Moldova: Center “Partnership for Development”
Publication
Tu Si Curpul Tau Pentru un Nou Secol: O carte despre si pentru femei (2002)
Translation: Our Bodies Ourselves for the New Century: A Book By and For Women
Language
Romanian
Our Bodies, Ourselves Project
The Center “Partnership for Development” — formerly known as the National Women’s Studies and Informational Centre — published a Romanian adaptation of Our Bodies, Ourselves in 2002. Litera Publishing House in Chisinau was the publisher.
Support for this project came from a Soros Foundation “Women at Risk” grant. The Soros Foundation also provided funds to distribute the book to other women’s group in the country.
The book was adapted to the Moldovan context both in terms of content and imagery. For example, images of women reflect the fact that Moldova is a predominantly Caucasian society; a chapter on women’s health resources available online was omitted, as rural Moldovan women do not have internet access; and the chapters on the politics of women’s health and organizing for change were excluded in the interest of developing a resource that focuses on the medical aspects of women’s health rather than the political.
Soon after publication, the Center “Partnership for Development” provided free copies to every local and national non-government organization in the country. These groups used the resource to develop training curricula, raise awareness, and counsel women and girls on their bodies and rights.
“Sacrificing Ourselves for Love”
In 2002, the same team published a Romanian edition of “Sacrificing Ourselves for Love,” a 1996 book co-written by Esther Rome, one of OBOS’s founders, in cooperation with the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective. The book addresses issues around body image and identity, including dieting, eating disorders, cosmetic surgery, violence and rape.
Content Available Online
Read the preface (in English)
How to Obtain Print Copies
For information on obtaining copies of “Tu Si Curpul Tau Pentru un Nou Secol,” please contact Center “Partnership for Development”: cpd [AT] progen.md
Community Action & Activism
The Center “Partnership for Development” (CPD), formerly the National Women’s Studies and Information Center, launched in 1990, at a time when Moldova’s civil society was still young and there was absolutely no work being done on gender equality. The organization is pivotal to the country’s human rights movement, leading Alliance PasProGen, a network of about 80 groups.
The uniqueness of CPD consists in successful fulfillment of its double role (as) a resource center for local NGOs and a think-tank that mainstreams gender issues in national public policies.
In 2006, CPD became an institutional partner to the Soros Foundation in Moldova and Open Society Institute, transitioning from a grassroots information and training provider to a public policy think tank at the center of democratic change. The organization’s focus is now legal and policy analysis.
CPD is the first group to train journalists and policy makers, as well as monitor media discourse on gender equality, and staff members regularly appear on television and at parliamentary hearings. CPD is also a vital government resource and ally.
Other accomplishments include membership on the National Equality Committee; a partnership with the Ministry of Social Protection on the National Plan on Gender Equality, and with the Ministry of Economy on a gender-sensitive National Development Plan; outreach with local decision makers on the European Charter for Gender Equality; and developing a gender equality plan for the Chisinau municipality.
Contact
Website: http://www.progen.md
Email: Alexei Buzu: buzu [AT] progen.md / cpd [AT] progen.md
Alona Dorosh: alona.dorosh@yahoo.com
Address: 13, Armeneasca Street, Chisinau, MD-2012, Republic of Moldova
Phone: +373-22-237089 / +373-22-207158 / +373-22-207157
Fax: +373-22-241393
