For a whole day, the Rose Valley Park in the Botanica sector of Chișinău was transformed into a place where the good people eager to promote sustainability and eco-friendly lifestyles gathered. Local producers, social and green businesses, parents with children and young people interested in caring for the environment came together on September 22 at the IarmarEco Fair, 2024 edition. 

For 12 consecutive years, we organize together with the community of responsible producers a special day where we promote conscious consumption, easily implementable ecological practices at home, sustainable product alternatives, tasty and healthy vegetarian food.

This year we had lots of sunshine and lots of workshops on: waste reduction, breastfeeding, creating healthy sweets, flour milling, workshops aimed at all ages. On top of that we had an exhibition of drawings, co-created by children and teenagers from all regions of the country about the vision of "We Paint a Green Moldova". And four of the 65 works were awarded with the support of our partners Lezart and social business EduJoc.

"IarmarEco is the place where we come back to every edition. Here we meet people dedicated to change for the environment - those who create, innovate and promote nature-friendly living. It's the community with whom we share the same values and where we make our small contribution to replace single-use plastic packaging with eco-friendly ones. Thank you, EcoVisio, for an event that helps us get closer to the people!"

(Green Pack Moldova, exhibitors)

“It was a busy weekend in a very beautiful place in Chisinau. With the help of Social Business Association and EcoVisio, my fellow entrepreneurs and I participated in the IarmarEco Fair. There were many different vendors with a variety of interesting products.”

(Mom Shef md, exhibitors)

We are happy every time we see so many people uniting around the values we promote: sustainability, environmental responsibility, collaboration. People who promote, support and contribute to a DIFFERENT Moldova IarmarEco 2024 was with and about these wonderful people!

IARMARECO 2024 IN PHOTOS

It was a wonderful event. Thanks for being with us 💚

This event took place thanks to the financial support of Sweden, UK and UNDP Moldova; and IM Swedish Development Partners.

IARMARECO -  THE FAIR FOR PEOPLE, TOTE BAGS AND SOUL!

THE 11TH EDITION OF THE FAIR OF ECOLOGICAL INITIATIVES AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP TOOK PLACE ON OCTOBER 8, 2023.  THIS IS AN ANNUAL EVENT THAT BRINGS TOGETHER SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS AND LOCAL PRODUCERS, AS WELL AS THE MAIN ACTORS IN THE ECOLOGICAL WORLD.

IarmarEco - 2023 took place in the park ”Ștefan cel Mare și Sfânt” in Chisinau in October.

IarmarEco aims to promote ecological opportunities, social entrepreneurship, social initiatives and a sustainable lifestyle. It is a special combination of fair, networking facility, workshops and interactive presentations / lessons, which makes it a unique event in the landscape of ecology and social activism in Moldova. 

Over 150 vendors / producers and organizations participated in the fair. The participants noticed a large flow of buyers, for whome such an event and the knowledge of local producers was an unexpected first experience, because, due to the location and variety of products, IarmarEco attracted many new of people from outside the community which exists around IarmarEco. The event also created a space for share of knowledge, experiences and communication between those who love and look forward to IarmarEco every year!

Do you want to know our exhibitors and social entrepreneurs?
Enter the IARMARECO.MD website or access this year's list of exhibitors ↓

???? IarmarEco - 2023 included several shopping areas where buyers could purchase: 

● vegetarian food, vegetables and fruits grown in Moldova, honey, pistil, oils, desserts, pasta;

● cosmetics and hygiene products - ecological ones;

● souvenirs and handicrafts, jewelry, toys, gifts;

● tote bags, clothes, etc. 

Initiatives and organisations working in the field of environmental protection and sustainable development were also present.

FOR 11 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN PROMOTING SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LOCAL PRODUCERS.

YEAR AFTER YEAR AT IARMARECO:

???? THE MANUFACTURER/PRODUCER FINDS ITS CUSTOMERS (AND VICE VERSA)

???? DURING THE EVENT THERE IS AN ATMOSPHERE OF VALUE AND DIVERSITY

????PRODUCERS GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER AND CREATE PARTNERSHIPS

???? VISITORS KNOW ABOUT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICES AND A RESPONSIBLE LIFESTYLE VIA MIX OF ENTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATIONAL CONTENT

???? "SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP" ECHOES STRONGLY

???? SHOW CASE OF THE ACTIVITIES OF SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESSES IN MOLDOVA WHICH CAN BECOME METHODS FOR SOLVING SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY PROBLEMS

???? ???? ???? 

It was a wonderful event. Thanks for being with us ????

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND LOCAL PRODUCERS WE INVITE YOU TO FOLLOW OUR PAGES: @SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS' HUB AND @IARMARECO

This event is organized by Social Entrepreneurship HUB launched by EcoVisio with the support from East Europe Foundation from financial resources of ered by European Union and Sweden, in partnership with the European Business Association and Contact Center Association, and also financed in part by IM and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); and through the project “Collaborate for Impact” financed by the European Union and implemented by EVPA and 5 partners from Eastern Europe.

Start your investment portfolio with impact investing! This guide created by EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association) will help you better understand the tools you can use in this direction!

WHAT IS THE GUIDE ABOUT?

• The guide explores the basics of Impact Investing, Venture Philanthropy, explains what principles should guide an impact investor and the first steps they can take.

• Also in this publication, you will find different ways of investing to support social businesses and organisations with a social mission, for example: individual funding (grants, loans), non-financial support (impact management, monitoring support, etc.), etc.

• The guide is useful for those who need a new vision on investment strategy and want to invest with impact.

This publication is produced within the framework of the international project "Collaborate for Impact", carried out by EVPA (European Venture Philanthropy Association) and 5 partners from the Eastern Partnership countries, represented by AO EcoVisio in the Republic of Moldova, funded by the European Union.

Recommendations for improving social entrepreneurship in Moldova

The White Paper for SA was developed by a group of consultants with experience in the non-profit sector, the legislative framework and the social economy, in close collaboration with the team of the AO "EcoVisio" and the Platform for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship (PDAS) in Moldova. The research methods used in the preparation of the White Paper are desk analysis, field research and validation consultations.

The ex officio analysis was carried out throughout the period of work on the book, and included (1) studies in the field, analytical reports, public policies and other publicly available documents; (2) existing legislation on social entrepreneurship, taxation, economic and fiscal incentives, etc.; (3) materials attesting to the relevance and sustainability of existing social entrepreneurship models (see Bibliography section).

The field research identified the challenges and problems faced by social entrepreneurs in Moldova, as well as proposals for improvement in the SA field. 10 interviews and 14 questionnaires were conducted with social entrepreneurs in Moldova, as shown in the table below.

This publication is produced within the framework of the project "Platform for Social Entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova", funded by the European Union, co-financed by Sweden and implemented by the non-profit association EcoVisio. The authors sincerely thank the people who contributed to the completion of this document, the social entrepreneurs from Moldova who participated in the interviews organized between May and June 2022.

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What is the White Paper?

• The White Paper is a document that usually contains proposals for concrete actions to improve a specific area or problem.

  The White Paper for Social Entrepreneurship in Moldova is a recommendation document that defines proposals for improving the field of social entrepreneurship in Moldova. The White Paper is elaborated by experts contracted by EcoVisio and the Platform for the Development of Social Entrepreneurship in Moldova (PDAS) and was finalized with free feedback from Angela Achiței, social economy expert from the ADV Romania Foundation.

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What will you discover in the White Paper for Social Entrepreneurship?

This publication is produced within the framework of the project "Platform for Social Entrepreneurship in the Republic of Moldova", funded by the European Union, co-financed by Sweden and implemented by the non-profit association EcoVisio. The authors sincerely thank the people who contributed to the completion of this document, the social entrepreneurs from Moldova who participated in the interviews organized between May and June 2022.