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East Europe Foundation is thrilled to announce the next four civil society organizations (CSOs) as winners of the second phase of the Capable and Resistant grant program, generously supported by Switzerland.
These CSOs have been awarded grants to spearhead initiatives aimed at combating gender-based violence, safeguarding women’s rights, and supporting vulnerable groups, ethnic minorities, and individuals impacted by the full-scale invasion.
With a staggering number of over 300 applications from civil society organizations, we are excited to introduce the next four victorious CSOs and provide a snapshot of the transformative projects they are embarking on:
The project is committed to safeguarding the rights and catering to the needs of people affected by the armed conflict as a result of occupation, shelling, captivity, torture. The “Center VDOMA” serves as a sanctuary where victims of the armed conflict can avail comprehensive aid and assistance in a comforting environment. This encompasses individual and group work with those in need.
Services include psychological support, such as on-site visits by the center’s psychologist to provide primary psychosocial support as part of a comprehensive psychological assistance package. This also involves assessing the psychological state of the person seeking help, selecting a method for self-recovery, and enhancing resource capacity through exercise.
Various forms of legal support are provided, including counseling, social support, group work, workshops, and art therapy. Thematic meetings with experts are also organized, which encompass measures to combat domestic and gender-based violence. These measures address various issues, including sexual violence during times of war. The content and scope of social services for each person will be determined individually, depending on their needs, and will be provided on the basis of voluntariness, impartiality, neutrality, and humanity.
About the Organization:
The “Center for Social Programs” is a charitable organization with a rich history spanning over a decade. Until 2022, their primary focus was on youth policy development, implementing non-formal education in Kherson TC, and providing support and services to multiple vulnerable populations, including the elderly, victims of domestic violence, people with disabilities, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and vulnerable local residents.
In 2022, despite being under occupation, their dedicated team successfully submitted and fulfilled three applications for the procurement of food and hygiene kits for the residents of the Kherson region. In 2023, the “Center VDOMA” team undertook the project “Cleaning and Disinfection of Premises After Flooding Due to the Explosion of the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station” and the project “Non-formal Education as a Recovery Tool for Residents of Kherson Region”.
This project is dedicated to establishing public laundries for residents living in four de-occupied communities. Specifically, it aims to set up 12 stationary laundries equipped with state-of-the-art washing and drying equipment. These facilities will provide services in villages and towns on the right bank of the Dnipro River, in the Kherson and Mykolaiv Oblasts. Laundry services will be available to all community residents free of charge. The purchased equipment will be accounted for in the balance sheet of local authorities or a utility company.
The CSO also plans to engage volunteers to assist in community laundries, helping wash clothes for people with limited mobility in their communities, ranging from two to seven people, depending on the number of residents in the communities.
About the Organization:
The All-Ukrainian Public Center “Volunteer” was established in 1998 with a mission to foster the volunteer movement in Ukraine. The “Center ‘Volunteer’” is committed to activating communities and providing assistance to vulnerable groups, including children, teenagers, and their families. For the past 25 years, the Center ‘Volunteer’ has been instrumental in developing civil society in Ukraine, engaging citizens through the promotion and involvement in volunteering and the implementation of socially beneficial initiatives.
Currently, the Center ‘Volunteer’ extends its assistance to IDPs and individuals who have temporarily relocated abroad due to the war. The organization also provides psychological support to individuals affected by the hostilities and subjected to violence as part of the “Poruch” project, supported by UNICEF (with 300 psychologists involved).
In 2023, the organization successfully implemented two projects in collaboration with East Europe Foundation: “Volunteer Day Camp for Internally Displaced Teenagers” and “Volunteer Firefighters. Strengthening the capacity of local authorities in the field of civil protection”.
This project is dedicated to empowering individuals with disabilities and their caregivers by creating an inclusive learning space, namely a coworking space, and conducting trainings. Specifically, it aims to introduce a methodological unit with educational materials for ongoing trainings on the topics of “Ambassadors of Inclusion”, “Train Hustle”, psychological resilience training, improving knowledge of humanitarian principles, and methods of conflict resolution. Developing a work plan for the “Ambassadors of Inclusion” network in communities.
Some materials have already been drafted, and they will be refined during the project based on updated data. They are also planning to develop criteria considering factors such as geography, transportation peculiarities, and the capacity of a person with a disability to engage in social activities. This will involve creating a database and surveying potential participants.
Our training groups, known as “Ambassadors of Inclusion”, will comprise people with disabilities, caregivers, and community activists who will advocate for accessibility and inclusion in their communities.
About the Organization:
The “Humanitarian Aid Center ‘Volunteer-68’” was established on June 23, 2022. Their primary focus is providing humanitarian aid to people in difficult situations. This includes targeted assistance, evacuation transportation, patronage, and information, social, and psychological support. They also provide accommodation for people with limited mobility in a temporary shelter, offering 24/7 care and social support. Additionally, they conduct training and educational programs for volunteers and interested parties who assist people with physical disabilities.
The organization’s main beneficiaries are people with disabilities and limited mobility, the elderly, people with chronic diseases, and families with children. Since March 2022, the “Volunteer-68” team has delivered over 90,000 targeted aid packages, evacuated over 3,000 people, made over 400 nursing visits, and provided over 20,000 information and social counseling sessions.
In 2023, we implemented the project “Patronage for People with Limited Mobility, People with Disabilities, and People Affected by Shelling or Military Aggression” as part of the Capable and Resistant project, implemented by East Europe Foundation with financial support from Switzerland.
This project is dedicated to preventing and countering gender-based and domestic violence against women, youth, and children in Ukraine during the war. Specifically, it aims to ensure the stable operation of the National Hotlines in times of war, raise women’s awareness of issues related to combating gender-based violence (GBV) and domestic violence in times of war, and strengthen the capacity of the CSO “La Strada-Ukraine” to carry out its activities effectively in times of war.
The CSO also plans to organize a five-day School for National Hotline Consultants, online psychotherapy sessions to prevent psycho-emotional and professional burnout of NHL consultants, along with psychological supervision. They will conduct a three-day on-site training to support the psycho-emotional state of National Hotline consultants and purchase electricity storage systems and heating equipment for National Hotlines.
About the Organization:
Organization “La Strada-Ukraine” is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that has been operating in Ukraine since 1997. Their main areas of activity include advocacy, raising public awareness of women’s rights and gender equality, monitoring the implementation of state policy, lobbying for legislative changes, preventive and educational activities, training sessions and education of specialists, scientific and methodological activities, research, providing legal and social assistance to victims of gender-based violence, information and networking, etc.
In 2004, “La Strada-Ukraine” became a founding member of the International Association “La Strada” (Netherlands, Amsterdam), which has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
In 2023, “La Strada-Ukraine” implemented the project “Ensuring Access to Services for GBV Survivors and Raising Awareness of the Problem”. This initiative was part of the Capable and Resistant project, implemented by East Europe Foundation with financial support from Switzerland.