Donici village, Orhei district cleaner and safer thanks to environmental project supported by Austrian Government

In Donici village, Orhei district, water reservoirs and the landfill area have been fenced, a video surveillance system was installed, and 366 households received new 240-liter bins for waste collection. The actions were made possible through a partnership between the public association EcoContact and Donici City Hall, with the support of the Austrian Development Agency.

The investments worth over 569,000 lei have brought direct benefits to the entire community of 1,670 residents, of which 55% are women and 45% men. Among them are vulnerable families, with many children or low incomes (about 600 people) who now enjoy better hygiene conditions and a safer environment. Additionally, the school, kindergartens, post office, Alexandru Donici House, and other local institutions benefit from the improvement.


“The project implemented with the support of the Austrian Development Agency aims for the protected areas and surrounding communities to be better managed and more resilient to environmental pressures. In Donici, we demonstrated how this vision applies at the local level: protected water reservoirs, households equipped with bins, and people living in a cleaner village. It is just one example of the series of actions through which the project connects national environmental objectives with visible changes for the communities within Orhei National Park,” said Larisa Cupcea, EcoContact project manager.


Mayor of the commune Serghei Guzun mentioned that the project is of particular importance to the health of the locality.


“The water reservoirs were exposed, and the landfill was not secured, which affected the safety of people and the environment. Collaboration with EcoContact and the support from development partners allowed us to solve these problems through fencing and video surveillance. We plan to continue with awareness actions and further develop the waste collection system,” said Guzun.


The actions are part of the project Improving the Management of Protected Areas in the Republic of Moldova through Institutional Development, Capacity Building, and Habitat Restoration, funded by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) from the Austrian Development Cooperation (ADC) funds and implemented by EcoContact in partnership with AO SE Biotica. The project aims to protect nature and improve living conditions in targeted protected area communities.