Almost half a year after the start of the armed conflict in the neighboring country, thousands of refugees continue to be hosted by our country. They quickly learned how to face the marathon of challenges, to integrate more easily and enjoy the support of society. Some of them found him in the IT community from Chisinau, participating in a new edition of “Digital Connections: Moldova-Ukraine” – networking event hosted by IHUB/Seed Forum Moldova in collaboration with UN Women, with the financial support of Sweden and USAID, in partnership with the Tekwill project.
“Digital Connections: Moldova-Ukraine” is the right platform to know the professional and life stories and experiences of women of any age or professional training. A refugee in our country, Elena chose to work at a non-governmental organization, to lend a shoulder and help other compatriots of hers.
“Now I have two homes and two countries that I love – Ukraine and Moldova. War requires you to adapt to survive, that’s how I ended up in Moldova, I got a job in an NGO that offers support to refugees from Ukraine. We opened the first office in Chisinau and helped several Ukrainian citizens to enter the labor field. There are a lot of innovative ideas and a lot of potential among the community of Ukrainians who have settled long-term in Moldova. For women, things are more complicated. And this, because until we talk about their employment in the labor field, it is necessary to find solutions for children’s involvement in various activities”, said Elena.
In order to convey a positive message of social inclusion and strengthening the connection with the local community, women working in the IT field from Moldova were also invited to the event. Svetlana Gorsa, Human Resources Projects Coordinator within “Orange Moldova” and Elena Pascal, representative of “Pentalog Moldova”, they spoke to the participants about the IT sector, the realities and trends of the labor market, current needs and opportunities for employment or internships in local companies. The event was also of interest to Moldovan women, who, although they still encounter barriers, are motivated to reprofile themselves in the IT field.
“For several years I have been following and informing myself about the IT field, but I have a great barrier and fear towards this field. Due to my age and lack of experience, I hesitate to get more actively involved, but I have a great desire and motivation to study the IT field. This event was a first step and I’m glad I managed to get here,” said Lilia, a 59-year-old Moldovan.
Participants were also introduced to WoW women’s community projects and opportunities, as well as ICT development programs offered by Empowering Women Hubs Networks. The initiatives target both women from the Republic of Moldova and those from Ukraine. “Empowering Women Hub Networks” is a project that aims to support economic development by involving more girls and women in promising sectors with the aim of impacting equality, independence and creating better access to economic opportunities by promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment through their involvement in information technologies and communications development.
