Chisinau, March 26 – After months of nationwide activity, the campaign “People Who Lend a Hand” has completed its first phase. During this time, it brought the public closer to the reality behind NGOs and opened an important conversation about the role of civil society in the Republic of Moldova.
Organizers launched the campaign in a context of low trust in NGOs and based it on a clear goal: to explain who NGOs are, what they do, and why they matter. By the end of this phase, the sector has shown that it can achieve this when it speaks with a unified voice and focuses on people rather than institutions.
In just a few months, the campaign brought together 120 organizations from across the country and generated over 2.7 million views. More importantly, it connected people with a topic that had previously felt distant.
Throughout the campaign, more organizations increased their visibility, and the public discovered real stories, concrete initiatives, and the impact of work that often goes unnoticed.
“This campaign helps people better understand the role of civil society and gives those in the sector a space to tell their stories. We are encouraged by the openness with which it was received and believe it is an important step toward explaining, in a more accessible way, the contribution of civil society to building an open society in Moldova,” said Daniela Vidaicu.
The CONTACT Center implemented the campaign and used the initiative to turn a long-standing idea into something concrete, helping build a clearer understanding of what civil society is and why it matters.
“One of the main challenges for civil society is the low level of public trust. There have been many attempts over the years, but most were isolated initiatives. This time, we built a broad and coherent campaign. It was a first for us—a pilot that showed this direction is not only necessary but also possible,” said Serghei Neicovcen.
The campaign highlighted the people behind the projects. For many, the public understood their work for the first time through the faces and stories of those who carry it out daily.
“It’s rewarding to work in communities and implement projects, but the real challenge is explaining their impact, especially when results take time. This campaign laid the first bricks in that direction. The focus on people, teams, and real faces makes the difference,” said Vlada Ciobanu, Program Directors, Center for Policy and Reform.
“For us, this campaign brought us closer to the community and even to our beneficiaries. It gave us the opportunity to say who we are, what we do, and why we believe in our work. Behind every NGO are people who don’t give up,” added Elena Cupceanu.
“It’s a campaign that emphasizes what truly matters: people and their ability to mobilize communities. The message of cohesion is extremely important and shows that through collective effort we can build more,” said Daniel Vodă.
The campaign also included a strong media component, which brought the public closer to the NGO sector.
“For nearly three months, in partnership with CONTACT Center, we produced a series of programs that highlighted people contributing to community development. We started with simple questions—what NGOs are and what they do—and ended up discovering people who change lives. Over 70 NGOs joined us in this mission,” said Veronica Mungiu.
Organizers combined various approaches, including social media engagement, influencer involvement, a documentary about the NGO sector, video spots, media appearances, and podcasts. At the same time, they brought NGO stories closer to the public through photography and a traveling exhibition, allowing people to see firsthand the work behind these organizations.
The Soros Foundation Moldova supports the “People Who Lend a Hand” campaign.
In the Republic of Moldova, more than 10,000 organizations operate in key areas of societal development. However, only a small portion are widely known or recognized. Approximately one quarter of citizens say they trust NGOs, while many others still see them as distancing from everyday life.
