World Bank Approves US$5 Million in Additional Financing for Moldova’s Social Investment Fund II Project

2009-03-24 08:51:49

The World Bank Board of Directors today approved an additional financing credit to the Republic of Moldova in the amount of US$5 million for the Moldova Social Investment Fund II Project (MSIF). The additional financing will complement the total credit of US$35 million, allocated under Phase I and II of the project, and will be used to support the rehabilitation of community infrastructure in Moldova.

“The Social Investment Fund Project has been one of Moldova’s greatest development successes,” said Melanie Marlett, World Bank Country Manager for Moldova. “It empowered poor communities and vulnerable populations across the country to take a role in managing their development needs, strengthened their sense of ownership of success, and helped them sustain it through strong monitoring and accountability mechanisms.”

The US$5 million will be directed towards supporting poor communities that have not previously benefited from the MSIF project, with a preference for villages damaged by floods in the summer of 2008. Towns on the Prut and Nistru river − those most affected by the 2008 summer floods − will be selected based on a “first come, first served” basis and on their proposals. The additional financing will also be used to help six pilot rayons deliver social care services to vulnerable groups.

The Moldova Social Investment Fund II Project was launched in September 2004. The project’s objectives are to:

* Enhance the capacities of local government in providing improved priority basic services in partnership with civil society (community development component);
* Enhance the capacities of central and local government in developing a coordinated network of integrated social care services at the rayon level in partnership with civil society (social care services development component); and
* Develop an institutional mechanism to reflect community experiences and influence national policies (capacity development, monitoring and evaluation component).

To date, the Moldova Social Investment Fund Project (MSIF I and II) has assisted over 450 localities in addressing local development needs. It has provided access to natural gas and funded major improvements in roads, schools, kindergartens, cultural centers and other social institutions across Moldova.

For more details on the Social Investment Fund, including multimedia content, please visit:
http://go.worldbank.org/US8J7XH2V0