In honor of International Women’s Day, we are sharing interviews with Nataliia, Liudmyla, and Nadiia, who lead social protection institutions in different parts of the country.
We have renamed our project from “People of Social Protection” to “Women of Social Protection” to emphasize the role of women in the social sector and to highlight their vital work, especially during the war and the internal displacement crisis. Links to all interviews are available in our pinned stories (media).
Nataliia Danylenko is the director of the Territorial Center for Social Services of the Pokrovsk City Council in Dnipropetrovska Oblast. Nataliia told us how the Center helps IDPs meet their urgent needs and integrate into city life, as well as about innovations that are improving the quality of social services.
Liudmyla Hankulych heads the Social Security Department and the Administrative Services Center of the Stavne Village Council in Zakarpatska Oblast. We spoke with Liudmyla about the unique aspects of life in a mountainous region, the support provided to IDPs who have found new homes there, and the needs of the social sector in the Stavne community.
Nadiia Rym has served as the director of the Territorial Center for Social Services in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivska Oblast, for ten years. In her interview, she emphasizes the needs of not only the center’s clients but also its dedicated team. We discussed the services the center provides and the most challenging aspects of a social worker’s job.
Despite an increased workload, they continue to do everything possible to help everyone in need. They provide immediate assistance while also finding long-term solutions to support their clients well into the future.
We thank Nadiia, Liudmyla, Nataliia, and all women in the social protection sector for their professionalism, empathy, patience, and humanity. The social protection system functions in our communities because of your work.
For our part, we will continue our efforts to support you and your teams.
We are strengthening the work of social institutions as part of the Support to the Capacity of Government Institutions and Local Communities to Strengthen Social Protection Systems in Ukraine project, implemented with the support of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine.