Projects are over; long live... projects.

The OSCE (Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe), with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Denmark, funded projects for non-governmental organisations in five regions of Ukraine: Kirovohrad, Lviv, Luhansk, Khmelnytskyi, and Kherson. A total of 80 projects were selected, 13 of which were implemented in our area.
In May of this year, all supported projects effectively came to an end. Last week, an information session was held in Kherson, where our public activists spoke about what they managed to achieve and the challenges they faced. OSCE regional coordinators also provided their comments.
In general, for the OSCE project coordinators, this is far from the first programme in Ukraine. However, the ‘Development of Civil Society in Ukraine’ project, supported by Denmark, was implemented for the first time. The subject matter was also somewhat specific: cooperation between public groups and government structures, the strengthening and development of a network of non-governmental organisations, and the exchange of knowledge (so that they would ‘tread on the same field but not interfere with, rather complement, one another’). The primary focus was on programmes aimed at protecting the rights of vulnerable population groups, such as youth and people with functional limitations, as well as on the transparency and accountability of government bodies, and the observance of human rights within the activities of law enforcement agencies.
For the donors, this was a ‘trial balloon’. It was a kind of experiment: would our civil society activists be able to cope with their tasks? And is this work worth continuing?
According to the coordinators, they expected many vibrant and effective projects from Ukrainian activists, especially given that the civil movement in Ukraine has already demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, its strength in various fields of activity. There were indeed many applications for the competitions (two were organised and held between April and October 2007), but only a handful were interesting and of high quality. And although it was intended that one million euros of Danish taxpayers' money would be spent on funding, only a little over 800,000 was utilised. It turns out that there was simply no one to give the remaining money to. Nevertheless, the people of Kherson ‘distinguished’ themselves once again. According to the coordinators, the most unusual project was that of the Kherson youth organisation CMI ‘Totem’ — the ‘First Day of Understanding’ (the ‘Vhoru’ newspaper wrote about the action conducted within the framework of this project, where businessmen, officials, and deputies attempted to navigate various institutions, including the city executive committee, in wheelchairs). In Kherson, new trends in the work of non-governmental organisations also emerged. For example, the Kherson Regional Foundation for Mercy and Health, the ‘Zakhyst’ Charitable Foundation, and the Kherson Regional Organisation of the Committee of Voters of Ukraine directed the funds they received not towards strengthening their own organisations, but towards the development, support, and training of others, including those from rural districts of the region. The film ‘Doors’, which was created as part of the project by the ‘Men Against Violence’ organisation for screening and discussion in our Kherson penal colonies, had to be replicated for all institutions in the country, at the suggestion of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Punishments...
As a result, according to the coordinators, the work of our activists was highly valued in Europe. Negotiations are already underway to continue the ‘Development of Civil Society in Ukraine’ project. So, a new programme competition can be expected in the new year.