Build an environmental training center in Moldova

Dear partners,

Even though we have just officially opened the doors of the Environmental Training Center and the Eco-Village is still work in progress, we already have an exciting new sub-project!

Eco-Village now hosts a Horse Sanctuary and namely 4 horses that have been salvaged from their way to the slaughter house. The initiative came from Valeriu, a social activist, winemaker and project manager, as well as Cristina, a true horse lover who has been training with horses for more than 14 years, since the age of 4.

Our mission now is to salvage these horses, offering them good living conditions, fair work and helping us and our visitors better understand the animal world. This Horse Sanctuary could complement a number of existing initiatives:

• Promoting more sustainable practices. Just as we try to raise awareness about soil protection, eco-friendly lifestyles, we hope the Horse Sanctuary will offer information and skills on treating domestic animals with dignity and respect.
• Rural development through eco-tourism. A few months ago we started developing forest trails with a youth group from the village. With 4 horses being trained, and a number of bicycles available, those trails could be explored by people of all ages, including families, whether they prefer hiking, bicycling or horse/carriage riding.
• Strengthening partnerships. This year we started environmental mainstreaming consultancy for a number of non-profit organizations working with people with disabilities. This collaboration could be further strengthened through common projects, like horse therapy activities.
• Organizing youth programs. Integrating activities with horses into our training programs will offer additional opportunities for youth empowerment and engagement.

A very important milestone was to build a stable and get the horses to shelter before cold weather hits. Now that the basic structure is up and the horses are inside we are on a challenge to gather partners, volunteers and resources to fulfill our mission. 

Your support at this initial stage would allow us to buy the missing roughage, organize a riding arena for horse training, prepare educational events and attract more volunteers.

Since the horses joined our community 3 months ago, we understood this is not only about saving these 4 beautiful creatures, it is about believing and showing that there is another way to collaborate with the animals that surround us, with plenty of room for improving how we see this world, how we communicate and how we treat what is out there. Because, ultimately, that is how we end up treating each other and ourselves.

Dear Friends,

Recently, our village received a Peace Corps volunteer from the US, Corey Sung. He came for two years to work with us, with the local library, as well as various community members from our village. As a way to freshen up our reports, we asked him to share his impressions of our project. Here is the Environmental Training Center seen through his eyes:

“When I arrived at the Eco-Village Moldova, I had no idea what to expect, but I did know that it was unlike anything else in Moldova – or, to be frank, anything I had ever seen before. The floors were made from earthen bricks and the walls were coated with clay and created out of reeds. Little did I know then, but these were a couple of the many ways that the Environmental Training Center was built to be cost-efficient and environmentally sustainable.  

In addition to the buildings themselves, the land is being used to grow crops; however, Eco-Village uses different methods to keep the growth sustainable. For example, the plot of land in the front uses permaculture principles to keep the plants healthy and self-sufficient, as well as to rehabilitate the soil. As someone who had little knowledge of such principles, I was genuinely impressed by the way Liliana and her team incorporated these ideas into Eco-Village.

For me, the most impressive thing that Eco-Village does is that it is slowly becoming a hub for active citizens in Moldova. Working alongside its partners, many sessions are held in the Environmental Training Center where an exchange of ideas occurs. During my time working alongside Liliana, the Eco-Village hosted several sessions about environmental sustainability (ex. consumption & waste management, energy efficiency), youth leadership, and teamwork; in the following weeks, there will be sessions on financial literacy, and a workshop with local youth on sustainable business practices.

Looking forward, I am excited to continue working alongside Liliana and the great staff here at the Environmental Training Center. The work that they do is, in my opinion, incredibly beneficial to both the community that they’re in and also Moldova as a whole.

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