#StandwithUkrainianWomen: With this German-Ukrainian project, the EAF Berlin – in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation – worked with women in eastern Ukraine who are active in local politics, particularly when it comes to policies promoting gender equity. The aim was to support participants in their political and personal commitment and to help them contribute to developing democratic structures that foster a trusting, stable and peaceful coexistence at the local level. By networking, advocacy of rights as well as exchanging information and experience with German (women’s) networks of local people, the aim was to encourage and involve more women in the task of increasing the levels of social, personal and political commitment on the local stage.
Together for Democracy
Promotion of local politicians and women involved in civil society in Ukraine.
Target audience
Municipal and gender equality policy actors in eastern Ukraine
Partner
Konrad Adenauer Foundation (Kharkiv office)
Period
2021–2023
Funded by
In concert with four locally based partners, the EAF developed a training tool for the target groups mentioned above. The trained and committed eastern Ukrainian partners, who have organizational and project experience in politics, media, civil society and science, were to accompany the project on site and act as cultural mediators and contact persons.
The project started in the fall of 2021 with a five-day trip through eastern Ukraine to make contacts and build relationships. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, in February of the following year, gave the initiative a new urgency. Overnight, it transformed into an emergency aid program. Since then, it has been committed to supporting Ukraine and, above all, to offering practical help to project partners on the ground. Relations have deepened over the project period. In regular online meetings, we exchange information with our Ukrainian partners about current needs. And in online workshops, we work together on content. Together we organized conferences and three delegation trips to Berlin. We have collected donations and forwarded them to those responsible on the ground. Through our regular newsletter #StandwithUkrainianWomen, we publicize the experiences and perspectives of our partners.
An initial delegation of four project partners arrived on a working visit to Berlin in late July/early August 2022. At the end of October/beginning of November, a larger delegation of local female politicians from eastern and southern Ukraine visited Berlin and Dresden. At the end of February 2023, a five-member delegation traveled to Berlin. During these visits, the focus has always been on the current situation in Ukraine and the various needs in our guests’ communities and regions. At the moment, the focus is on establishing town-twinning initiatives for smaller municipalities in Ukraine and on initiating cooperative projects in the healthcare and higher education sectors, as well as organizing and promoting cultural events.
Picture gallery: Delegation trip of Ukrainian female leaders
Contact
