Community and Organizational Development

The Community and Organizational Development Program (COD), formerly known as the Economic and Organizational Development Program (established in 1995), focuses its activities on strengthening the leadership skills and organizational capacities within community organizations and local public administrations in order to achieve locally identified goals.

The COD Program seeks to promote Moldova’s civil society by strengthening the participatory process in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local public administrations (LPAs). NGOs are a relatively recent addition to Moldova’s civil society. The NGOs are community-based organizations that often have a strong focus on serving the youth, socially vulnerable groups in their communities as well as the general population. They strive to complement government efforts in the educational, social, health, and environmental sectors. Most NGOs in Moldova are still struggling with the start-up problems of learning how to motivate, organize, manage, finance and market themselves, their communities and their activities. Volunteers and their partner organizations work closely together to identify local needs and to develop plans to meet those needs. Work involves assisting with strategic planning, setting realistic goals, developing budgets, and assisting with research and grant writing. Volunteers work with their partners to develop local resources, promote the organizations’ services through networking and consultations to beneficiaries and other organizations, and provide greater access to services and information through training in information technology.

In addition to the development of these organizational skills within NGOs and LPAs, COD Volunteers work directly with youth, organizing clubs and camps focusing on civic awareness, leadership, computer and Internet skills, and environmental awareness and protection. They also work within the larger community with business leaders, social services providers, and with civic education groups. These efforts are helping to develop sustainable, equitable and participatory organizations, and to strengthen formal and informal support networking within and between communities.

COD Project Plan 2009-2014 (approved July 31, 2008)