Article
The impact of a small Ukrainian organisation on global change: a community foundation from Kramatorsk on an international conference in Africa
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, community foundations have focused their efforts on ‘firefighting’ — humanitarian response, working with medical institutions, security issues, and more. However, despite a very strong focus on internal challenges in conditions of instability, Ukraine’s community foundations recognise the importance of not only being leaders at the local level, but also being actively involved in international dialogue.
In 2024, 21.1% of grant funds for institutional development were used by Ukrainian community foundations to participate in events and conferences (as part of the ‘Resource Hub’ programme run by the National Network for Local Philanthropy Development with the support of Global Giving).
The ‘Community Development Fund’ is a community fund in Kramatorsk, Donetsk’ Oblast, which has been operating for 13 years. During this time, the team has gained a lot of experience, especially in the field of humanitarian response.
The head of the fund, Stanyslav Chornohor, takes an active stance on issues of localisation in Ukraine’s public sector. For him, it is important that the expertise of local organisations is taken into account, as this is primarily about the effective use of resources.
Therefore, in May 2024, representatives of the ‘Community Development Fund’ attended the UN Civil Society Conference in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. The event was attended by 2,158 participants representing 115 nationalities and 1,424 organisations from 99 countries around the world.
“The conference addressed topics such as the goals of the new millennium, changes to the UN system, localisation. For us, a small Ukrainian organisation, it is important to be involved in global changes. It is important for us that our voice is heard,” shares Stanyslav Chornohor, head of the Community Development Fund in Kramatorsk.
“It was interesting to form own opinion about the situation in Kenya. To understand how other organisations work abroad, what challenges they face and their attitude towards civil society. I believe that we have what to learn from African organisations.
This trip showed us the importance of establishing international cooperation. We were very inspired to move towards institutional development. In Ukraine, civil society relies heavily on volunteering, but we need to move towards professionalism.
In our work, we have encountered situations where some international organisations have attempted to apply the same approaches in Ukraine as they do in African countries. Although we do have common ground in our work, it is direct cooperation with local organisations that can yield effective results.
The war in Ukraine, in one way or another, affects the whole world. Therefore, it is very important that the voice of Ukrainian organisations is heard on international platforms. Nothing for us without us.”
Article
The Symyrenko Family: Ukrainian Entrepreneurs and Philanthropists Who Shaped Ukrainian Culture
PDF file
Partnership across borders: how the diaspora and NGOs are shaping new models of cooperation
Article
Data as a Tool for Change: How Monitoring and Evaluation Strengthen Organizations and Their Projects
Article
Ukrainian local organizations are 15.5% more cost-effective than international NGOs – the study
