Project “Strengthening the capacity of communities in eastern regions of Ukraine through humanitarian, psychological, and career guidance support programs” – Results

From November 2023 to February 2024, the NGO “Responsible Citizens” together with Mercy Corps implemented a multi-component project in the Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.

Activities within the Project

Distribution of humanitarian support kits in Donetsk region (Sloviansk, Mykolaivka, Myrnohrad, Kramatorsk, Kurakhove, Druzhkivka, Pokrovsk, Sviatohirsk, and Selydove communities) and Dnipropetrovsk region (Zhovti Vody, Sofiivka, Novomoskovsk, Kamianske, Pershotravensk, Mezhova, and Pavlohrad communities). 13,714 individuals received standard food kits, and 23,515 individuals received standard hygiene kits.

For the components related to psychological support training, training for employment center specialists, resume writing workshops, self-presentation, interview skills, and paid courses to acquire additional skills, all communities in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions under Ukrainian government control were selected. In this area of the project, 20 career guidance trainings were held for 326 unemployed individuals living in the Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, Kamianske, Nikopol, Novomoskovsk, Pavlohrad, and Pershotravensk communities in the Dnipropetrovsk region; Zaporizhzhia city in the Zaporizhzhia region; Druzhkivka in the Donetsk region; and the Bohodukhiv, Krasnohrad, Zmiiv, Izyum, and Kharkiv communities in the Kharkiv region.

Three trainings were conducted for 81 specialists from employment centers in the Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv regions.

Additionally, 103 beneficiaries received funding to complete courses for mastering new skills:

1. Social Media Marketing – 39 people
2. Basics of Web Design – 25 people
3. Computer Literacy – 10 people
4. Accounting + BAS-Accounting for Beginners – 28 people
5. Eyebrow and Eyelash Correction Specialist Course – 1 person

“The uniqueness of this project lies in its multi-component nature. It included direct support for people with food and hygiene products, as well as a forward-looking approach by training people in new professions and skills necessary for job searching. In this sense, the project is important not only as immediate help but also as a means of strengthening community resilience. It is important for our organization to work in this direction because humanitarian aid will eventually end, but the skills people acquire will remain forever,” emphasized Enrique Menendez, Director of Projects and Programs of the NGO “Responsible Citizens.”