East Europe Foundation is thrilled to announce the initial winners of the second phase of the Capable and Resistant grant program, generously supported by Switzerland.

These СSOs 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 over 300 applications received from civil society organizations, we are excited to introduce the first nine victorious NGOs and provide a snapshot of the transformative projects they are undertaking:

• Age of Opportunity Civil Society Institution – Project: “Express School of Modern Professions and Women’s Leadership”, Kharkiv Oblast

 This project is dedicated to enhancing the employability of women in the Kharkiv Oblast who have been affected by the war. It supports them in launching their own businesses through training in contemporary professions and fostering women’s leadership. The project promises women accessible and superior business education, emphasizing the development of marketing, finance, psychology, technology, and management skills. The organization will offer personal support and guidance from experts across various professions.

• Unity and Strength Charitable Organization – Project: “Island of Childhood”, Kharkiv Oblast

The objective of this project is to create safe educational and recreational spaces in the liberated communities of Kharkiv Oblast by creating safe educational and play spaces in the de-occupied communities of Kharkiv Oblst.

• Ukrainian Women Lawyers Association “JurFem” Civil Society Organisation – Project: “Enhancing Legal Aid Access for Victims of Sexual Violence”, across all regions of Ukraine

This initiative is committed to offering pro bono legal aid to victims of sexual violence and raising awareness about the availability of such aid. This will be achieved through the creation and distribution of informative materials. The project also includes training for lawyers on providing legal aid to victims of gender-based violence and fortifying the abilities of young lawyers, members, and volunteers of JurFem to handle cases of gender-based violence, including sexual violence.

• Information and Education Center “VIS’” Vinnytsia-Based Civil Society Organisation – Project: “Empowering War-Affected Women in Vinnytsia Oblast”, Vinnytsia and Vinnytsia Oblast 

This project is designed to booster the economic capacity of women in the Vinnytsia Oblast. It will provide training in entrepreneurship and employment skills through the “School of Economic Empowerment for Women”. Both internally displaced women and local women will have the opportunity to learn entrepreneurship and enhance their employability skills.

•  Parostok, the Vinnytsia City Organization for Social Development and Formation of Certain Disadvantaged Categories of Youth – Project: “Providing Social and Psychological Support for Internally Displaced Women and Children with Disabilities in Vinnytsia Community”, Vinnytsia 

This project aims to address the issue of low psychological well-being and high risk of post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced women and children with disabilities. It will offer psychological and art therapy, legal assistance, social support, laundry, and clothing repair services. Additionally, it will provide training in legal awareness, social protection, disability rights[1] [2] , and computer literacy. 

• Global View Civil Society Organisation – Project: “Unbreakable_Me”, Zhytomyr District

This project is dedicated to uniting and assisting vulnerable women of the Radomyshl community (IDP women, women of military families, women with disabilities, volunteers) to facilitate their full integration into the community and effectively harness their potential for their own benefit and the development of the local community. This will be achieved by establishing a HUB for vulnerable women named “Unbreakable_Me”. The hub will offer services and activities such as psychological trainings, workshops, and thematic meetings.

• Center for Social Initiatives of Trostianets Community Public Union – Project: Unbreakable 2.0 HUB, Trostianets City Territorial Community of Okhtyrka District, Sumy Oblast 

This project aims to foster the socialization of people with disabilities and vulnerable groups of all ages by creating a day care center, the HUB named “Unbreakable 2.0”. The project will refurbish and equip the premises and organize events at the “Unbreakable 2.0” HUB to facilitate the socialization and adaptation of vulnerable groups. 

• Association of Roma Women “Voice of Romni” Civil Society Organisation – Project: “Capacity Building of Roma CSOs in Ukraine”, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zakarpattia, Odesa Oblasts

This project is designed to investigate how the situation of Roma (vulnerable before the invasion) has changed since the outbreak of full-scale war. And also to improve the knowledge of Roma women activists in the field of grant management, project management, fundraising, communications, training for Roma focus group facilitators on gender-based violence (GBV), training on GBV, human rights, and to increase their capacity to work in the public sector and with the affected population.

• Sincere Heart Lviv-Based Charitable Foundation – Project: “Recovery Camp”, Lviv, Lviv Oblast

This project is committed to providing psycho-emotional support and rehabilitation to IDPs and people from the de-occupied territories and territories where hostilities took place, who have experienced the negative impact of war on their mental health. This will be done through the organization of family and children’s camps named Recovery Camp. Specifically, there will be three six-day and 12 one-day psychological rehabilitation camps for mothers with children. In addition to sessions with psychologists, the camp program includes active games and master classes with game therapists.

The program has two main pillars: grant-making and institutional capacity building. Along with receiving a grant to enhance the institutional capacity of participating organizations, support will be provided to help them implement their projects and initiatives sustainably. An organizational capacity assessment and a roadmap for organizational development will be conducted. As part of the development program, organizations will also be offered a series of trainings and mentoring in financial management, project and team management, fundraising, communications, and/or related areas.

The grant competition was held within the framework of the Capable and Resistant program, implemented by East Europe Foundation with the financial support of Switzerland.