Democracy at the Countryside

Goal
The goal of the project is to educate citizens living in 20 small communities (rural localities and small cities) on their rights in order to empower them to involve in the public decision making process within the local community where they live.

Partners
The Pro Democracy Association (PDA)

Main Activities

• to develop and disseminate a research on civic participation instruments taking into account public budgetary system, with a focus on subsidiarity;
• to develop "citizens' initiative groups" within 20 pilot communities;
• to assist each group in identifying and approaching at least one local issue that can be solved through citizens participation in partnership with local authorities; 
• to create a spill over effect for disseminating the methodology and experience gained throughout the project.

The Current Stage

• Within the project CeRe held a training session on "Community Organization" for the local coordinators of PDA. The 8 local coordinators found out what community organization is, the role and skills of a good organizer, organization techniques, local problems identification and analysis, informal leaders identification, creation of a local group, group dynamics and advocacy techniques;
• CeRe offered assistance to some of the initiative groups formed in Comanesti, Asau, Navodari, Silistea, Avrig or Marpod. Function of the problem chosen by the group to be solved (access to water for the Roma citizens of Avrig, deforestation in Asau or sanitation in Avrig, for example), CeRe helped the groups to organize and convince the local public authorities to solve the problems identified;
• In Comanesti, the initiative group received assistance from CeRe and the PDA to write a petition and gather signatures for their petition, asking for paving a community road. As a consequence, the city hall started to pave the road;
• In Navodari, the group drew up the plan for an advocacy campaign to convince the local council to sign a new contract with a sanitation company, more advantageous for the citizens;
• Where necessary, CeRe explained to the initiative groups' members what legal provisions they could use in their efforts to advocate and communicate with the local public authorities or other advocacy techniques they could apply.

[The project "Democracy in Small Communities" is financed by the Trust for Civil Society in Central and Eastern Europe.]