East Europe Foundation (EEF)

🎬 Introducing the new online course "Inclusive Humanitarian Aid"! 🎯 Its main goal is to help organizations implementing humanitarian programs enhance their awareness and professionalism in inclusion and learn how to create barrier-free spaces. The online course consists of nine lectures that will deepen your understanding of the needs of people with disabilities and make inclusion one of the core values of your organization. Meet the online course instructors: 🔸 Oleksandr "Teren" Budko — a veteran and public activist 🔸 Uliana Pcholkina — a public activist, leader of Group for Active Rehabilitation NGO The free course "Inclusive Humanitarian Aid" is now available on Educational Online Platform: https://cutt.ly/3rrJopg5. "Inclusive Humanitarian Aid" online course was developed as part of "Together for Support" program, implemented by East Europe Foundation and funded by the Ukraine Humanitarian Fund United Nations OCHA.

On February 21, Kyiv hosted an event that brought together local organizations and donors to discuss important issues of cooperation and support for civil society.   🤝 Partnership and Networking The Meeting for Change has become a platform for sharing experiences, finding new partnerships, and expanding opportunities for civic initiatives. Participants presented their projects, discussed challenges and ways to overcome them.   💡 Opportunities for Organizations East Europe Foundation presented three active support programs: 🔹 Impulse is a three-year project of the International Renaissance Foundation and East Europe Foundation with support from the Norwegian Agency for Development and Cooperation (Norad) and in partnership with Sweden (Sida - Styrelsen för Internationellt Utvecklingssamarbete) aimed at strengthening civil society for the restoration of Ukraine. 🔹 Phoenix: The Power of Communities is a project implemented by East Europe Foundation with support from the European Union. Its goal is to support the development of civil society organizations to rebuild the affected communities and promote Ukraine's European integration. 🔹 Capable and Resistant is a program implemented with financial support from Switzerland to strengthen the resilience and effectiveness of civil society organizations that support the affected population. The program includes grants in the amount of UAH 400,000 to 4,000,000, institutional development, online courses, and experience exchange.   📚 The participants also learned about the possibilities of the free online educational platform Zrozumilo!.   The Meeting for Change has once again confirmed that through cooperation and support we can build a strong civil society in Ukraine!   Many thanks to National Network of Local Philanthropy Development for organizing and inviting us!

Ukraine is a country of great deeds and even greater heroes: our parents and neighbors, school friends, old acquaintances, and colleagues. Ordinary people who stood up for their homes and families, who were the first to help and shelter those in need, who went to work in the morning and wove camouflage nets in the evening, who collected donates for defenders, united foreign communities, and advocated for Ukraine's cause abroad. It's a fact. The same as the fact that Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state, the fact that it's the third year Ukrainians are fighting since a full-scale invasion, and the eleventh – since Russia launched its armed aggression. When united we are capable of incredible things, therefore, unity is our strength. In these dark times, we should support each other, work for the common benefit, and be grateful for all the efforts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine🇺🇦

✅“Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of the charity culture we uphold at the Foundation”, says Natalia Slynko, PMP®, PMI-PMOCP®, Vice President for Programs at East Europe Foundation. Recently, following an assessment of our Organization by the Association of Charities of Ukraine, the Foundation was honored to be included in the “Charity Compass of Ukraine” National Rating. 🏆 We are proud to announce that our organization received the highest rating — five stars. This distinction followed a thorough evaluation of our resource utilization, adherence to the principles of integrity, and the public nature of our activities. We extend our gratitude to the National Rating Organizing Committee for their high regard of our work! This accolade reaffirms that we are on the right path, contributing positively to the country's progress!

We are happy to congratulate the first 10 civil society organizations that received support under the third phase of the Capable and Resistant Program, supported by Switzerland!   1.  City of Goodness Charity Foundation with their Butterfly House project, Chernivtsi 2. Kharkiv Regional Charitable Foundation “Social Aid Service” with the project “Mobile Palliative Care in the City of Kharkiv”, Kharkiv 3. Veterans HUB Odesa Civil Society Organization with the project “Life After War: Supporting Veterans and Their Families”, Odesa Oblast 4. Charitable Organization “Charitable Foundation ‘Frida’” with the project “Restoring mental health of healthcare professionals from Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts”, Sumy and Kharkiv Oblasts 5. Civil Society Organization “League of Modern Women” with the project “Workshop of Occupations – a tool for efficient social and economic integration of women”, Sumy, Lebedyn, and Romny communities of Sumy Oblast 6. Charitable Organization “Charitable Foundation ‘Mission Kharkiv’” with the project “Psychological support for cancer patients: we are by your side!”, Kharkiv 7. Civil Society Organization “Association of Women of Ukraine ‘Diia’” with the project “Resilience and Protection: Counteracting Violence and Helping Victims of War”, Odesa Oblast 8. Civil Society Organization “ZMIST Poltava” with the project of “Center for Adaptation of Internally Displaced Persons Zmist”, Poltava Oblast 9. Civil Society Organization “MainStream” with the project “DIM – Perfect Ideas for the Future”, Zaporizhzhia 10.  Civil Society Organization “Public Movement ‘Women's Power of Ukraine’” with the project “Crisis assistance based on the ‘Psychosocial support service for military families’ platform”, Kyiv Read more about the projects that received grant support on our website here: https://lnkd.in/gPQbw6Fw

On February 20, 2014, hundreds of people flooded the city center of the Ukrainian capital. Volunteer medics were working non-stop as dozens of activists were injured. That day, along with a series of events during the Revolution of Dignity, will be an eternal symbol of the ordinary Ukrainians who sacrificed their most precious asset – their lives – fighting for freedom, democracy, and the European vector of development. Nowadays, on February 20, Ukrainians honor the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes as a tribute to the heroic deed of the participants of the Revolution of Dignity and to perpetuate the memory of the fallen heroes. 11 years later, Ukrainians are united by a common goal as always and continue to defend their statehood – valiantly, persistently, and stoically!

🇪🇺 European integration is a nationwide process the entire country participates in: from public representatives and our European partners – to the expert community and civil society representatives. The latter's role is in line with the values of the European Union, where no success is possible unless every citizen is actively engaged. Victor Liakh, the President of the Foundation, recently joined the “Ukraine's Accession to the EU: Shaping the Transformation Agenda” forum. The event was focused on discussing Ukraine's transformation plan in the rule of law and public administration domains – roadmaps to be used as a key reference for Ukraine to achieve the EU membership criteria in the coming years, as well as a roadmap for the democratic institutions functioning. 📌“Being an established civil society means having a clear goal with a long-term perspective: stay focused despite any external circumstances. Sometimes it means making difficult decisions in dark times that guarantee the anticipated results, – shared the President of the Foundation. Viktor was a speaker at a panel dedicated to the role of civil society in Ukraine’s accession to the EU. With other experts, they discussed the ways the state and civil society may cooperate, act in synergy, and seek common ground and opportunities for joint activities. 📍The event is organized by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine in partnership with the “Strengthening Ukraine's Rule of Law for EU Accession” (3*E4U) project, which is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für International Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, as well as the EU Project Pravo-Justice implemented by Expertise France.

Having true friends who advocate for Ukrainian interests on the international level, support civil society initiatives, and unite communities abroad to amplify Ukraine's voice is a blessing. One such friend is Melinda Haring!   At East Europe Foundation, Melinda Haring is the Chairperson of the EEF’s Board of Directors and has been supporting our team for years in building the civil society sector, implementing innovative solutions, and strengthening democracy.   Today, we celebrate Ms. Haring's birthday and extend our heartfelt congratulations to her! 🎉 Thank you, Melinda, for your support of Ukraine, the empathy with which you champion our cause, and your efforts in promoting Ukrainian interests.   We appreciate every effort you make! May our collaboration continue to be filled with synergy!💕

📝"Systematic and goal-oriented communication helps build relationships with your audience, stay visible to donors and potential partners, and draw attention to socially significant issues. I see my role as sharing with my colleagues in the sector how important communication is, and promoting what we do. It should be permanent, professional, and aimed at achieving specific goals," believes Olha Milianovych, Senior Communications Manager at East Europe Foundation.   Recently, Olha had the opportunity to share her experience with representatives of NGOs that support children with disabilities and those at risk, along with their families. Taking into account the specifics of their activities, our specialist told them about   🔸how to choose and develop the organization's communication platforms - website, social media, etc; 🔸how to create high-quality and audience-relevant content—texts, visual materials, and videos; 🔸how to communicate with the media - to turn interaction into fruitful cooperation; 🔸the role of communications in the fundraising system and in working with grant projects. The event was held as part of a project implemented by UNICEF Ukraine and Dzherelo Children's Rehabilitation Centre with the financial support of the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) through the state development bank KfW and and within the framework of the national programme for the development of a better childcare system, "Better Care for Every Child".

🚀 Launching Power Up: Experience Sharing – a short-term program to promote the best energy efficiency practices. Power Up: Experience Sharing is the next stage of the Power Up initiative (2023-2024), which successfully implemented a Pilot thermal modernization project at the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine. 💡 What’s next With the support of GIZ Ukraine and in partnership with the Ministry for Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine, we are strengthening energy efficiency in the public sector by: 🔹 Sharing best practices and experience from the Pilot project 🔹 Supporting the launch of the National Database of Energy and Exploitation Characteristics of Buildings in Ukraine (Database of Buildings) – an important tool for energy management in public sector buildings. 📌 Program includes - Workshops and training for representatives of ministries and central executive authorities, energy managers - Guidelines for energy management in the public sector - A handbook based on the Ministry of Finance’s thermal modernization experience - Technical support for the Database of Buildings launch - Training materials for Database users ⚡ Why it is essential The experience gained from modernizing the Ministry of Finance building will help other central executive bodies implement energy management and modern efficiency measures. Meanwhile, the Database of Buildings will become part of the Unified State Electronic System in the field of construction, facilitating data collection for large-scale thermal modernization across Ukraine. The program is carried out by East Europe Foundation with the support of the project “Promotion of Energy Efficiency and Implementation of the EU Energy Efficiency Directive in Ukraine”, implemented by GIZ Ukraine on behalf of the German Government and co-financed by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).