USAID/ENGAGE Special Newsletter Part 1

Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked war has turned 2022 into one of the most horrifying years in the history of Ukraine. Despite unthinkable hardship, Ukrainian people continue discovering new inner sources of strength, resilience and inspiration. Faced with the challenges of the war, civil society became a beacon of resistance to the enemy and emergency humanitarian response, while keeping the government in check towards reforms and European integration.
In this and the coming special issues of our newsletter, we will look back at 2022 of USAID/ENGAGE and share achievements of civil society’s response to the war and the post-war future of Ukraine. Enjoy our digest and save the date for the following Wednesday`s issue to learn more!

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In 2022, USAID/ENGAGE adapted its activities to help our partners make an impact as influencers, watchdogs, conveners, and communicators in areas of civic education, the rule of law, anti-corruption, European integration, policy analysis, countering Russia’s disinformation, and the protection of vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Since the outbreak of Russia’s invasion, we have awarded $1,7 million to help 51 CSO partners address war consequences. Through mentorship and technical assistance, we aided 28 CSOs in pivoting their activities to provide humanitarian assistance to over 80,000 people.           

ENGAGE partners advocated for 22 policy changes on local and national levels, including those that prevented the roll-back of the anti-corruption and rule of law reforms.

With USAID/ENGAGE’s and its civil society partners’ direct input, the Ministry of Education and Science piloted a new mandatory civic education course for 5th graders. To ensure that the content of the course is effectively delivered to children, our partners trained over 130 teachers in modern approaches to teach civics. Moreover, USAID/ENGAGE partners created free education opportunities for more than 87,000 children allowing for an uninterrupted education process while Ukrainian schools were struggling to adapt to the wartime realities.

During this difficult year, ENGAGE partners conducted over 200 public events engaging over 4,900 participants, including 2,500 Ukrainian youngsters in civic education activities. Our partners have published over 2,300 analytical and media materials that debunk Kremlin-sponsored propaganda, document war crimes, reveal collaborators, and analyze war-time legislation reaching an audience of more than 12 million citizens with key societal and personal security issues.

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Bihus.Info Spread the Truth About Russia’s Crimes, Debunks Propaganda and
Fights Corruption

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Bihus.Info has been spreading the truth to the world about Russia’s crimes, debunking propaganda and exposing occupiers. In 2022 alone, the videos published on the organization’s YouTube channel received more than 90 million views and gained over 300,000 new subscribers.

To support the military and volunteers, activists launched the “Army of Help” project and raised 12 million hryvnias The CSO`s high-profile investigations contributed to bringing corrupt officials to liability, returning millions of hryvnias to the state budget, and liquidation of the scandalous Kyiv District Administrative Court.

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Transparency International Ukraine Built a Corruption-Free Ukraine

In 2022, Transparency International Ukraine proved that civil society is a reliable ally of the state. CSO launched a communication campaign urging businesses to leave Russia and not sponsor the war, advocated confiscation of Russia`s assets, developed a concept of Ukraine`s reconstruction, and initiated the Rise Ukraine coalition to ensure a virtuous recovery.

The TIU’s efforts were also recognized by the international community. CSO received the Amalia Award in the “Impact” category for positive changes that contributed to the fight against corruption, while Prozorro.Sales, an initiative implemented jointly by TIU and the state, received the UN Public Service Awards as the best public service.

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Environment People Law Raised Awareness of the Environmental Impact of War

The war causes enormous damage to the environment of Ukraine. To draw attention to these problems, Environment People Law has been documenting environmental crimes since the first days of the full-scale invasion. CSO also actively advocated the inclusion of environmental issues in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, informed society about the ecological component of war, and promoted the importance of joint efforts by the international community to overcome the consequences of ecocide.

Among the organization`s achievements is a database that includes evidence of war crimes against Ukraine`s environment. It is designed to hold Russia accountable and collect compensation for these crimes. EPL has already recorded 370 cases of ecocide, and the number is constantly growing.

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Center of United Action Found Shelters for Ukrainians Affected by War 

Right after the first days of a full-scale invasion, the Centre of United Action launched an initiative to help find safe homes for war victims. From February 25 through the end of June, CSO found shelters for 4,067 adults, 1,385 children, and more than 500 pets. The CSO also cooperated with municipal institutions and provided 1,000 beds at its own expense. To share stories about people who bring victory closer, activists launched a podcast about volunteer initiatives and recorded 193 interviews in 24 communities.

One of the loudest initiatives of CSOs in 2022 is the creative contest “The Country Won’t Make Itself” about the vision of Ukraine in 10 years. Based on the results of the competition, CSO prepared an art book with the best works.

Center of United Actions actively promoted the accountability of the authorities and the citizens` participation in democratic processes: CSO prepared more than 50 digests with a detailed analysis of the decisions of the parliament, the government, and the president, released 16 episodes of the “Ok, So What?” podcast and launched a “By Law” video blog explaining who will be affected by these decisions.

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Center for Policy and Legal Reforms Created Effective Legal Solutions During Wartime

The peacetime legislation does not always provide answers to questions that have arisen during the war. To develop solutions in such cases, the Center of Policy and Legal Reforms and the National University “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” launched the initiative “Law in Wartime.” Within the project, the CSO published over 500 materials and developed 50 documents and draft laws.

CPLR formed a vision of the institutional organization of state power in the “Vision of Ukraine – 2030,” developed within a coalition “Ukraine after Victory,” and assessed Ukrainian justice according to the EU Justice Scoreboard methodology. The assessment results allowed to outline the judicial reform measures needed for the EU integration of Ukraine.

Among other achievements of the CSO is the adoption of the long-advocated law  “On Administrative Procedure.”

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Docudays UA Collects Archives of War and Strengthened Ukraine`s Voice Abroad

Justice for war crimes always begins with evidence. To document them comprehensively and accurately, Docudays UA launched the War Archive – a database of video and audio evidence. During the year, activists collected more than 885 hours of video and audio from open Telegram channels and sorted more than 320 hours of materials. The project team also recorded 120 hours of interviews with war witnesses from different regions of Ukraine.

To strengthen Ukraine`s voice abroad, CSO presented Ukraine at 29 international venues, including the Cannes Film Festival, International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam, Sheffield Doc/Fest, Krakow Film Festival, Milan Triennale, and others.

The organization also created the DOCU/HELP support initiative to provide Ukrainian cinematographers documenting the war with the necessary support and equipment and launched FILMBOOST, a scholarship program for filmmakers.

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Ukrainian Leadership Academy Spread the Culture of Volunteering in Ukraine

The goal of the Ukrainian Leadership Academy is to educate proactive young leaders who boldly take responsibility for their lives and the future of the state. Consequently, with the beginning of the full-scale war, ULA was one of the first to stand up and actively engage in the volunteer movement: CSO students and alumni volunteered at the borders, worked with children, helped with evacuation, set up shelters, held first aid training, and conducted 46 training activities for volunteers joined by 597 people.

The Academy`s students and alumni collected almost $150,000 abroad to support the volunteer movement. They also conducted numerous events, creative evenings, charity meetings, etc., to raise funds to help victims of war.

To raise awareness of the genocide committed by Russia, ULA conducted street actions dedicated to the Holodomor titled “Uncounted: 1932. 2022” in 10 cities throughout Europe.

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Pro.Pro.Lab Shared Safety Tips for Children During Wartime

Under wartime threats, it is important to ensure the safety of children. For this reason, Pro.Pro.Lab created the chatbot “Woby2”, which checks children’s knowledge about safety and shares useful tips on how to act during wartime. The chatbot is available on Telegram and on the website.

In 2022, the CSO`s book “Ours. Engineering history of Ukraine,” was included in the Amazing Bookshelf: 100 books and was presented for the BolognaRagazzi Award at the 59th Bologna Children’s Book Fair (BRAW). The free electronic version of the book in English is already available on the website. The organization will transfer 50% of the printed book cost, bought through the website, to the SavED fund that takes care of the reconstruction of schools in Chernihiv.

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Gender Zed Raised Visibility of the LGBT Community During Wartime

After the full-scale invasion, Gender Zed focused all its efforts on helping the LGBT community in Ukraine affected by wartime – CSO processed more than 3,500 applications and directed almost 2 million hryvnias to aid.

Gender Zed has repeatedly raised funds for the needs of the Zaporizhzhia military. CSO collected over 180,000 hryvnias to purchase equipment and medicines for the soldiers.

In addition, CSO contributed to increased visibility of the LGBT community by publishing relevant information and creating videos in which opinion leaders share their thoughts on Ukraine`s victory.

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GoGlobal Engaged Youth in the Recovery of Ukraine

Ukraine’s reconstruction is a long-term process that requires the participation of a new generation of leaders. To engage young Ukrainians and support volunteering, GoGLobal relaunched the initiative VlipyZaSebe. CSO also implemented the educational program “Country of Mutually Beautiful People” and presented a Manifesto of Change – a vision of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine and youth participation in this process.

GoGlobal also provided psycho-emotional support to teachers and children and taught them to adapt their materials to wartime challenges.

Due to CSO`s efforts, 165,000 children received useful knowledge, 2,500 teachers learned how to work with psychological trauma and adapt educational materials, and 1,300 volunteers from around the world joined mentorship activities for Ukrainian pupils.

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