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Fellowship Programme

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Research for Advocacy for Higher Quality of Care in Maternal and Newborn Health Services in Armenia

This Fellowship research project aimed to study the experience of pregnant women in maternal health care centers of Armenia and advance the implementation of an integrated person-centered model of obstetric care in the country. As a component of the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this initiative can be exemplified by the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent’s Health 2016–2030 which has expanded the focus of its objectives to cover not merely the survival but also thriving of women and children so that they can achieve their full potential for health and well-being, and contribute to the transformative change envisioned in the SDGs. To promote higher quality obstetric services, Suren conducted research and pursued advocacy campaigns with his team. First, the gaps, inconsistencies, and violation of patients’ rights in the local hospitals were examined and the extent of person-centered maternity care during facility-based childbirth was assessed; then he prepared the summary of specific recommendations for the Ministry of Health and relevant organizations in the sector. Following this, Suren launched an advocacy campaign, trained the administration and staff members in all 12 maternity hospitals along with the validation of suggested recommendations, and disseminated research findings to the wider audience.  

The project produced a research paper analyzing the data collected from 729 patients of all 12 health facilities of Yerevan delivering maternal care services. The project also facilitated high-level discussions on the challenges and solutions of advancing the integrated person-centered model of obstetric care in Armenia. As an advocacy campaign, Suren conducted 14 workshops in the sector organizations and the Ministry of Health, allowing him to raise the awareness of over 150 obstetric care providers, policy-makers, and health care planners in the field. The action overall promoted person-centered maternity care as a quality attribute of obstetric care delivery and suggested expertise-based recommendations to the relevant entities to advance the health, wellbeing, and human rights of women and children in the country.

Country Armenia
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Team

Іnvolving Young People to Physical Culture and Sports in Small Cities of Ukraine

All-Ukrainian project: Involvement of Youth in Physical Culture and Sports in Small Cities of Ukraine aimed to analyze the general conditions in Sports in different cities, conduct collaborative roundtable/training among Physical Culture and Sport functionaries and engage the central authority – Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine in discourse. The project was implemented in three phases. First, Vladislav selected 5 Ukrainian cities of Vatutine, Korsun-Shevchenkivsky, Bakhmach, Slavutich, Kozyatyn and interviewed the relevant stakeholders, including the coaches, heads of sports organizations, local deputies, etc. Following this, Vladislav organized roundtables and training for the local youth, authorities and sports organizations to exchange ideas and analyze the conflicting issues; the discussions resulted in constructive proposals for industry reforms. Finally, the action disseminated the acquired information and project deliverables to the larger audiences through the social media page, comprising diverse photo/video materials and publications.  

The action delivered a comprehensive analysis on the status of the Physical Culture and Sport sphere in 5 Ukrainian cities and facilitated collaboration between the Ministry of Youth and Sports and active functionaries from the target municipalities. Also, the project created a communication platform for Sports and Physical Education Professionals and fostered a constructive dialogue between the Sports teachers, local authorities and private sports organizations To showcase the results in numbers, Vladislav conducted 20 individual interviews, organized 5 roundtables in each city, attended by more than 100 stakeholders; the proposals developed at those meetings were sent to the relevant official bodies and added to the Sports Reform Concept by 2020-2028.  On top of that, the Facebook page @sportinsmallcities raised awareness of the large audience through the final video and more than 50 photo/video publications. 

Country Ukraine
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Strengthening the CSOs’ and Young Leaders’ Fundraising Capacities & Promote the Culture of Philanthropy in Armenia

The action aimed to strengthen the CSOs’ and Young Leaders’ fundraising capacities and promote the culture of philanthropy in Armenia. To achieve the above objective, Anna conducted the fundraising capacity needs assessment survey for the 54 organizations in Yerevan and Tavush region. Then, she designed the training module and delivered interactive seminars for the young civil society activists from the Yerevan and Tavush regions. Following this, to build international cooperation and extend her networks worldwide, Anna organized business trips to the leading fundraising/international organizations in the Netherlands and the UK. During her visit to the Netherlands, she met the representatives from the European Fundraising Association, Goede Doelen Nederland/Charity Netherlands, Netherlands Red Cross and Han Valk Consulting. On the other hand, to familiarize herself with the British fundraising market, she visited the Institute of Fundraising (IoF), Fundraising Regulator, Astarita, Aldrich & Ward (AAW), Resource Alliance and attended a Fundraiser’s Club Event at Impact Hub King’s Cross in London. At the final stage of the fellowship action, Anna organized a panel discussion on “Fundraising in Armenia: Current Challenges and Opportunities” engaging the local experts, CSO representatives, media and other stakeholders.

The project raised awareness of 64 civil society activists in fundraising with a specific focus on digital fundraising tools, proposal writing, mentorship, project design and crowdfunding. Also, the action formed a community of fundraisers and hosted the official networking event involving 83 participants from 70 organizations. The panel discussion served as a platform to build dialogue among the fundraisers and encourage new partnerships. For example, the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Armenia made 5 successful partnership agreements with the international organizations to engage in cross-country collaborative initiatives․ The international business trips in Amsterdam and London gave Anna an immense opportunity to enhance her qualification and contacts in a global environment.

Country Armenia
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Team

Laying the first bricks for the Zaharia Foundation for Documentary Photography Research

This action was a follow-up initiative of the creative project: Zaharia’s World: Restoration and Digitalization of the Zaharia Cusnir Photography Archive previously implemented by Nadejda Cervinscaia, EaP Fellow 2017. To promote the heritage of Zaharia Cusnir – the Moldovan photographer and film-maker, Victor formally established a non-profit organization –  Pod to proceed with the further projects linked to Zaharia’s creative materials.  Also, the action aimed to digitalize the full photo archive and launched it from the very early stage. Following this, Victor created a website and professional social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) to present the digitized photographs. Even two years after the project, the Archives are still in the spotlight and attract world-renowned magazines and media.

The action raised the visibility of the Moldovan non-material heritage from the ’50s-’60s and produced 3,751 high-quality digitized negative photos from Zaharia Cusnir’s archive. Additionally, Victor established a Non-governmental organization – Pod; the organization revives Zaharia’s World as it has already delivered a documentary film about the photographer. Other tangible deliverables of the project are the website www.zaharia.md and the social media pages, including Facebook hitting 2,000 likes in 6 months after it was first launched. The website and social media channels enable the local and international public to return to history and enjoy the Moldovan ethnocultural identity. Through the restoration, digitalization and dissemination of the archive, both projects provided access to knowledge and cultural heritage of Soviet Moldova which has never been disclosed before.

Country Moldova
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Lusashogh With Medical Clinic and Public Transport

The action is aimed to resolve two issues faced by the Lusashogh rural community: A lack of public transportation and poor medical services. To address the above challenges, Narine conducted public surveys among the locals and organized meetings with the authorities of the Ararat Regional Municipality and the Vedi BUAT road serving company. Following this, she held additional two meetings at the Ministry of Territorial Administration of Armenia and engaged relevant high-level officials, including the Prime Minister of Armenia, the Minister of Territorial Administration, the Head of Ararat Regional Municipality, the Head of Lusashogh Municipality. Then, Narine renovated the old medical clinic and recruited specialists to deliver training on positive parenting, first medical assistance and teeth cleaning for the local people; the training raised the interest among young parents, their children and even the grandparents who actively attended the workshops.

The action facilitated dialogue among the Ararat municipality authorities, the private company and the local residents resulting in the extension of the bus line from the city to the Lusashogh village. The latter eased communication and mobility of the people from 3 local villages to the regional city. Thus, the project delivered the renovated local medical center providing access to the emergency and other medical services for the Lusashogh and other neighboring settlements. On top of that, the courses on positive parenting, emergency assistance and teeth cleaning enhanced awareness of the young parents and saw a high participation from the local community.

Country Armenia
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Team

Voting is not only our right, it is our power!

The action aimed to encourage the first-time voters (18 years old) from Moldova to vote at the Presidential Elections (October-November 2020) through the national advocacy campaign: Voting Is not only our right but also, Our Power! To enhance the young people’s political knowledge about the electoral process and transform their general anti-system attitude into constructive criticism, Ludmila conducted research, educational, community outreach and large-scale communication campaigns. To identify key messages, Ludmila conducted desk research and drafted a policy brief on youth voter participation in the Republic of Moldova. Following this, she developed educational videos and the e-learning course: Learn Elections with the Online Election Courses explaining the specifics of the Presidential, Parliamentary and Local elections. Then, Ludmila launched a social media campaign: My First Vote and encouraged electoral participation through the Facebook and Instagram platforms.  In the last stage of the project, she engaged the members of the National Network for Legal Education comprised of the Judges, Prosecutors, Lawyers, Anti-Corruption Officers and Civil Society Leaders to create the concept of the Democracy Classes containing 8 thematic webinars on the political engagement targeted on the high school students aged 17-18.

The Action produced a policy brief: Why You Should Vote along with 10 visual designs, promoting electoral participation among the young people in Moldova. Through the e-learning course and its 5 educational videos, the project engaged 200 users and raised their awareness of the national electoral systems. Also, the extensive advocacy campaign: My First Vote generated 32 Facebook/Instagram posts reaching and encouraging more than 76,000 young people to vote. On top of that, the Democracy Classes involved the field experts and educated 277 participants via the 5 live streams on the CIPM Facebook page. 

Online Course: Learn Elections with the Online Election Courses

Atributiile presedintelui / Duties of the President:

7 motive pentru care sa votezi / 7 reasons to vote:

Publication “My first vote”

Country Moldova
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Team

Promoting Direct Democracy for Strengthening Human Rights in Armenia

The action: Promoting Direct Democracy for Strengthening Human Rights in Armenia aimed to monitor the implementation of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights and its Implementation Action Plan (2020-2022). The project engaged local authorities, public officials, lawyers, young activists, civil society representatives, and watchdog organizations. At the beginning of the project, Syuzanna researched the Swedish and Georgian experience in CSO engagement in policy making and effective monitoring of policy implementation. Then, she organized 4 awareness-raising workshops for the public officials from state and local government bodies, lawyers, CSOs and other interested stakeholders from 3 regions and Yerevan. The seminars were followed by the national youth conference: The RA National Strategy on Human Rights Protection: Challenges and Perspectives engaging young professionals in discourse. Afterwards, Syuzanna conducted online in-depth interviews and focus groups with the field experts to identify the possible gaps in the strategy and produce the monitoring report. Finally, she organized the CSO-Government Dialogue Conference to discuss the report findings and proposed amendments in the National Strategy.

The project delivered the evidence-based monitoring report and recommendations to the Republic of Armenia tailored to the National Strategy and Human Rights protection. The research ensured the accountability of the RA Government and the Ministry of Justice in the sector of human rights. The final conference facilitated the Public-State consensus on the various issues, including the necessity to amend the RA National Strategy. The majority of the recommendations were taken into account by the Government and the process to amend the National Strategy was about to start as of the end of the Fellowship.

The seminars and workshops raised awareness of 157 young professionals from the civic and legal sectors. Then, the youth conference engaged 21 researchers, out of whom 11 produced a research paper on the National Strategy. The events engaged the high-level officials, including the Human Rights Defender and Deputy Minister of Justice of Armenia, and the EU-Delegation representatives to Armenia.

Evidence-based Monitoring of the National Strategy for the Protection of Human Rights and its Implementation Action Plan for 2020-2022

Project in media:

Country Armenia
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Team

Citizen Engagement for Transparent Land Management in Rural United Territorial Communities of Ukraine

The project aimed to foster citizens’ engagement in the rural United Territorial Communities (Hromadas) and promote transparent land management in Ukraine. To achieve the above objectives, Oleksandra applied high-quality and user-center IT solutions & GIS technologies to the research and visibility campaigns. First and foremost, she created the opinion polls for Hromadas and researched the problems of AHs, data mining to explore the land management practices on the local level. Then, she mobilized the field experts and organized the online ideation to exchange expertise with the rural community. Finally, to increase the land management transparency, Olaksanda disseminated the results of the research and online webinars/ideathon with the local people and the decision-makers. 

The action raised awareness of the local authorities and civil activists from more than 150 rural areas of Ukraine. Also, the project delivered a research document and opinion poll summary to enhance citizens’ access to information about the effective management of land resources. Within the frame of the fellowship, Oleksandra created a Facebook network of the Project Ambassadors unifying the community representatives and experts in one group. To disseminate the project deliverables and reach  a larger audience, she developed an online course comprising 8 educational webinars and engaging more than 900 participants. On top of that, the project created a map of good practices for better engagement and facilitated the dialogue between the local community and the authorities via sharing the recommendations based on the results of the online ideathon, research & opinion poll summary, webinars and joint action plan.

Project website: Transparent Lands with the Map of good practices for the better engagement and educational video lectures. 

Research Paper (in Ukrainian):

Project in media:

Залучення громадян для управління земельними ресурсами у громадах – результати дослідження

 

Country Ukraine
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Team

Contributing Successfully Reforming and Upgrading Public Services at Municipal Level in Georgia

The action aimed to upgrade municipal services into high-quality, accessible, and well-administered public services and raise awareness on the municipal public services in the Kakheti Region. To achieve the above objectives, Salome designed research and conducted educational and community outreach activities in the target region. At the first stage of the project, she conducted qualitative research to study the impact of Public Administration Reform on local public services and applied a Self-Assessment tool to analyze the quality of municipal public services in 13 municipalities of Georgia (including 8 municipalities from the Kakheti region). Then, she delivered two-day training for the local community leaders from Kakheti. The training course covered various topics, such as assessment of the municipal budget programs, evidence-based planning of municipal services, participatory mechanisms for planning and monitoring municipal services, and planning and conducting advocacy initiatives. Finally, she held awareness-raising meetings in 8 municipalities of the Kakheti region involving more than 150 local people. The interactive seminars covered the topics of monitoring and advocacy of municipal services and budget assessment. 

The action produced the research document: Impact of the Public Administration Reform (PAR) on Development and Delivery of Municipal Services and provided recommendations to the key-decision-makers of Kakheti region from the perspective of (1) Institutional Development for Good Governance, (2) Sustainable Economic Development, (3) Inclusive Social Development and (4) Environmental Sustainability. The study analyzes the Public Administration Reforms on the public services developed and delivered by 13 local municipalities in Georgia. The research was printed in 250 copies and distributed to the audiences during the local training. In total, the action delivered 8 informational meetings engaging up to 250 young people (including community leaders) from the Kakheti region.

Research “Impact of the Public Administration Reform (PAR) on Development and Delivery of Municipal Services”:

Project in media:

კახეთში აღმოსავლეთ პარტნიორობის სამოქალაქო საზოგადოების სასტიპენდიო პროგრამა  განხორციელდა

Country Georgia
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Type of solution
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The budget development decisions 0

Team

Young Guardians of Digital Rights

The action: Young Guardians of Digital Rights aimed to enhance the digital literacy of teenagers all over Ukraine and engage youth in the discourse of cybersecurity. To achieve the above objectives, Viktoria created a concept for the target-specific course and delivered the training through the Mizmin online platform. In the first stage, the team developed 9 short educational videos explaining the fundamental digital rights (privacy, access to information, freedom of expression), and safe navigation on social networks, such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. Every thematic course comprised interactive tests, practical exercises and suggestions on the educational online games/books. Also, the action produced Chatbot Digital Foot of Support in Telegram (@DigitalChat_bot) stimulating discussions among the stakeholders. To raise the project visibility, Viktoria and her team conducted social media communication campaign through the Facebook, Tik-Tok and YouTube Channels of the Minzmin platform and produced two articles (Internet as Opportunity and Treat; Digital Security of Children: How to Protect them on the Internet) on the Ukrainian media platform Ukrainska Pravda and two videos on the min.zmin Tik-Tok channel. 

The action created the first Ukrainian Online Course: Digital Rights and Safety for Children targeted at teenage groups, teachers and parents; the materials are public and can be accessed by any interested party on the Mizmin platform. Through the various media outreach instruments, including Mizmin website (1,159 involved participants), YouTube (10,430 views), Facebook (118,000 views) the project reached larger audiences and raised the digital competence of children and their teachers/parents. Also, Viktoria engaged the local authorities, including the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Digital Transformation, and 24 Regional Departments of Education of Ukraine and facilitated collaboration among educational professionals, teachers, students and their parents.

 

Project in media:

Інтернет як можливість і загроза для дітей: як знайти баланс

Цифрові права та онлайн безпека: як захистити дітей в інтернеті

Country Ukraine
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Team