In 2023, the team of our Charitable Foundation continued to work on a project aimed at helping the social protection system overcome the consequences of hostilities and occupation. Since June 2022, we have been researching the needs of social security departments and providing them with the necessary equipment to register IDPs, conducting educational webinars and workshops, advocating for the rights of IDPs, and providing them with consultations. In 2023, our project scaled up, supporting social protection institutions and professionals from all 24 oblasts of the country in partnership with the United Nations Refugee Agency in Ukraine (UNHCR).
The main goal of the project is to help the social protection system in all oblasts restore stable operation.
In 2023, the project covered territorial communities from all 24 oblasts, including institutions displaced from the temporarily occupied territories. Our team continued last year’s initiatives and introduced new ones. For example, on February 23, the CO CF SSS signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the Ombudsman’s Office. The partnership’s main goal is to ensure joint systematic work on protecting IDPs’ rights and expanding it to the national level.
“With limited resources and virtually unlimited needs, we are forced to focus on activities that we believe allow us to improve the protection of IDPs’ rights systematically. Civil society organizations cannot and should not replace local self-government bodies or national authorities. We are trying to support them and help them overcome the consequences of the terrible military aggression, which has been increasing the number of affected people, including IDPs, for more than 9 years.
That is why this year we are implementing new initiatives within the project: support for IDP Councils, conducting needs assessments and drawing up social passports of communities, supporting the activities of the Ombudsman’s Office,” — says Valeriia Vershynina, Executive Director of the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services Charitable” (Project Manager, 2022–2024).
PROJECT GOALS IN 2023:
- Provide technical and organizational support to the Ombudsman’s Office in conducting monitoring visits to places of compact settlement and information campaigns;
- Provide institutional and technical support to social protection institutions;
- Provide support to communities in updating social passports;
- Provide advisory and methodological support to employees of the social protection system;
- Provide advisory and information support to IDPs;
- Implement a large-scale information campaign to increase confidence in the social protection system among IDPs;
- Provide support for capacity building of IDP Councils, such as strategic sessions, youth engagement, and gender mainstreaming.
Supporting the Capacity of IDP Councils
During the year, the project supported the establishment of 105 IDP Councils in 21 oblasts of Ukraine. Among them:
- 6 IDP Councils at the oblast level
- 3 IDP Councils at the raion level
- 96 IDP Councils in the communities (of city and village levels)
Educational Events for IDP Councils in 2023
Throughout the year, the project’s regional experts — coordinators and lawyers — conducted educational events to strengthen the capacity of IDP Councils across the country. We provided them with mentoring support and helped them implement new methodologies to improve the work of the Councils and initiative groups. In particular, this year, we held the following events:
- Coordination activities for IDP Councils: 24 meetings were held in 24 oblasts for 721 people
- Coordination and mentoring support for initiative groups and newly established IDP Councils: 109 events for 1,341 participants.
- Supporting the involvement of IDP youth in the activities of IDP Councils: 79 events for 1,354 participants.
- Support for gender mainstreaming in IDP Councils: 79 events for 1,101 participants.
- Strategic sessions for IDP Councils: 84 Strategic Sessions were held (1,435 people were reached), which resulted in the preparation of 84 Strategic Plans for IDP Councils for 2024–2025. In particular, Strategic Sessions were held for 9 oblast IDP Councils (Vinnytska Oblast Military Administration, Dnipropetrovska OMA, Zaporizka OMA, Ivano-Frankivska OMA, Poltavska OMA, Sumska OMA, Cherkaska OMA, Chernivetska OMA, Chernihivska OMA).
Forums of IDP Councils for Council Members and the Expert Community
Within the framework of the project, we held 3 interregional and 1 All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils, which was joined by representatives of IDP Councils and local authorities, Ukrainian and foreign experts, human rights activists, representatives of the civil society sector and charitable organizations.
- Forum of IDP Councils of Eastern Oblasts of Ukraine “Changing Ukraine” (Poltavska, Sumska, Kharkivska, and Luhanska oblasts), August 17-18, 2023, 131 participants.
- Forum of IDP Councils of Eastern Oblasts of Ukraine “Changing Ukraine” (Dnipropetrovska, Donetska, Zaporizka and Khersonska oblasts), September 6-7, 2023, 104 participants.
- Interregional Forum of IDP Councils “Changing Ukraine” (Volynska, Ivano-Frankivska, Lvivska, Rivnenska, Ternopilska and Chernivetska oblasts), October 20-21, 2023, 121 participants.
- All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils, November 1-3, 2023, 428 participants.
The All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils was the first event of its kind for the Councils. The Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” organized the three-day event in partnership with the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories and with the support of the UN Refugee Agency in Ukraine and the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX).
The Forum was opened by Iryna Vereshchuk, Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine. She thanked the regional authorities, international partners, the civil society sector, and those who work in the field and understand what IDPs need.
First Results of the Forum
You can read more about the key results of the first All-Ukrainian Forum of IDP Councils in Valeriya Vershynyna’s op-ed “IDPs, Councils, and Communities: How Should the State Policy Toward IDPs in Ukraine Change?” One of the results we have already achieved is the involvement of the heads of IDP Councils from all oblasts and the city of Kyiv in the specialized Coordination Headquarters under the Office of Vice Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. They participate in weekly discussions on issues related to overcoming the consequences of the hostilities. A map of IDP Councils was also presented at the Forum, which will allow people to find and contact their local IDP Councils quickly.
As a result of the Forum, a vision of the changes that need to be made to Resolution No. 812 (Model Regulation on the Council on IDPs) and other existing regulations was developed. These proposals are currently being finalized and will be discussed later.
Information campaigns about IDP Councils
As part of the project, we produced 3 videos about the achievements and challenges of the Councils from three Ukrainian cities:
- Zaporizhzhia: the history of the Advisory Council of IDPs under the Zaporizhzhia City Mayor and the IDP Council under the Zaporizka Oblast Military Administration.
- Khmelnytskyi: the story of the Coordination Council for Internally Displaced Persons under the mayor of Khmelnytsky.
- Myrhorod (Poltavska oblast): History of the Council for Internally Displaced Persons under the Executive Committee of the Myrhorod City Council.
We also developed an explainer on the activities of the IDP Councils, which described in detail the purpose of the IDP Councils, showed the dynamics of the Councils’ network in 2023, and outlined future plans to support the Councils next year.
Information Materials for the Affected Population
In 2023, we have developed more than 40 useful information materials (online and printed) for the affected population, IDPs, and people returning to Ukraine from abroad. These include explainer cards, leaflets, booklets, road maps, flyers, and posters that explain a particular topic step by step and contain contacts that can be used to get further assistance. We developed most of these materials together with the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.
Here are some of them:
- Cards about IDP Councils in Ukraine
- Obtaining an IDP certificate: current instructions
- Payment of housing and utility bills for IDPs for the house they left behind
- Restoration of IDPs’ documents on labor activity
- Registration for temporary housing for IDPs
- Changes in the provision of assistance to IDPs (Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 332 “Some Issues of Support for Internally Displaced Persons”) – developed jointly with the Coalition of Organizations that Protect the Rights of Victims of the Armed Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine
- Renewal of IDPs’ living allowance after returning from abroad
- Medical assistance to IDPs
- Establishment of the fact of birth or death in the territories temporarily outside the control of the Government of Ukraine (TOT)
- Features of the educational process of IDP children under martial law
We have also developed 4 animated video explainers for the affected population that explain the following topics in an accessible way:
- How to restore lost personal documents?
- Social services for those returning from abroad
- How to get compensation for damaged or destroyed housing?
- Social protection for people affected by the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine
People of the Social Protection System: Special Project With Representatives of the Social Protection System
We interviewed 5 respondents from 5 oblasts of Ukraine. These are the heads of social protection institutions in Zhytomyrska, Khmelnytska, Poltavska, Odeska, and Zaporizka oblasts. The population of communities in each oblast has grown due to internal displacement, and the burden on social services has correspondingly increased. The interviewees told us about the challenges they face in their daily work, the obstacles they overcome, and how they continue to perform their duties effectively, providing people with assistance and social services.
- Interview with Mariya Sharamko — Zhytomyrska Oblast
- Interview with Viktor Marko — Zaporizka Oblast
- Interview with Dmytro Startsun — Khmelnytska Oblast
- Interview with Oksana Yarem — Odeska Oblast
- Interview with Nataliya Molochko — Poltavska Oblast
Training Materials on Working With the UISSS System
This year, in partnership with the State Enterprise Information and Computing Center of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, we conducted a series of training sessions for social protection system employees on how to work in the Unified Information System of the Social Sphere (UISSS). This is a unified, integrated information and analytical system of the social sphere designed to accumulate, store, and automate information on the social protection of the population, created with the latest information and management technologies, unified modern standards of quality of service for applicants, and opportunities to develop effective organizational and structural solutions.
You can watch the video of the full training and Q&A sessions in the UISSS Training playlist on our YouTube channel.
56 Community Social Passports
In 2023, we supported developing social passports and assessing social service needs in communities. A social passport is a collection of information and data systematized and organized in one document that helps to identify available community resources and make a socio-demographic description of the community. Together with the needs assessment, it allows us to prepare a medium-term plan for the development of the social protection system. This year, we helped communities develop 56 social passports in PDF format.
56 Community Development Plans
Throughout the year, we assessed the needs of 56 target communities, based on which we drafted the same number of medium-term plans for developing the social protection system in these territorial communities for 2024–2026.
A plan consists of a descriptive part of the current situation regarding the organization and provision of services in the community, identification of strategic directions for the development of the system, operational goals, and an action plan for their implementation for the relevant period.
The objectives of this assessment were:
- Prioritize the problems of settlements that are part of territorial communities;
- Identify the potential for community development;
- Identify sources of resources to address priority issues;
- Establish effective communication between the local self-government and the residents of the territorial community.
Sociological Studies of the Accessibility of Social Services
Over the course of 4 months in 2023, we conducted a comprehensive sociological analysis of the availability and quality of social and administrative services in 56 communities in 14 oblasts. The study included two main components: a survey of community residents (including local women and people in difficult financial situations) and focus group discussions. The opinions of both recipients and providers of such services were taken into account.
Based on these studies, we have compiled reports that include data visualization in graphs and charts and quotes from respondents. You can read some of the reports in the Research section of our website.
500 Tricycles for Liberated Communities of 4 Oblasts
At the end of 2023, our Foundation purchased 500 tricycles, which are equipped with two spacious baskets: a small one in front and a large one behind. The deep baskets can hold a variety of items, including personal belongings, food, medicines, and clothing. The tricycles are designed to allow social workers to move quickly through de-occupied communities.
In some communities, social workers have to travel 15-20 kilometers each way to reach their clients — lonely elderly people, people with disabilities, or people in difficult life circumstances. They do not travel this way with empty hands because their mission is to deliver food and medicine, sometimes clothes or other household items, and help people with household chores.
This project is implemented by the Charity Foundation “Stabilization Support Services” with the funding of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Ukraine. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the CO CF SSS and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Agency.
