“The Moldovan parliament, government, and political parties have the trust of less than ten per cent of the population,” Vlada Ciobanu explains.

This fact is one reason why Vlada, who train activists to run grassroots campaigns and use online communications, wants to use a fellowship with the Prague Civil Society Centre to explore how to “empower a self-sustaining civil society” in Moldova.

The “chasm” in trust between the people and their politicians, “could be covered by a strong civil society,” Vlada says.

“Paradoxically, Moldovans do not trust NGOs. They can rarely name an NGO, explain the role of NGOs and are not willing to volunteer.

“On the other hand, NGOs rarely understand that they have to represent groups of people, to promote and defend their interests, and to design projects for people, not for donors.”

Vlada says she will use her fellowship to “analyse the current situation and come up with recommendations for NGOs and donors to design projects for communities and people, and also to consider diverse means of funding, including through crowdfunding or the contributions of direct beneficiaries.”

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