Progress Report
Moldova Energy and Biomass Project
Ref:
Reporting period:
Gender mainstreaming results
January 1 – December 31, 2013
Starting with 2013, Moldova Energy and Biomass Project is implementing the provisions of the
“Gender Mainstreaming Action Plan”, elaborated as result of the in-depth analysis of the
project’s gender equity through the gender perspective. Here below are some of the key results in
2013 with regards to the promotion of gender equality and mainstreaming gender in project
activities.
1. Incentives to advance the economic empowerment of women entrepreneurs from the
biomass fuel production sector put in place
A dedicated selection criterion granting preferential access of women entrepreneurs willing to
start or expand an existing biomass fuel production business has been formulated and introduced
in the Regulation of the Leasing Mechanism for biomass processing equipment implemented by
MEBP in cooperation with the Energy Efficiency Agency. The leasing scheme allows the
entrepreneurs to purchase briquetting and pelleting equipment exempt of VAT and import duties,
and pay for in instalments within over 3-year span. As result of the changes operated to the
Regulation, the woman-led enterprise, “Ecobricheta”, LLC has been selected to benefit from the
leasing mechanism in 2013. The new briquetting line will triple the enterprise’s output– from 90
tons of briquettes produced monthly, to 300 tonnes and will generate 15 new jobs. The resulted
output is sufficient to heat 5 schools and kindergartens through the entire heating season.
2. New jobs for women from rural areas created as result of biomass heating projects’
implementation
With the transition to biomass derived heating, kindergartens supported by MEBP have been able
to heat additional day-care rooms, thus allowing the admission of larger number of children. In
order to meet the increasing number of children, which the parents are now comfortable sending
to warmer classrooms, in 2013 only, 6 women have been employed by the public institutions
assisted by the Biomass project. Additionally, with the increasing demand for biomass fuel from
the rural public institutions heated with biomass, the local fuel suppliers had to add up new staff.
As result, 10 women have been granted employment by the respective operations.
3. Demonstrated efforts to communicate the gender equality aspect in energy & environment
projects
Since gender results generated by Energy & Environments projects implemented by UNDP are
often under-communicated, the Energy and Biomass Project sought the cooperation of Radio “
Free Europe – Moldova” to develop and air the story of the first, and among the few in Moldova,
woman-led
biomass
briquettes’
production
enterprises
(http://www.europalibera.org/content/article/25188833.html) The online article also talks about
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the recycling business that is managed by the husband of the woman-entrepreneur and the
cooperation and learning between the two.
In order to contribute to the change of stereotypes about the businesses in the energy sector that
are primarily male managed and owned, a separate success story (http://biomasa.aee.md/newsen/2445/; Annex 1) that provides the detailed story of the woman-led briquette production
business supported by MEBP, but also showcasing the overall results of the projects in terms of
promoting gender equality, has been developed and disseminated widely through national and
regional online platforms (http://undp.akvoapp.org/en/project/551/update/4460/).
4. Gender awareness among project partners increased as result of gender equality awareness
work undertaken by the project
As result of continuous encouragement of more active involvement of qualified women at all
levels of project intervention, the key national partner of MEBP – Agency Efficiency Agency
made a special effort to include at least one qualified woman in the evaluation panels for the 2013
edition of Moldova Eco-Energetica Competition that selects and awards the best projects and
practices in the area of renewable energy and energy efficiency. One of the 5 evaluation panels is
also led by a woman. These are encouraging results especially since even the research community
and most specialists in the energy sector are men. At the same time, the number of women
attending the ceremony where the winners of Moldova Eco-Energetica competition are awarded
has increased as compared to previous years – at least 25-30 % women in 2013, as compared to
10-15% only in the previous years.
5. Active participation of women in decision making structures at community and national
level continuously fostered
The rate of women participation in the Community Project Committees – key decision making
body at community level, continued to be high in 2013. In total 81 women (60% of total) became
members of these committees in 2013. Women and men worked hand in hand in the preparation
of project proposals for MEBP funding, and managed to raise USD 290, 729 as communities’
contribution (in kind, works and monetary) to EU-UNDP investments in biomass heating projects
6. Improved heating comfort benefited employees of schools and kindergartens, children,
and indirectly their parents/care-takers as follows:
- 1,623 girls, or 52% of total children attending the schools and kindergartens heated with
biomass in 2013 were able to attend classes full time, breathe cleaner air and catch fewer
colds due to warmer classrooms at all time, as results of affordable biomass heating solution
achieved as result of MEBP support;
- 528 women, or 76% of total employees of the schools and kindergartens heated with biomass
are enjoying better working conditions due to warmers classrooms and cleaner environments;
- 2,778 mothers of children or/and their care takers sending their children attend school and
kindergarten classes full time are able to cater better for their needs regarding education and
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full-time employment, contributing in such a way to an overall increase in the household
income.
7. Collection of sex-disaggregated data continued in 2013 with regards to:
- Girls and boys attending the public institutions where biomass boilers have been installed
with MEBP support
- Staff currently working in public institutions benefiting from biomass heating systems
- Staff additionally employed by public institutions and biomass fuel entrepreneurs as result of
biomass heating project implementation
- Managers of public institutions receiving biomass boilers within MEBP
- Women and men participating in training and capacity building activities.
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Annex 1
Success story: Green energy creates new opportunities for women
Overwhelmed by daily concerns, having to cope with the challenges of being a mother of two and
an excellent wife, Ludmila Abramciuc from the town of Balti in Moldova, leaves everyone in
awe when she announces that since 2008 she finds time and energy to manage a biomass
briquette production company.
Difficulties? There were many indeed, the woman
confessed, but she managed to address them gracefully. It
has been a challenge to demonstrate to her business partners
that besides excelling in the kitchen, she can successfully
lead of a company - “Ecobricheta” LLC, that operates in a
field primarily dominated by men – the energy efficiency
sector.
”At the beginning, my business partners, and even my
employees, regarded me somewhat suspiciously. They
probably doubted whether I could ‘make it’ in the
energy field, where one encounters mostly men than
women. In spite of this, their doubts vanished the
moment they realised they are talking to a professional.
In fact, having many years of hands-on experience in the
recycling industry has helped me a great deal in
managing the present company. Moreover, I am pleased
with the fact that I managed to create 15 new jobs”,
proudly states Ludmila Abramciuc.
Ludmila Abramciuc, owner and manager of
“Ecobricheta” LLC demonstrates a sample of
the biomass briquettes produced by the
enterprise she is proudly leading
Half-joking, half-serious, the leader of “Ecobricheta” SRL
is convinced that there should be more women engaged in
renewable energy field:
”Only in such a way the country would be kept tidy.
Nothing should be discarded, everything needs to be
recycled. Moreover, I think that recycling businesses
Photo credit: UNDP Moldova/Nicolae Zaharia
should be managed by women, who are, in my opinion
mindful and cost-effective. Honestly, I would prefer to have more women on my team
because they are more responsible and aren’t late for work”, Ludmila Abramciuc stated.
Her spouse, also owner of a non-metallic waste recycling business, supported Ludmila in all her
aspirations. For more than a decade “Junicart-Com” LLC, led by Ivan Damaschin, processes
carton, plastic, rubber and textile waste, and converts it into pyrolysis oil, a fuel that can be used
for heating.
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In the businessman’s opinion, the household waste is not just a source of odour and pollution as
many could think. The waste, properly processed, may generate liquefied gas that can be used for
heating. Prior to the establishment of the company, the waste from Balti municipality was simply
buried near the outskirts of the city: “The waste was collected daily and disposed of at the
town landfill to be buried afterwards or, even worse, burnt, in absence of another
alternative. Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the waste has not been recycled, thus,
has been polluting the environment ever since. Once we started to work in this field, we
began to sort the wastes. We paid some private individuals who were eager to earn an
additional income, and they collected the specific types of waste that we purchased from
them, and recycled it.”
Ivan Damaschin admits that he is proud to introduce his wife to his business partners not just as
an excellent better half, but as a dependable business partner as well.
Since the businesses headed by this couple proved their efficiency and sustainability on the
Moldovan energy market, they have recently been assisted by the Energy Efficiency Agency and
the Energy and Biomass Project, funded by the European Union and implemented and cofinanced by UNDP in Moldova, in procuring highly performing briquette production equipment
out of cereal and forestry residues (sawdust, straw, sunflower hulls). The entrepreneurs admit that
without the project support they would have not been able to afford such equipment, which costs
over MDL 300, 000 (approx. 23,000 USD). Thus, thanks to the new installation, “Ecobricheta”
LLC would achieve a threefold increase in briquette output. If until now the company was able to
produce 90 tonnes of briquettes per month, nowadays it can produce more than 300 tonnes. The
latter quantity is sufficient to heat five schools and kindergartens during the winter season.
The 1 million EUR financial assistance provided by the Energy and Biomass Project aims to
stimulate the Moldovan biomass
fuel production market, and is
intended
to
facilitate
the
procurement, under a leasing
scheme, of a wide range of biomass
baling, milling, briquetting and
pelleting equipment by private
businesses. The equipment is
provided
under
advantageous
conditions for a three-year period
with 0% commission, 0% interest
and zero-rate VAT. It is expected,
that 200 – 250 new jobs will be
created as a result of implementing
the leasing financing programme.
Ludmila Abramciuc and her spouse Ivan Damaschim talking about the
advantages of the new biomass briquetting line purchased via the
Energy and Biomass Project leasing mechanism in 2013
Photo credit: UNDP Moldova/Nicolae Zaharia
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The endeavours undertaken by Ivan Damaschin and Ludmila Abramciuc from Balti haven’t
remained unnoticed. They found themselves among the champions in the renewable energy field
in Moldova and were awarded for their success at the “Moldova Eco-Energetica” Gala, organised
by the Ministry of Economy and Energy
Efficiency Agency with support from the
Energy and Biomass project.
By means of such programmes, the
Energy and Biomass Project hopes to
contribute not just to the achievement of
the national targets set by the Moldovan
authorities in terms of reducing the
country’s energy dependence, but also to
promote the economic and civic
participation of women as widely as
possible, explains Victoria Ignat, gender
focal point and training specialist with
the project: ”The experience of the
Energy and Biomass Project shows
that women play an important role in
the
decision
making
processes
associated with the implementation of
biomass heating projects in beneficiary
communities. Thus, around 56% of the
members in the Community Project
Ludmila Ambramciuc and Ivan Damaschin talking about the
Committees are women, who work side
recycling business that got them the prestigious Moldova Ecoby side with men, in designing project
Energetica” Award in 2013
proposals for affordable heating of
public institutions with biomass,
Photo credit: Eduard Bizgu
mobilising local citizens and collecting
community contribution - at least 15% of the EU-UNDP investment value. We are also
pleased that the leasing mechanism implemented by the project opens new possibilities for
women entrepreneurs who want to start or expand clean fuel production businesses in
Moldova.”
The EU-funded Energy and Biomass Project has set the goal to connect at least 130
kindergartens, schools and community centres across the country to biomass heating systems by
the end of 2014.
Only by the end of 2013, some 121 public institutions, mainly schools and kindergartens, will
have access to environmentally-friendly and affordable biomass-derived energy. The institution
managers may channel the savings obtained from lower heating bills to supplement the libraries
with textbooks, to repair gyms or to arrange playgrounds for children.
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According to the project data, around 7,000 people, of whom 80% are women employed as
managers, teachers or civil servants, benefit from better working conditions and improved heating
comfort in rural public institutions throughout Moldova.
The indirect beneficiaries of the project are the parents of those 42,000 children attending the
schools and kindergartens, who are no longer worried that their children would spend time in cold
or poor heated classrooms or kindergartens. Also, they have now more time to undertake fulltime employment, thus contributing to increasing the family incomes in the longer run.
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