East Europe Foundation announces the first five civil society organizations selected as winners of the grant competition under the “Capable and Resistant: Sumy” project.

The organizations received grants to support the recovery of territorial communities in the Sumy region in the areas of healthcare, education, and housing and shelters, including their renovation.

A total of 45 applications were submitted by civil society organizations within the competition. Below is the list of the five winning organizations, along with brief descriptions of the projects they will implement:

• Association “Center for Social Initiatives of the Trostyanets Community” 
  Project: “Supporting Children and Youth through Educational, Psychological, and Digital Services in a Safe Space”

The project focuses on upgrading an inclusive shelter that will serve not only as a safe space for children and youth but also as a place for development and support. Its goal is to create conditions in which children can resume learning, receive psychological assistance, and develop communication skills, while young people can acquire basic digital competencies necessary for further education and employment.

As part of the project, the shelter will be equipped with technical equipment and furniture to ensure a comfortable and accessible environment. The next stage will include group and individual sessions with a special education teacher, speech therapist, and psychologist for children, as well as computer literacy courses for young people with disabilities.

• Charitable Organization “Light of Hope”
  Project: “Strengthening the Primary Healthcare System for Residents of the Sumy Region”

The project aims to enhance the resilience of the primary healthcare system in the border-area Shostka territorial community of the Sumy region. It seeks to expand access to quality medical services for vulnerable population groups, including internally displaced persons, residents of remote villages, and people affected by shelling, as well as to upgrade the material and technical base of healthcare facilities and establish a patient referral system under martial law and emergency conditions.

Within the project, a mobile medical team consisting of a family physician and a nurse will operate, providing outreach services to villages and settlements with limited or no access to healthcare. In addition, essential medical equipment will be procured and transferred to primary healthcare facilities.

• Charitable Organization “Network of 100 Percent Life Rivne” 
  Project: “Continuity of Primary Healthcare Services in the Shostka Community during Crisis Situations”

The project is aimed at strengthening the resilience and continuity of primary healthcare services for community residents during power outages, as well as ensuring the preservation of medical data in healthcare information systems.

As part of the project, damaged windows in outpatient clinics will be replaced with energy-efficient ones. Portable power stations, autonomous diesel heaters, and uninterruptible power supply systems for solid-fuel boiler pumps will also be procured. The equipment will be transferred to the Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “Shostka City Primary Healthcare Center” and community outpatient clinics to ensure uninterrupted medical services during blackouts and interruptions in heat supply.

• Public Organization “ELEOS-UKRAINE”
  Project: “Modernization and Inclusivity of Healthcare Facilities in the Sumy Region”

The project aims to ensure equal access to healthcare services for persons with disabilities, patients with temporary mobility impairments, older people, and parents with strollers. It covers the Regional Clinical Medical Center for Socially Dangerous Diseases in Sumy and the Emergency Medical Care Unit in the village of Zarichne, part of the Putyvl City Hospital, and also provides for the creation of appropriate conditions to ensure the stable operation of the emergency care unit in Zarichne.

Within the project, entrance areas of both healthcare facilities will be renovated with consideration for the needs of persons with disabilities, older people, families with children, and internally displaced persons. In addition, the workspace of the Emergency Medical Care Unit in Zarichne will be equipped with the necessary furniture and equipment to improve working conditions for medical staff and the quality of services provided.

• Charitable Organization “Charity Fund ‘National Agency on Humanitarian Aid ‘ZDOROVI”
  Project: “Strengthening the Capacity of Healthcare Workers in the Sumy Region to Support Recovery and Reintegration of the Population”

The project aims to enhance the competencies of medical personnel in five communities in the areas of accessibility, conflict management, and effective communication with veterans.

Within the project, a series of 21 offline training sessions is planned for 210 healthcare workers in seven healthcare facilities across the Sumy region. The training will be based on ZDOROVI-developed courses that have already been completed by more than 30,000 healthcare professionals throughout Ukraine.

These organizations will soon begin implementing initiatives aimed at recovering communities in the Sumy region within the healthcare cluster.

Overall, 12 organizations will receive grant funding under the “Capable and Resistant: Sumy” project. The selection of the further seven winners is currently underway.

The “Capable and Resistant: Sumy” project is implemented by East Europe Foundation.