationals, that had the same agenda, a seasoned staff, a great track record, and proven methods of dealing with problems that, being Moldovans, they understood.
That's when I came to understand that the reason so many well-intentioned people, with such great reservoirs of time, talent, and money, were achieving so little, is because they weren't talking to one another. In fact, they were often completely unaware of one another.
What is needed, I decided, is a database wherein is listed every non-profit that is engaged in Moldova, and including information on their mission, where they're working and with whom, a calendar to mark progress, and an open forum that would allow for and encourage the exchange of information, the hope being that partnerships will be forged, resources more wisely allocated and efforts more productive. Or, at the very least, to avoid duplication of effort.
Moldova Partner's Group is that database.