Seamstress turns entrepreneur with support from EU4Youth in Moldova

In Ana Topor’s workshop in the village of Puhoi, an old foot-pedal sewing machine still sits in the corner. It belonged to her grandmother, then her mother, and now it’s part of Ana’s own journey. For her, it’s not just an old machine, it’s a reminder of a dream that started early in life. “Since I was little, I dreamed of becoming a seamstress. My mother had an old sewing machine, and by the fourth grade, I was already making my own skirts,” Ana recalls. 

For Ana, sewing has been a lifelong passion. She learned it naturally, through curiosity, play, and the simple joy of creating. Years later, when she decided to turn her passion into a business, she came up against the same challenges that many young people from rural areas face: limited financial resources and a lack of entrepreneurial experience.

“When I decided to start my own business, I didn’t have enough money,” she says. 

The turning point came unexpectedly. At a training session she attended, Ana heard about the Eco-Răzeni Association and the chance to learn entrepreneurship from scratch. It was the first sign that her dream could actually come to life. Eco-Răzeni was part of the EU-funded ‘Persp@ctive’ project under the EU4Youth programme, a regional initiative that helps young people find their place in the labour market and start their own businesses.

“That’s how I ended up opening my own workshop,” Ana says.

A project with a real impact for young people in Moldova and Ukraine

The project is run by Eco-Răzeni, in partnership with Moldova’s National Employment Agency (ANOFM), the Austrian organisation ‘itworks Personalservice’, and the Ukrainian NGO ‘Narodna Dopomoha’. It offers hands-on training, guidance, and support to young people who want to build their future using their own skills.

For Dina Turchin, a senior specialist at ANOFM, the project addresses long-standing challenges for young people entering the job market. “The Persp@ctive project focuses on young people and gives them better access to the labour market. Our goal is to provide career guidance and open new opportunities.” 

The expert also emphasises another key element: “It’s about cooperation between the institutions involved. Only by working together can we achieve real results.” And the results speak for themselves. More than 200 young people from Ialoveni, Hâncești, Cantemir, Florești, Fălești, and UTA Găgăuzia have participated in trainings, company visits, and practical sessions led by trainers from Moldova, Poland, and Hungary.

From a hobby to your own business

For Ana, the courses made all the difference, providing her with practical tools that she could use right away. “The project gave me useful knowledge: how to start and manage a business, how to set a fair price, how to find suppliers, and how to apply for grants,” she explains. Equally valuable was connecting with peers. “Sharing experiences with other participants was extremely helpful.”

Visiting local companies showed young people what a real work day looks like, and international trainers brought fresh perspectives, aligned with European labour market standards.

Today, her business is open 

Today, Ana runs her business. She repairs car seat covers, reupholsters furniture, creates custom embroidery, and handles clothing alterations. It’s a small but stable business, built step by step, with patience and dedication. “You can immediately see the difference between those who took these courses and those who didn’t,” she says.

For ANOFM, the project confirmed an important truth: good results come from collaboration. “When agencies work separately, the results are hard to achieve. But when we cooperate and know what each of us is doing, we can truly change lives,” says Dina Turchin, senior specialist at ANOFM. The Persp@ctive project has shown that investing and the collaboration between EU4Youth, Eco-Răzeni, and ANOFM in digital and entrepreneurial skills can transform the future of young people who might otherwise remain invisible to the system.

Ana’s message to young people who are still hesitant

Ana has a message for young people still uncertain of their future: “Step outside your comfort zone, don’t be afraid to try, and take part in these projects. That’s where you realise a hobby can turn into a real dream.”

Her story is just one of many. Hundreds of young people have been given the chance to learn, grow, and shape their future with their own hands. And in Ana’s workshop, that old sewing machine still works, surrounded now by tools, projects, and clients that belong entirely to her. A childhood dream, brought to life with the support of a programme that invests in people.

The Persp@ctives project, implemented in Moldova between June 2023 and May 2025, provided practical and theoretical support to young people from six regions – Ialoveni, Hâncești, Cantemir, Florești, Fălești, and UTA Găgăuzia – to support career development and entrepreneurial skills. The collaboration between ANOFM, local social assistance services, and the project team ensured that each participant received support tailored to their needs. The total budget of the project was €294,000.