Support to local actors to provide basic services Archives - Page 2 of 3

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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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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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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Developing the national potential in re-socialization of justice-involved children

The project aimed to research the best practices, methods, and tools to help delinquent children in re-socializing and provide guidelines to the involved stakeholders, including the teachers, psychologists, officers from the National Inspectorate of Probation, police officers and volunteers. To achieve the latter objective, Corneliu did comprehensive and interdisciplinary research of the most effective ways of re-socializing justice-involved children. To explore the best practices, Corneliu undertook three study visits in Romania, Czech Republic, and Germany. During these visits at the Buzias Educational Center, Czech Probationa and Mediation Service, IRZ, Bruke, Don Basco Youth Center, Youth Detention Centre in Dusseldorf, he held discussions with more than 40 field experts. The interviews and in-depth discussions played a crucial role in developing a final publication offering the best role-models targeted on the Moldovan Justice system.

The project produced a research publication introducing international practices on general incentives and mitigation measures of delinquent acts. The book is a guide for the policemen, probation officers, psychologists, pedagogues, and social workers to help juveniles involved in criminal activity. Corneliu published 800 copies of the book and distributed it among the education directorates, policemen, and probation officers across the country. Thus, the guidelines were also shared with the Youth Centers in Chisinau and Social Assistants from Chisinau and Criuleni. Overall, he covered six Moldovan cities, including Chisinau, Balti, Cahul, Gagauzia, Criuleni, Hîncești.

Research paper ‘Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Guidelines (in Russian)’:

Country	Moldova
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Improvement of the Ukrainian Academy of Paediatrics accountability and link to its target groups by supporting care givers of the children with chronic diseases via Parent’s Initiative Social Accelerator

The project aimed to create and launch a Parents’ Initiatives Social Accelerator (PISA) – a training model to trigger and facilitate collaborative involvement of families with their professional counterparts (pediatricians and family doctors). To achieve the latter objective, Antin created a communication/collaborative platform for the parents of children with chronic diseases and their doctors. The interactive training and meetings were tailored to build mutual understanding among mothers and fathers with different initiatives selected for the project.

The action equipped target groups with relevant information and tools to build organizational and communication strategies; Also, the project raised public awareness about the medical and rehabilitation methods. Overall, the engaged adults advanced their access to medical services provided by health care professionals. Thus, the parents became more aware of the behavioral change specifics and learned how to adhere to therapies and modify behavioral risk factors of their children.

Country	Ukraine
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Facilitating citizens’ access to e-Services in amalgamated communities (hromadas)

The project aimed to facilitate citizens’ access to e-Services in amalgamated communities (hromadas) of Ukraine. To identify high-quality and user-centered IT solutions for the local administrations, Karyna applied the research, monitoring, educational, and awareness-raising methods. To explore the most efficient electronic services for UTC residents, Karyna researched Public and Electronic Services for UTC Residents. The study was carried out through Data Mining & Analysis of IT-solutions to monitor public service in administrative units. The analysis was conducted from May 12^th to June 1^st, 2018, and comprised 24 regions. Apart from research, Karyna sent opinion polls to more than 700 administrative units. Based on the above findings, she developed e-Services online guide for hromadas’ citizens ‘OTG online’. To unify proactive administrative units towards e-Services Development, Karyna organized various gatherings, including One-Stop-Shop Interactive Panel (14 November 2018, Kyiv), Success Stories Gathering (September – December 2018), Cooperation via Online Platform (September – December 2018), and Practical Task on e-Democracy Tools (7 December 2018, Kyiv).

The project analyzed access to e-Services in the local Ukrainian administrative units. The action produced a bilingual research paper (English and Ukrainian version) – Public and Electronic Services for UTC Residents: Examples. Links. Statistics. The academic publication provides a big picture about the electronic services in UTC and analyzes information about electronic services, public services, and CDASs on official UTC websites (UTC centers); it identifies the main challenges and issues regarding the provision of electronic services in UTC. The research revealed that 500+ hromadas have at least 1+ e-Service and e-Participation (e-petitions & e-appeals) is the most widespread tool in respective units. However, 80% of implemented e-Services (including e-Participation tools) are not applied by the citizens. An online guide developed during the project serves as an instrument to raise e-literacy of the local people in Ukrainian hromadas. All in all, through electronic surveys, online platforms, and offline collaborative gatherings, the project united local administrative units and turned them into drivers of e-Service delivery.

Public services and electronic services for residents of Ukrainian Territorial Communities (in English):

Public services and electronic services for residents of Ukrainian Territorial Communities (in Ukrainian):

Country	Ukraine
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Social development- Sustainable development

The project: Social Development- Sustainable Development researched the social aspects of two different communities in Ukraine (Odesa districts) and Georgia (Imereti districts). Bohdan investigated the components of social dialogue, social service status on the example of “Integrated Model of Social Services”, and gender equality in both target municipalities. The project was a follow-up action of the study previously conducted by the partner non-governmental organizations in Ukraine (NGO Bureau of Social and Political Development, Kyiv) and Georgia (Research-intellectual Club Dialogue of Generations, Kutaisi). Along with research, Bohdan organized field visits, capacity-building training and collaborative roundtables with the local authorities.

The project produced an analytical summary exploring social aspects in the Georgian and Ukrainian communities. The research introduced new perspectives and tools for the sustainable development of both regions. Hence, the local authorities received a list of recommendations on how to apply changes in the working systems or ensure social justice and gender equality. Through the meetings and roundtables, the project increased the capacity of the civil society organizations and enhanced their dialogue with the local authorities.

When given the opportunity by the EU-funded Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility to replicate project achievements at a larger scale, Bohdan contributed to the regional action: More Influence of Youth on the Local Environmental Agenda in Georgia and Ukraine as a coordinator in Ukraine. The regional project was implemented in collaboration with Mariam Khuroshvili (Team leader and coordinator, EaP Fellow from Georgia) and Tea Turashvili (Digital support, EaP Fellow from Georgia).

Country	Ukraine
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Enable Strategy XXI

The project: Enable Strategy XXI aimed to build capacity and enhance leadership skills for the core members of the local think tank Centre for Global Studies “Strategy XXI”. To achieve that, Andrii conducted a series of training on project management, gender equality, and team motivation. The project delivered special master-classes on liaising with the Ukrainian and European Public Officials in the Energy sector. To analyze the energy policies on the local and European level, Andrii proceeded with his extensive research as an intern at the Research Center of the Slovak Foreign Policy Association in Bratislava (Slovakia) and the Reanimation Package of Reforms (Kyiv).

The professional team of the Center for Global Studies improved the quality of their research and organizational management. Thus, the members enhanced their awareness in writing, reporting, supervising, and mentoring; they became more tech-friendly and started to apply the tech-tool in their everyday professional life. The workshops held within the training empowered a female colleague to initiate a project: Energy Security and Effective Strategic Communication between the Civic and Governmental actors: V4+Ukraine, and submit it to the International Visegrad Fund. Also, the think tank produced a guideline on information security according to the European standards. Therefore, Andrii’s participation at the international conferences and internships at the leading local and European institutions increased his visibility and research skills.

Project in media:

Що українці досліджують в рамках стипендіальної програми Східного Партнерства? (in Ukrainian), www.prostir.ua

Country	Ukraine
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Strengthening the Organization’s Capacity through Professionalizing its Workers

The project aimed to build capacity for members of the non-governmental organization – Ukrainian Youth Climate Association (UYCA). Established in 2014, the organization promotes green initiatives in Ukraine and beyond. Within the framework of the fellowship, Iryna organized training and two board meetings for ten core members. During the meetings, the board evaluated the project achievements in the previous year and approved the new strategic plan. The managers also reviewed the list of potential partners and projects to ensure compliance with the global climate movement agenda. To improve professional qualification in the field, Iryna completed a 1-month internship at the climate department of DRA Berlin (Deutsch-Russischer Austausch, ENG: German-Russian Exchange), which is a partner organization supporting the development of civil society in Eastern Europe.

The project built the capacity of the organization’s core members in management, facilitation, negotiation, strategic planning, and team-building via the managerial meetings. As an outcome of the above events, the organization developed three project proposals, out of which one was approved and financed by the donor. Also, the organization developed a new strategy and action plan for the forthcoming years. Distance work and collaboration with the non-governmental organization Cooperation and Development Network (CDN) facilitated the regional partnership between those two CSOs. On top of that, a 1-month internship at the climate department of the DRA Berlin (Deutsch-Russischer Austausch, ENG: German-Russian Exchange) increased awareness of Iryna in the field of international civil society organizations work in regard to climate change and sustainability.

Country	Ukraine
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Evaluation of Public Transport in Chisinau, Moldova

The action aimed to assess and evaluate the urban public transport in Chisinau in terms of comfort, vehicles, reliability, accessibility, and other relevant variables. To elaborate on the more inclusive public policies, Stanislav engaged the city residents in the discourse via applying the user-centered approach. Through research and online surveys, he studied public perception about the local transportation in Moldova. To identify trends and appraise the quality of the municipal transport system, Stanislav created a database of the 10 general and 28 specific indicators. The survey results are public and accessible for anyone, including the local media and decision-makers. In parallel with the research, he organized meetings, workshops, and interviews with local authorities, civil society activists, and media outlets. To improve the qualification and expand professional networks in the field, Stanislav participated in the training course offered by the Institute for Training Transportation Professionals, Manchester (the UK).

The project produced the research document and survey database aimed to facilitate inclusive public policies in Chisinau. Through the policy-oriented research, Stanislav enhanced critical thinking among the city residents and liaised between the people and the government by designing innovative solutions. Hence, the database played a crucial role for the local government in identifying public preferences. The research findings will serve as basic guidelines for the government while making policies on sustainable public transportation. Hence, the workshops and training held within the project increased the awareness of civil society actors; the meetings with the public officials put the topic of public transportation at the forefront of their political agenda.

Country	Moldova
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