Meet Daniela, a girl with the Down syndrome, who started a flower business

Splashes of red, pink and yellow flowers dot the vibrant hues of green in a greenhouse and gift shop nestled in the village of Colibași, in the southwestern part of the Republic of Moldova. The owner is a girl with Down syndrome who had always dreamed of opening her own business.

According to the Moldovan National Bureau of Statistics, women were three times less involved in economic development than men in 2016. However, things have started to change in the last few years, with women getting more and more involved in entrepreneurship. While a mere 16 per cent of business-owners were women in 2016, their numbers had more than doubled by 2020, to 34 per cent.

Among them is 19-year-old Daniela Pruteanu, whose cheery disposition prompted her closest friends to nickname her “child of the sun”. The name makes her giggle with and brightens her face immediately.