PHOTO // From school to business: how international support changes lives on both banks of Dniester

A delegation of development partners, led by Daniela Gasparikova, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in  Moldova, and Petra Larke, Ambassador of Sweden in Chisinau, visited the Dorotcaia-based Theoretical Lyceum and a social enterprise in Parcani on October 9. Both are examples of how support provided through the Export Capacity Development on the Dniester Banks (AdTrade) project can transform communities.

Education Without Borders – A STEEAM Classroom for 650 Students

In the village of Dorotcaia, just a few kilometers from the administrative line, lyceum pupils from Grigoriopol and the local area study under the same roof. For over two decades, students and teachers from Grigoriopol have been commuting daily over a distance of more than 30 kilometers to continue their studies in Romanian.

Their lives have recently changed. With the support of Sweden, the United Kingdom, and UNDP, the lyceum was equipped with a modern STEEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Mathematics) classroom, furnished with interactive boards, educational LEGO sets, specialized software and ergonomic furniture. In this room, learning has become an interactive experience and both girls and boys explore the world of technology with the same curiosity.





"We want every child, regardless of where he/she comes from, to have the chance for a digital future. Investments in education are investments in peace and people," said Daniela Gasparikova.

During the visit, officials participated in activities alongside pupils and teachers—from assembling LEGO robots to testing interactive applications. The atmosphere was one of enthusiasm and hope.

"These children show that innovation knows no borders. Learning brings them together," said Swedish Ambassador Petra Larke.

The Workshop Giving Life a New Chance

The journey continued to Parcani, near Tiraspol, where young entrepreneur Evghenii Verbanov runs a unique social enterprise in the region—a woodworking and metalworking workshop powered entirely by solar energy.





With financial support from Sweden and the United Kingdom through UNDP, Evghenii has transformed a small workshop into a sustainable business that provides jobs for young people from orphanages and former convicts. Presently, the workshop produces furniture, grills and swings, and the profit is reinvested in social causes—support for seven families with severely disabled children.

"The photovoltaic panels provide us with the necessary energy and help us to be independent. We have hired a new apprentice and can carry out more complex work. Every day here is proof that you can build something good, no matter your past," said the entrepreneur.

AdTrade Café – Ideas for a Common Economy

The day concluded in Tiraspol with a new edition of AdTrade Café, where entrepreneurs, experts and representatives of economic clusters discussed energy efficiency, green innovation and sustainable business.

The event, opened by Daniela Gasparikova and Petra Larke, was an opportunity to bring together people from both sides of the Dniester who share the same vision: a common economy based on cooperation, innovation, and trust.

The participants explored new models of social entrepreneurship, visited a small exhibition of local products and participated in a natural candle-making workshop led by a young entrepreneur supported by the same project.

The AdTrade project, implemented by UNDP with support from Sweden and the United Kingdom, shows that investments in people and ideas can build bridges where there were once barriers. On the banks of the Dniester, innovation, education and solidarity are now common languages.