We continue to develop our project aimed at supporting the social protection system.
Browse through the photos to see the work of our regional teams with communities and read about their key achievements from last month.
In May, we conducted:
- 17 coordination meetings with the leadership of social protection institutions;
- 7 seminars for social protection workers on topics such as living allowance for IDPs, obtaining IDP certificates, social support and aid, compensation for damaged/destroyed housing, working with Google Sheets, and community activities in ensuring citizens’ social protection rights;
- 8 training sessions on combating burnout for social protection workers;
- 8 educational and integrative events for IDPs, covering issues like recovering lost documents, employment and labor rights of IDPs, compensation for damaged/destroyed housing, and housing policies and programs for IDPs;
- 17 capacity-building events for IDP Councils, including securing housing rights for IDPs, methodology for monitoring local policies and programs, housing policies and programs, and the basics of IDP Council activities;
- 15 strategic sessions for IDP Councils;
- 7 meetings for communities needing consultations and advocacy within the framework of implementing the social protection system development plan;
- 3 workshops on updating community social passports;
- 24 coordination meetings with partners.
Our legal team provided 1,760 consultations to IDPs and affected individuals and 392 consultations to social protection workers regarding living allowance and housing issues.
Additionally, 39 consultations were provided to IDP Council members, who mostly needed guidance on developing strategic plans, organizing IDP Council operations, operational planning, membership, and exit processes.
We conducted 115 events in total, which represents the daily efforts of our regional project teams. Below, we share two examples of our work in Zhytomyrska and Zaporizka oblasts.
“The community focused on providing emergency social services. This is crucial in situations where people arrive without documents”
In Zhytomyrska Oblast, we visited the Brusylivska community. They needed consultation on implementing the social protection system development plan created within our project last year. During the meeting, we also discussed providing social services during martial law, particularly for IDPs. The regional project coordinator in Zhytomyrska Oblast, Oleksandr Pinchuk, provided more details about the social field in this community and the meeting outcomes:
“The Brusylivska community is very active, with well-developed social services. It was established based on the former Brusylivskyi Raion, so the structure and expertise are well-maintained. Additionally, the community participates in various projects from the Ministry of Social Policy and charitable and civil society organizations, including our Foundation.
During the meeting, Valentyna Mazurenko, the Director of the Center for Social Services, presented the medium-term plan for developing the social protection system in the community. The community focused on providing emergency social services. This is crucial in situations where people arrive without documents or necessary medical examinations but urgently need support. The legislation allows for providing such services to people without documents as long as they submit them later.
Moreover, the meeting participants outlined the main stages of plan implementation. We agreed to refine these stages according to the community’s needs and hold another meeting for approval. The final document will be presented to the village council for inclusion in the community’s development strategy.”
“The Council’s priority is to survey IDPs to understand the main needs and issues of the new residents better”
In the Zaporizka Oblast, the regional coordinator of the project, Anhelina Ovcharova, joined a meeting of the IDP Council under the Shyroke Village Council, where she shared her advice on organizing their work. The IDP Council in the Shyrokivska community was established at the end of 2023. Currently, it is developing its plan and activity directions and requires mentoring support.
“The IDP Council under the Shyroke Village Council already has some groundwork and a vision of strategic goals that can improve the lives of displaced persons. Among the main goals are creating conditions for self-realization, providing informational support, and actively integrating IDPs into community life.
The Council members are motivated and committed to fruitful work. In my opinion, this will help them face challenges and be effective. At the meeting, we discussed further interaction within the project. The Council’s priority is to survey IDPs to understand the main needs and issues of the new residents better — this is how the community refers to internally displaced persons,” said Angelina.
“At the meeting, we discussed the integration of IDPs into the community, the IDP Council’s restoration program, its resilience, and main activity directions. Anhelina Ovcharova provided organizational, methodological, and consultative advice on Council meetings, plan development, and creating working groups in the community. The coordinator’s advice was relevant and useful,” added Tetiana Kirilova, head of the IDP Council under the Shyroke Village Council.
We will continue to assist in improving the work of the social protection system in target communities. These initiatives are implemented as part of the Supporting the Capacity of the Social Protection System to Register Internally Displaced Persons project funded by the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.
