The “George Munteanu” public library from Bravicea village, Calarasi rayon, opened its doors on 25 October for visitors of all ages, sharing for several hours the secrets of publishing the local newspaper – “Curierul de Bravicea”. The event was attended by representatives of the Best Practices Programme, mayors from the rayon, representatives of the Women's Club within the village and other active citizens

The Village Hall activity, community life, opinions, success stories, sports, etc. Every inhabitant of the village of Bravicea finds in this publication all the information about the village life. Surprisingly, the articles are written by students, teachers, and even local counselors. And all this work is made voluntarily, rewarded with the thanks of the readers. As a result of civic involvement, the dialogue between citizens and local administration is strengthened, the Village Hall's activity becomes more transparent, and people are more motivated to find solutions to community problems.

"Someone from the village said that our newspaper broke the fence after which local budgets were not seen. For our village it is a pride to have a local newspaper. It maintains dialogue between local government and community, discovers new talents and promotes the village's personalities. The newspaper informs and implies”, believes Angela Zatic, director of the “George Munteanu” public library in Bravicea village and the editor-in-chief of the publication.

The newspaper "Curierul de Bravicea" is one of the best examples of transparency, appreciated in the Best Practices Programme, 2017 edition. And one of the programme's activities are open-door days, organized in the best communities practices, including the Bravicea village, from 25 October to 17 November. The event in the village of Bravicea is the first event of the Open Days agenda.

"People are always keen on news and events, and when a newspaper, for example, provides actual information about community reality and local government activity, people are confidently informed and feel closer to the Village Hall. At Bravicea I found dedicated citizens who write with pleasure to people, from people. It would be wonderful and even encourage such good practices to exist in all communities in the country", stressed Ana - Maria Veverita, Coordinator of the Best Practices Programme.

200 copies of the newspaper are distributed by bike in every month, and the newspaper's website and the Facebook page of the online publication inform migrants living abroad about the life of the locality. From the year 2015 until now, 16 editions of the newspaper have been published.

The "Curierul de Bravicea" community newspaper can be found at http://curierulbrav.ucoz.ro/ and the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/curieruldebravicea/?ref=br_rs

The Best Practices Programme of Local Authorities in Moldova is implemented by the Institute for Development and Social Initiatives (IDIS) "Viitorul", with the financial support of the Council of Europe. The Programme aims at identifying, promoting and disseminating good practices among local public authorities in the Republic of Moldova, thus contributing to the efficiency of local governance.

For more details, contact Program Coordinator Ana - Maria Veverita at 0 22 221844 or ana.veverita@viitorul.org