© ILO 
There was a 12-year-age gap with her husband-to-be. This did not scare Natalia when it came to a marriage decision. “What truly matters is love and understanding between the spouses”, that’s what she believed. Her family disapproved of the union. She was young, much too young back then. Freshly graduated from secondary school, Natalia had plans to continue with her learning pathway. She has always been fascinated by art and dreamed of becoming an interior designer and renovator. Later she realised that all these dreams were sacrificed at the altar of marriage.

Like many relationships that turn violent, in the beginning, everything seemed fine. The young couple settled in a small village in Causeni rayon. One year later, they travelled to Russia for work, united by the desire to earn money, build a house back home and start a family. Her husband found work in construction, while she did work as a street vendor and waitress, both informally. After a while, Natalia was able to join her husband in construction work, an achievement in this male-dominated sector. This rekindled her passion for renovation and design. For several years she worked hard to learn new skills on construction sites, in a non-formal environment. In all those years Natalia nurtured a desire to become a mother. She liked children more than anything else and hoped for a large family.

When Alexandru was born, Natalia returned to Moldova to raise her son, and her husband continued to work in Russia. For several years, the couple was moving between Moscow and Chisinau on short visits. Natalia realised her husband was becoming addicted to alcohol, but hoped she could change him. He had a traumatic past, growing up in a family known to abuse alcohol. Natalia wanted to hold her family together and convinced her husband to return to Moldova. They built the house they had dreamed of, and had three more children.

Having four children was a blessing. But her husband’s alcohol addiction was a growing problem. He was aggressively controlling every aspect of her life and, even worse, turned to violence. Natalia became a victim of verbal, physical and sexual attacks. Her nights were often sleepless and during the day she was on edge. She was deeply concerned about the effect of the violence on her children, their hidden scars and emotional unsteadiness. However, she continued to hope she could change her husband. She was also afraid of being blamed or stigmatised if she divorced him.

But the day came when she knew it was time to leave and never return. She was pregnant with her fifth child. Her husband hit her, for no obvious reason, and knocked her down. She felt a deep pain in her abdomen. She feared the worst, as she was then eight-months-pregnant.

Natalia and her children escaped to her parents’ home, and two weeks later Maria was born, fortunately showing no signs of trauma. Natalia spent several months in her parents’ house. This was a modest peasant home, lacking basic facilities, such as a washing machine or vacuum cleaner. While still recovering from childbirth, she had to care for her five children and the old parents alone. But Natalia and her family were happy together.

The situation changed when her husband showed up, broke down the door, and assaulted Natalia’s farther when he tried to defend her. He threatened to burn down the house. Since that day, Natalia and everyone around her felt that they were in danger.

Natalia felt relieved when a local NGO reached out and offered help. The maternal centre “Pro Familia” in Causeni provides provisional residence to victims of domestic violence. In Moldova the number of victims is constantly growing. Over 1 in 3 women aged 15 years and older have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner in their lifetimes. Finances are often cited as the biggest barrier to leaving an abusive relationship. Natalia’s story illustrates these statistics. She and her five children joined the centre for nearly eight months. Staying at the centre split her life into before and after. Natalia was offered social, medical, psychological, and legal support. She was awarded a protection order as well. At “Pro Familia”, Natalia met women like herself, victims of domestic violence, mothers of children with gloomy eyes and hesitant smiles. Women were eager to talk, share, listen, and learn about rights, show compassion for each other, and respect each other’s dignity.

Natalia felt reborn. She grew confident. She learned that everyone has a role to play in ending domestic violence. “The domestic violence survivors shouldn’t stay mum. They should take a stand to help others”, Natalia believes.

At “Pro Familia” Natalia recognized that her life was in her own hands. She resolved that she would never again let someone hurt her. After 12 years of marriage, Natalia filed for divorce and planned a new life. “I could move mountains, just to see my children happy”. But, above all, Natalia needed financial freedom. She started to look for a job and ended up empty-handed. There were few paid jobs available in her rural area and she felt that employers were hesitant to hire a mother of five children. The closure of businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic magnified the challenges. Formal arrangements for childcare were few and far between in her neighbourhood. At this point, her youngest child, Maria, was only sixteen months old. Natalia felt her hands were tied.

One option remained unexplored, though, and Natalia begun to consider it – working on her own. She still retained her passion for art, renovation and design. But Natalia could not afford self-employment either. She had no means to invest in tools and instruments she needed for the work. One day, the director of “Pro Familia” told Natalia her profile had caught the attention of a Local Employment Partnership (LEP) program. The International Labour Organization and the Austrian Government were funding the technical project in her region to provide people like Natalia with access to income-generating activities.

© ILO

“I will never forget that day”, Natalia confesses. “I was told about the Local Employment Partnership (LEP) program launched in Causeni beginning of 2021. LEPs were helping vulnerable people reach financial independence. They promoted employment through entrepreneurship, training and grants, among others."

So far, nine women at “Pro Familia” have been introduced to self-employment as a career option. The ILO BIZ-UP guide served as the basis for their training on enterprise set-up, market analysis, business planning and resource management. “With exposure to this detailed and practical knowledge, I knew I could make my way in construction,” Natalia recalls. “I learned how to calculate the cost of and expected return from an investment; and I became proficient with the nuts and bolts of drafting a client contract. I’ve also drafted a business plan, my first one ever. I have to profess, this was really the most exciting part of my journey,” Natalia’s eyes are shining. “I have also worked closely with a mentor, and received practical feedback from a supervisor at each step of this programme.”

In addition to training, the ILO provided Natalia with a toolkit including various types of construction-related equipment and assisted her in registering her activity. “At the beginning, I thought I would set-up an enterprise, create jobs, and provide employment to women like me, namely, single mothers with few resources who are struggling to prove their worth in jobs mostly occupied by men. Then I realised this would eat up all my time, little would be left for my kids. They are young and need their mom. So, I decided to start as an individual entrepreneur and provide services in the construction industry. My patent-based activity is formal, and I have social insurance against several risks – old-age, injury, and death. It is hard to believe, but my first contract as entrepreneur was with “Pro Familia”. The centre needed some renovations and entrusted me with the task. I would have done it for free after all the kindness and care we received there. After one year on my own, I am proud of myself, and I am proud of my children. My sons are very good at football and judo, while my daughters are very creative. They give purpose to my life. My income is growing, this enables me to provide a better life for my children and myself. I also have the freedom to work on my own schedule and spend time with the family.”

As in most parts of the world, the construction sector in Moldova is strongly male-dominated. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, women comprise only 7 per cent of the sector, and 90 per cent of those are limited to desk jobs, including design and secretarial roles. So, Natalia has been making her mark in a heavily male-dominated industry.

“I plan to certify my skills and upgrade them. And I still hope I can set up a business that provides employment to women like me so that they can remain in Moldova and do not have to search for work abroad,” Natalia’s voice becomes firm when she is saying this. “And beyond everything else, I dream of building a house for my family. In the end, life teaches us what is important and that is family.”