INITIATING CHANGE IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN MOLDOVA

The “Mă Implic” project supports the engagement of citizens in local decision-making in public services, jointly with local public authorities. The SDC-funded implementation project aims to increase the quality of those services and improve local governance practices.

Matthias Morgner, you are Skat’s team leader in Moldova since August 2020. What is the project about?
To me, it is about change. Our job is to help people in the villages understand that “more money”, e.g for a new waste collection truck, will not solve their problems. What makes a difference is a change in the way service provision is managed, or how the mayor communicates – so that public services such as drinking water are not something “the State” should solely be responsible for.

Every time I hear people saying with their own, genuine words that behaviours and attitudes are indeed changing thanks to the project. It is also gratifying to see how much we have grown as a team. We have learnt to manage disagreements, we try to use everyone’s ideas and energy, we trust each other. After all – we need to embody the change we aim to demonstrate to others ourselves. You have more experience with EU-funded projects.

How does it feel to work for a relatively small company like Skat Consulting and funded by Switzerland (SDC)?
Joining Skat to implement an SDC-funded project was one of the best decisions in my professional career. Skat and Swiss-funded projects are more flexible, and communication and decision-making is easier. This flexibility and efficient communication is the result of everyone’s commitment to deliver a project that “makes sense”, has an impact, and changes things for the better.

How is your project affected by the war in neighbouring Ukraine?
As of May 2022, our project is not directly impacted by the war. In addition to what we do, we provide additional support to our 30 partner localities to deal with the refugee crisis. We also have contributed to the design of a new project to support sanitary units for households hosting refugees from Ukraine in rural Moldova.

The full report can be downloaded here: https://skat.ch/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SC-Annual-Report_2021.pdf

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