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From October 27 to 30, eleven organizations participating in the Institutional Development Program of East Europe Foundation and the European Union took part in the training “The Power of Adaptation: Strategy, Resources, and MEAL Approaches for Resilient Organizations.” The training brought together more than 40 representatives of civil society and charitable organizations from across Ukraine.
The training was held within the framework of Phoenix: The Power of Communities Project, implemented by East Europe Foundation with the support of the European Union. The Project aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations to contribute to the recovery of war-affected communities and to support Ukraine’s European integration.
“All organizations that participated in the training have previously implemented projects in partnership with East Europe Foundation, and we know how effectively they work and deliver results. Thanks to the EU’s systemic support, we can now provide them not only with project-based assistance but also with institutional grants that strengthen their organizational development — which is especially important in such challenging times. For this training, we brought together excellent speakers and highly qualified experts to give our partners a new boost for growth,” said Vira Nedzvetska, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships at East Europe Foundation.
The training program was developed based on the participants’ needs — to help organizations streamline internal processes and strengthen their teams. Participants deepened their knowledge in such areas as:
The training modules were conducted by experienced trainers — Karen-Marie Kragelund, Solomiia Borshchosh, Larysa Shkurka, Halyna Potopalska, and Uliana Kolodii — each bringing deep expertise in her field and a commitment to sharing knowledge.
For participants, the training was not only about learning but also about connection and mutual support. They shared experiences, discussed challenges, and looked for solutions together.
“I’m very grateful and happy to have had the opportunity to take part in this training, which covered such a wide range of topics. What I valued most was that this was learning for experienced professionals — eleven strong organizations came together. I mostly worked with executive directors, and I immediately realized how valuable our time together was: we not only learned from the experts but also from one another. Along with new knowledge and skills, we gained space for reflection and self-reflection,” said Darina Zarzhytska, Head of SebtoMedia (Educational Human Rights Center in Lviv NGO).
“These were incredibly rich and informative training days. I gained a lot of practical knowledge that I can already apply in my work. Even on the first day, the materials helped me rethink how a leader should collaborate with the team — and how inspiring and important this role can be,” shared Veronika Chuprina, Project Manager at Unity and Strength Charitable Foundation.
“We received not only new insights on areas we already work in — project management and improving approaches to implementation — but also valuable knowledge in financial management and leadership. I learned a lot, especially about accounting and the recent changes in related legislation. Although our organization has accountants handling this, for me personally, this information was very useful,” noted Marta Benyshyn, Head of Building Ukraine Together NGO.
“These training days were extremely valuable for our team. One of the components of our Foundation’s support for organizational development is institutional strengthening. We are sincerely grateful to East Europe Foundation and the European Union for this opportunity to improve our organization’s work and move forward,” summarized Serhii Zhuk, Head of Renaissance Source Charitable Foundation.
