Strengthening the capacity of local organisations: the second wave of mentoring support begins

Almost thirty civil society organisations from frontline regions of Ukraine are taking part in the second wave of mentoring support within the project to strengthen civil society communities, implemented by the Rokada Charitable Foundation and GIZ Ukraine.

Mentoring combines strategic consultations, training, experience sharing and practical help in improving management processes, communication, advocacy and partnerships.

As a result, civil society organisations in Sumy, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Kyiv regions have the opportunity not only to strengthen their structure but also to develop long-term ties both within the region and at the national level.

“Strengthening the capacity of local organisations is an investment in community resilience. We see how, even in difficult conditions, local initiatives remain a mainstay for their communities: they help people, restore trust and create spaces of support. Our team’s task is to help each organisation find its own development path, strengthen internal processes and feel part of a large community. Because it is united, resilient and conscious civil society organisations that create a future in which every community can develop and feel supported.”

Project participants include communities implementing social, psychological, legal and humanitarian initiatives, supporting and engaging internally displaced Ukrainians, veterans and their families.

The Blaho Charitable Foundation has been working in Kharkiv for 20 years. Its team consists of forty caring people who help vulnerable residents of the region.

“Despite our experience, we continue to improve and learn new things, because new challenges keep emerging. The first stage of the project helped us strengthen our capacity, develop and adjust policies, create a communication strategy, set up a monitoring department and introduce the procedures it needs to work effectively. From the second stage, we expect further team training, deeper institutional development practices, and wider partnerships and resource base. At the same time – better external communication and greater recognition of the foundation.”

Tetiana Kamak from Dnipro has many years of experience as a trainer. She is now a mentor in the project. She says that supporting organisations helps optimise the management processes of participating teams and bring more structure and confidence to their work.

“But no less important is that connections between organisations appear. When organisations get to know each other, share ideas and experience and support one another, it adds resilience and opportunities for professional growth. My task is to help teams focus on their strengths and assess what already works. An outside view sometimes opens up completely different perspectives – and this helps organisations find solutions for development on their own. By the way, the communities taking part in the project are incredible. They work in a very difficult time and often in extremely hard conditions. They are all different, and that is what makes them valuable. They have expertise in various fields. And I really want participation in this project to give them more confidence in their own strengths and capabilities, to become more visible and to implement new ideas.”

 

The project “Strength through Unity: Supporting the Capacity Building of Local CSOs in Sumy, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk Regions” is implemented within the EMPOWER project, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) together with the European Union and implemented by GIZ Ukraine.