It has been three months since the grinding wheel of war peeled off the glitter of life and reshaped our souls forever. Heroism, hatred, the pain of loss, unbowedness, with squeaking air raid sirens were hurled in and melted together into a heavy core of the planet Hope.
We do not expect that the war will end overnight but we are sure that Ukraine will win. On the road to victory, we need a reliable shoulder to lean on. Ukrainian civil society – and every Ukrainian citizen in their own place – rolled up their sleeves and jumped into the battle on their own fronts.
In this issue of our long-awaited newsletter, we present the highlights of Ukrainian civil society’s response to the war and salute the bravery, creativity and empathy of those helping their fellow citizens with tireless work on the activist frontline.
On February 24, history routed the most dreadful way of a billion possible ones. But the society united once again to resist the aggressor and defend Ukraine’s democratic path. Stand your ground. Support whoever you can. Enjoy the moments of rest and calm. Ukraine will win.
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National Endowment for Democracy`s Democracy Award Honors Ukrainian CSOs
On May 18, The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) announced its intentions to honor Anti-Corruption Action Center, Center for Civil Liberties, Public Interest Journalism Lab, and Ukrainian Volunteer Service with its 2022 Democracy Award. According to NED, these groups continue their critical work advancing and protecting human rights, demanding accountability, strengthening independent media, and mobilizing support for Ukraine during a harrowing time of war.
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Apply Now: Rapid Response Grants
Do not miss this opportunity for civil society! We continue to support civic initiatives that address the urgent needs of Ukrainian people through an adapted rapid response grants mechanism. The competition is open-ended. We will review applications on a rolling basis. Check the link below for more details and don’t hesitate to apply!
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CSO Develops Chatbot that Helps People Living with HIV
The Center for Public Health, under the support of Pact`s Community Action for HIV Control project, developed a platform and a Telegram chatbot to help people living with HIV to find antiretroviral therapy in their location in Ukraine or abroad. This way, Ukrainians receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) can get vital medicines at the nearest facility.
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VoxUkraine Evaluates Reform Progress During Wartime
Even the war has not halted reforms. VoxUkraine analyzed the main legislative changes adopted by the government during the first quarter of 2022. Evaluating the progress of the identified reforms, VoxUkraine highlighted that the most important regulations belong to the area of “Business environment” (12 of 35 legislative changes). Check the material for more information!
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Verkhovna Rada Recognizes Russia’s War as Genocide Against Ukraine Based on Civil Society-Drafted Resolution
On April 14, the Ukrainian Parliament declared that Russia had committed genocide against the Ukrainian people by voting on a Resolution drafted by the experts of the “Law in War” Initiative established by the NaUKMA Law Faculty in partnership with the Center for Political and Legal Reforms. The vote is the first step towards bringing the perpetrators to justice, while further recognition of the genocide of the Ukrainian people by the International Criminal Court will strengthen Ukraine’s position in matters related to compensation for victims of Russia’s actions.
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Ukrainian Leadership Academy and FEDORIV Agency Unite to Help Internally Displaced Families Find Temporary Shelters
On March 29, the Ukrainian Leadership Academy together with the FEDORIV agency launched a social volunteer project “Families host families.” The project calls on Ukrainians in every corner of the country to help families fleeing their homes to provide shelter to as many internally displaced persons as possible. As part of the initiative, the project intends to collect and publish inspiring stories to strengthen society and express support for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
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Music Industry Professionals Initiate a Fundraiser to Help Vulnerable Groups Affected by the War
The All-Ukrainian Association of Music Events in partnership with Atlas Weekend Music Festival and other industry professionals launched Music Saves UA – a non-profit fundraising project designed to offer immediate humanitarian aid to vulnerable populations affected by the war in Ukraine. On May 29, the initiative will host the second International Charity Concert-Marathon in Germany to celebrate the 3 months of Ukrainian resilience and fundraise for critical needs. The previous event hosted on March 27 in Warsaw was broadcasted on TV channels from nearly 20 countries in Europe helping the initiatives to raise funds to provide humanitarian assistance to more than 10,000 Ukrainians affected by the war.
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Ukrainian Civil Society Takes Over Twitter
Since the beginning of the war, Ukrainian CSOs became one of the biggest newsmakers on Twitter. Follow AntAC’s CEO to learn more about international advocacy work and related achievements on the CSO frontline. Interested in receiving the latest updates about the war and social life in Ukraine from the account followed by the Harry Potter author? Subscribe to Toronto TV! In its recent tweet, Toronto TV tagged Joanne Rowling, and the Harry Potter author did not hesitate to respond with the #SlavaUkraini hashtag.
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Crimean Tatar Resource Center Reaches 4 Million Ukrainians with a Remembrance Campaign
In late February, the Crimean Tatar Resource Center started a nationwide communication campaign “Liberate Crimea” to raise awareness of the victims of the genocide of the Crimean Tatars of 1944. Developed as a commemoration intervention, the campaign was refocused on the run of the war. Looking at the atrocities of Russia’s army, the CSO communicated the inherited negligence of human rights and disregard of the humanitarian principles of war – what the Soviet Union did to the Crimean Tatars in 1944, Russia repeats towards the Ukrainian people in 2022. As of today, the campaign reached over 4 million citizens.
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