On March 22, Kyiv hosted a presentation of two research projects of the Association of the Ukrainian Peacebuilding School, supported by our Foundation and the EU within the framework of the joint initiative “European Renaissance of Ukraine.”
The first study, “Public Sector of Kherson Region. Challenges of Growth,” concerns the functioning of public organizations and volunteer initiatives in the Kherson region and their interaction with the authorities and donor organizations after the de-occupation.
The study was conducted in September-January 2023 and results from 9 interviews with heads and members of Kherson NGOs, heads of village military administrations, village elders, managers of international funds, and donor organizations.
“This study has provided insight into the response of civic activists, volunteers, and initiative groups to challenges in the crisis. Its findings will form the basis for further actions and strategies aimed at supporting and developing civil society in times of war and further development of the country,” the study notes.
The second material presented by the project team is the Roadmap for Working with De-occupied Communities. This is an extensive practical guide for working with communities that were under occupation and are now at the stage of recovery after liberation. It contains the experience of the communities in Kharkiv and Kherson regions with which the Association of the Ukrainian Peacebuilding School worked. The main principle the project team promotes is to work directly with communities and their residents and do no harm.
“In developing the roadmap, we tried to stick to specific examples from people working in de-occupied communities. We are not a humanitarian organization, so our focus was on the conflict component and the restoration of the social capital of the de-occupied communities,” the map authors say.
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The main goal of the Ukrainian Peacebuilding School is to work towards peacekeeping and peacebuilding through establishing cultural, political, and economic ties between the regions of Ukraine and developing civil society through the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030. Learn more about the work of the Association of Ukrainian Peacebuilding Schools on their websites.
Photo: Presentation of the study with the participation of authors, experts, donors, and the Association of the Ukrainian Peacebuilding School.
