60 initiatives of the Foundation in 2020 that should be known in 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic adjusted the Foundation’s activities and much of its efforts focused on overcoming the negative effects of the pandemic. However, our work was not limited to this. We continued pursuing our strategic priorities and developing an open society based on democratic values.

We supported about 550 projects from more than 400 organizations, and spent over 400 million hryvnias on civil society development.

We will provide a more detailed information on our activities in our annual report in spring, and now we will summarize the interim results and tell about 60 projects and initiatives that were implemented or launched in 2020 and that deserve special attention.

Top initiative: “Humanity and Mutual Assistance”

We were one of the first major donors to launch a humanitarian initiative against the pandemic in Ukraine, realizing that in this situation time is not on our side and we need to act quickly.

The Initiative’s nine months resulted in 191 supported projects worth 21.5 million hryvnias. This includes 3 million hryvnias for medical institutions’ purchases as well as 13 waves of review and 2,300 applications we received since March.

The Initiative involved several directions, almost immediately having identified where support will be most effective: support of medical institutions and vulnerable groups, informing, human rights, psychological care, and we added another category in summer — overcoming socio-economic consequences.

You can find the Initiative’s winners and result details here.

Top partnership: EU4USociety

EU4USociety, a joint 4-year project with the European Union aimed at strengthening the involvement, sustainability, capacity, relevance, and influence of Ukrainian civil society in addressing pressing domestic, regional, and global challenges, was launched in September.

The total EU4USociety budget will account for €4.8 million, of which 90% will be from the European Union and 10% from the International Renaissance Foundation.

7 interesting initiatives of the Public Health Program

For the first time in the country’s history, the pandemic has made medicine on a par with energy, roads, and fight against corruption. The decisions of the Ministry of Health drive attention of not only doctors and patients, but also the whole country. That is why NGOs and expert groups closely monitor these decisions and promote the ideas of universal access to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care and create analytical and professional materials that will help develop and implement balanced and effective solutions. And we continue supporting them.

1. The decision of the Cabinet of Ministers to form a “Covid fund” by allocating funds from almost all sectors to overcome the effects of the pandemic immediately attracted the attention of numerous NGOs involved in monitoring of public funds’ expenditure. Already after the first months of the fund’s existence, Statewater analysis suspended attempts to misuse the funds (for the purchase of luxury cars for some ministries and other goods and services that do not relate to overcoming the pandemic). Such monitoring not only provided reliable information on funding requests by line ministries, but also served as a safeguard against funds manipulation and misuse.
2. The Program supported the humanitarian headquarters on the basis of the CF “Patients of Ukraine”, which became a coordination center of businesses’ and individual citizens’ assistance to the hospitals that became supporting ones during the first wave of the pandemic in Ukraine. Simultaneously, the Foundation made large-scale purchases of personal protective equipment, antiseptics, and medical supplies for health care facilities, mostly primary care ones, to protect family physicians, who are often the first point of contact for patients with coronavirus disease.
3. Under the joint initiative with the EU, the Foundation provided more than 50 small grants for the purchase of personal protective equipment, equipment (oxygen concentrators, patient monitors, infusion equipment, and surface and air disinfection), and consumables for outpatient clinics and hospitals throughout Ukraine.
4. Information component is crucial in the transformation of the medical funding system, as well as in the fight against the pandemic: the Foundation supported a number of initiatives against politicians’ manipulations, misinformation, and the spread of fakes at both national and local levels. Fact-checkers, along with community activists, conducted powerful information campaigns debunking myths on the health care reform, the SARS-COV-2 virus, and protection and prevention tools and provide truthful information on treatment and vaccination based on scientifically proven facts.
5. We also focused on the new challenges for vulnerable groups. In 2020, the Program strived to enhance awareness of palliative patients’ rights — how to get medicines, where to go, what to do when a family physician refuses to help and/or provide inpatient treatment, or when anesthesia is necessary — that is of available palliative care services contracted by the state. Due to the Program’s support, an online Nursing Forum (December 2020) and training of nurses of the Cancer Institute on leadership, palliative care (pain relief, care, and drug trafficking in health care facilities), and communication with critically ill patients were held.
6. Vulnerable groups (drug users, sex workers, LGBT communities, prisoners, and former prisoners) faced significant problems during the pandemic and quarantine. Due to restrictions, they lacked necessary treatment and support. Under the Foundation’s support, vulnerable group communities took the responsibility and, together with authorities, developed new adaptive practices and policies. For instance, our FreeZone partner, a community of former prisoners, became responsible for the social and humanitarian support of people released from prisons during the pandemic and quarantine restrictions. A “Methodological Manual on training convicts to work as social workers to provide a comprehensive package of services on HIV, tuberculosis, and viral hepatitis C” was published. We helped enable convicts to work on a voluntary basis using a civil law or employment contract with a private entrepreneur or a legal entity. Thus, detention places could continue providing social assistance under the quarantine restrictions. This innovative approach is unique in the region with convicts themselves working as social workers and providing peer-to-peer assistance.
7. The issue of public safety, which we worked on together with the IRF Human Rights and Justice Program, gained new meanings in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our partner, the Institute for Peace and Common Ground, analyzed and identified the best practices and approaches effective at the community level and can share the knowledge with a wider audience of interested partners.

8 interesting initiatives of the European Program

This year was important for the Foundation’s continued cooperation with the EU, with the European Program playing a key role. We successfully completed and reported on the implementation of the 4-year Public Synergy project and launched a new 3.5-year EU4USociety project under the EU support, having become an EU Framework Partner for civil society development in Ukraine.

1. Eastern Partnership – consensus vision of the future “EU+3”

In 2020, the European Program was involved into international expert discussions on the renewal of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Initiative, in particular its strengthening with regard to the three associated countries, namely Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia. As a result of active expert diplomacy, the European Program joined consensus development among the public expert communities of Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia (and largely the EU) on the need to introduce an additional EU+3 format for the three associated countries.

A summary of the expert vision of the further Eastern Partnership priorities for these three countries was set out in a joint non-paper “Post-2020 Eastern Partnership Deliverables for the Three EU Associated Countries” (http://neweurope.org.ua/analytics/en-non-paper-on-post-2020-eap-deliverables-for-the-three-eap-partners-georgia-republic-of-moldova-and-ukraine/). This document reflects common expectations for stronger security cooperation, direct EU involvement in the implementation of the rule of law reforms, progressive economic integration into the EU Single Market, as well as the three countries’ involvement in the European Green Deal and cooperation in digital transformation. This document was widely shared among the EU institutions and member states as a coherent consolidated position of public experts of the three countries having European ambitions.

In addition, considering the three EU associated countries’ needs, together with German partners (Center for Liberal Modernity, LibMod) and sister funds from Georgia and Moldova, we implemented a joint Eastern Partnership 2.0 project to promote the discussion on the Eastern Partnership’s renewal among German politicians. In 2021, this project’s continuation with a focus on the three associated countries of the Eastern Partnership was supported by the German Federal Foreign Office.

2. Ukraine’s accession to the European Green Deal

At the end of 2019, the European Commission put forward a European Green Deal (EGD), an EU action program focusing on an ambitious plan of transition to climate-neutral Europe and complete decarbonisation. Ukrainian government expressed a political desire to join the EGD, but the statement did not rely on a detailed analysis of the EGD content and its potential implications for Ukraine.

In 2020, under the support of the European Program, an analytical document “European Green Deal: Opportunities and Threats for Ukraine” was published, developed by the Resource and Analysis Center “Society and Environment” in cooperation with the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting and DiXi Group. Each component of the EGD (climate change, energy, transport, industrial strategy, agriculture, zero pollution, biodiversity, finance, and trade) was analyzed in terms of opportunities and potential implications for Ukraine. Public analysts’ recommendations formed the basis for the government’s position paper on Ukraine’s vision of its participation in the EGD that was presented to the EU.

3. Economic impact of integration into the EU Digital Market

The Ukrainian government identified Ukraine’s integration into the Digital Single Market (DSM) as one of the major priorities for sectoral integration with the EU. However, until recently, there was a lack of scientifically based calculations of economic implications of Ukraine’s integration into the DSM that would prove (or refute) the government’s expectations regarding joining the DSM. Therefore, the IRF European Program supported the study, which is based on macroeconomic modeling, of the potential economic impact of Ukraine’s integration into the DSM on trade volumes, GDP, business development and facilitation, and well-being of Ukrainian and EU citizens.

A study conducted by the International Trade Research Center Trade+ at the Kyiv School of Economics in partnership with the Ukrainian Center for European Policy demonstrated that the positive cumulative impact of Ukraine’s integration into the DSM can result in additional growth of 2.4-12.1% of GDP (USD 3.1-15.8 billion) while citizens’ welfare may improve by 3.6-7.8%.

The results of the study are being used by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine to accelerate legislative approximation to the EU legislation in digital market.

4. Energy security — expert opposition to the Nord Stream 2

Due to various parties’ efforts, in 2020 the construction of the Russian Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline slowed down, which was a significant achievement in strengthening Ukraine’s energy security.

Ukrainian experts, diplomats, politicians, government officials, and journalists were supported in defending their national interests in the dialogue with the EU countries on this project thanks to the monitoring activities of the Dixie Group think tank supported by the IRF European Program. Ultimately, Ukrainian strategy to counter the Nord Stream 2 was developed, including the analysis of options, stakeholder positions, the content of updated EU legislation, the impact of US sanctions, and possible future actions by Ukraine.

Also, to better understand the broader context, threats, and opportunities for national energy security, options for resuming the purchase and transit of natural gas from Central Asia to the EU and the potential and consequences of the Southern Gas Corridor development were analyzed.

5. Monitoring of international sanctions after Crimea annexation

In 2020, we continued supporting the www.blackseanews.net team in comprehensive long-term monitoring of international sanctions after Crimea annexation. Monitoring also covers the analysis of socio-economic processes on the occupied peninsula and military and economic activities of the Russian Federation in annexed Crimea and the Black Sea-Azov basin. Monitoring data are used by the authorities of Ukraine, the US, institutions, and the EU member states to ensure effective compliance (elimination of ways to bypass them) and increase in sanctions’ effectiveness.

Due to the project, 35 legal entities were included in the sanctions list by the National Security and Defense Council, dozens of violating vessels were excluded from international maritime registers (deprived of flags) due to illegal visits to Crimean ports, and in December 2020 the US imposed sanctions on a number of Russian military-industrial enterprises that continue their activities in occupied Crimea.

6. Public expertise in solving issues on the border with the EU

The land border with the EU remains the busiest part of the state border: it is crossed about 47 million times annually by Ukrainian and foreign citizens. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic caused significant adjustments to the control practices regarding people and goods crossing the border. Therefore, during 2020, under the Foundation’s support, the NGO “Europe without Barriers” team held dozens of consultations with authorities and experts, visited various checkpoints in Zakarpattia region, and processed documents and materials to compile a comprehensive study “Border 777. Current problems of Ukraine-Schengen border”.

This publication analyzes the functioning of Ukraine’s border with Schengen countries — Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia — and provides key data for understanding cross-border trends, border infrastructure development, border area planning, and cross-border cooperation. Recommendations provided are a “road map” of specific steps to address respective issues, such as planning new border checkpoints, streamlining the border area through the creation of service areas, and introducing electronic queuing.

Project experts also analyzed issues regarding the implementation of the Polish loan for border infrastructure improvement and prepared high-profile material, which was discussed in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. This contributed to the government’s decision to unblock the use of the loan from the Republic of Poland.

7. Civil society Initiative “For Fair and Transparent Customs”

A Civil society Initiative “For Fair and Transparent Customs”, which was established in late 2018 by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, continued its activities and in 2020 participated in reforming the customs. In particular, four representatives of the organizations involved in the Initiative were elected to the Public Council under the State Customs Service of Ukraine.

Despite constant changes in the State Customs Service leadership, the Initiative managed to establish steady and fruitful cooperation with it. For example, the State Customs Service uses the results of the Fifth Annual Survey of Exporters and Importers conducted in 2020 to obtain “feedback” and assess customs work. In September 2020, an analytical and advisory paper “Is it necessary to criminalize commodity smuggling?” was presented. The draft law on criminalization of smuggling of excisable goods submitted to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine at the end of December considers certain provisions of this paper.

8. Informing foreigners about Ukraine

In 2020, NGO Internews Ukraine experts surveyed journalists, experts, and opinion leaders in the EU countries on the topics and information about Ukraine that would be interesting to Europeans. Based on the data obtained, 9 short videos about Ukrainian success stories were shot for foreign audiences; the total number of views amounted to more than 95 thousand (UkraineWorld, Facebook, and Twitter). These results were also communicated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine working on a public diplomacy strategy.

13 interesting initiatives of the Social Capital Program

1. The Foundation supported capable organizations and initiatives that could attract community resources. In 2020, we expanded the Program’s thematic priorities and doubled the amount raised through crowdfunding. In addition to the “Culture. Society” call, projects in independent media and social entrepreneurship were supported. Despite the crisis caused by the pandemic, 24 initiatives managed to conduct successful crowdfunding campaigns attracting 2,182,223 hryvnias from 3,347 benefactors.
2. The Third School of Community Leaders was conducted by the Agency for Legislative Initiatives. More than 200 local leaders participated in online courses on the powers of local councils and deputies, fight against corruption at the local level, local development strategies, election legislation, and election campaigns. During the 2020 local elections, 56 graduates of the School of Community Leaders of different years were elected to local councils.
3. The Public Interest Journalism Lab studied the attitude of Ukrainian citizens to the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the methodology developed by the Arena Program experts and sociologists of the London School of Economics together with sociologists of the Kharkiv Institute for Social Research, society consolidation factors in the fight against it were studied, the impact was analyzed, and recommendations to the media on the forms of pandemic information presentation, so that it could meet the needs of the audience, were provided.
4. We supported 12 micro-projects creating innovative ideas for the development of critical thinking. They include an interactive manual “Critical Thinking Lessons”, an information resource promoting science, an art initiative to develop critical thinking for young people from PO “Pictoric”, a special project “Internet Wisdom” from the NGO “Platform”, etc.
5. The Ideas Festival 2020, organized by the Kyiv Aspen Institute and the Impact Hub Odesa, was held online this year. Its major topic, “World in Fever. Surviving the Crisis Together”, focused on the urgent challenges facing the world in public health, economics, education, science and technology, arts, and media.
6. On May 8, 2020, on the Day of Remembrance and Reconciliation, PEN Ukraine and the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy organized an international project “Peace and War” dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the World War II in Europe. During the telethon, Ukrainian and global intellectuals discussed contemporary views on World War II, democracy and totalitarianism, war memory, and current challenges for Europe and Ukraine.
7. Together with PEN Ukraine, we fostered the edition of a book by political prisoner and writer Stanislav Aseyev, which tells a tragic story of human rights violations by illegal armed groups on the territory of the Izolyatsia (Isolation) art center in Donetsk. The book was published by the Old Lion Publishing House.
8. The Book of the Future 2020 contest, organized by the BookSpace festival (Dnipro) aimed to support the use of innovative approaches and technologies in modern Ukrainian literature and book publishing.
9. Under the Foundation’s support, a professional standard for teachers of secondary schools was developed; it includes basic competencies, knowledge, and skills that a modern teacher should have. On December 23, 2020, the professional standard was approved by the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture.
10. In 2020, we continued supporting the implementation of inclusive education in schools through a separate “Inclusion” section at the NUS portal. Within this initiative, a number of online activities on the organization of inclusive education in schools, work methods, and support of students with SEN in inclusive education were arranged. To involve children with special educational needs in STEM education, the Engineering Week team developed a series of engineering tasks and relevant guidelines for teachers of exact and natural sciences.
11. The Foundation also continued providing expert support to the NUS reform implementation. In particular, in the context of reforming the pedagogical training system, we supported the development of methodological recommendations “On professional development of teachers of secondary schools” and the national webinar of the Ministry of Education and Science on professional development of secondary schools teachers. The NUS CLUB, a communication platform for networking participants of the New Ukrainian School reform, was launched.
12. In higher education, the IRF supported the introduction of a new university funding formula based on specific indicators including university size, contingent, regional coefficient, positions in international rankings, and the amount of funds for research that the university attracts from businesses or international grants. The Foundation also supported the reform of the educational programs’ accreditation system implemented by the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance (NAQA).
13. In 2020, the Foundation supported the Kyiv Post’s Top 30 Under 30 Youth Award Ceremony.

10 interesting initiatives of the Democratic Practice Program

Anti-corruption

1. The key achievements of the Program in terms of transparency and accountability included successful piloting of identification of corruption and abuse in the field of natural resources and environmental protection, which will allow for a more systematic approach to this topic in the future: digital tools to strengthen public control over logging and air quality were developed and improved and research is being conducted on the major systemic violations in the EIA procedure.
2. Cooperation with the NAPC was launched to protect the rights of whistleblowers; it aims to both improve existing legal framework in this area in cooperation with the public, and develop respect to whistleblowers in society.
3. Due to the Program’s support this year, our partners could increase the transparency of property lease and procurement in the defense sector, prevent anti-corruption reforms curtailment, and identify and publicize high-profile cases of corruption and abuse in procurement, construction, land use, forestry, public utilities, etc.

Local democracy

1. Local self-government reform, as well as other local reforms, apart from a large number of benefits, caused a number of conflicts. In particular, additional conflicts arose on the eve of the local elections, which were held on a new territorial basis. In this context, the Foundation supported activities aimed at preventing and facilitating the resolution of various conflicts arising in communities in the process of reforming. A key tool used by grantees in their own activities is local democracy forms that allow engaging all interested community members into the dialogue and search for solutions.
2. Building on previous assistance to communities in implementing their strategic development plans in various areas, in 2020 the Foundation supported 14 new projects. They aim at assisting in the implementation of environmental protection strategic plans.
3. In addition, under the IRF support, analysis of the effectiveness of telephone hotlines, as well as a system of electronic appeals to central executive bodies, was held. The analysis revealed gaps in the regulatory sphere and organization of such appeal categories’ processing as a single integrated system and at the level of individual authorities.

Analytical Centers (TTDI)

1. One of the major 2020 achievements of the Initiative for the Development of Analytical Centers was the support of research activities in universities and fostering the discussion on the need to develop research activities in universities. For example, the contest for institutional support of university research centers received 55 applications, and the Foundation supported research development in 5 universities.
2. In 2020, we supported 6 joint studies by think tanks and authorities, 3 three studies on gender issues, and annual institutional grants for 4 think tanks.

Environmental Initiative (EPAIU)

1. The Environmental Policy and Advocacy Development Initiative for Ukraine (EPAIU) became a source of institutional change in 13 environmental civil society organizations. Together with its partners, EPAIU fosters eco-trend in public discourse; in particular, last year the 2nd Annual Conference of the Initiative focused on transparency of natural resource management and respective role of civil society organizations. We supported three eco-discussions initiated by regional IRF offices for the general public, including with the involvement of local authorities.
2. Significant EPAIU support was aimed at analytical activities. A number of research projects on topical issues were supported, including the following ones: how the Covid-19 pandemic affects the environment, what problems with Ukraine’s water resources may arise due to the climate change, how green areas could help Ukrainian cities adapt to the climate change, what additional risks for the health of industrial cities’ residents arise due to the incineration of organic waste, and what program is needed to protect the environment and human health from the impact of the uranium mining industry in Kirovograd region. The results of the study “The impact and role of CSOs in the use and protection of natural resources in Ukraine” became the basis for the creation of a separate program of institutional development of respective watchdog organizations. To gain a deeper understanding of Donbass environmental problems, a study on the role of public initiatives in solving the region’s environmental problems was launched.

10 interesting initiatives of the Human Rights and Justice Program

1. An expert group formed under the Foundation’s support developed the Pre-trial Investigation Standards, which are now available as a mobile application that can be  downloaded on iOS and Android.
2. Under the Foundation’s support, the Ukrainian Legal Aid Foundation developed and submitted to the Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision and the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine another mobile application that simplifies application for free legal aid.
3. Two extremely interesting research reports were published: “The role of the investigating judge in criminal proceedings” and “Tell me what happened, or confess”.
4. The environment of public councilors was established and institutionally strengthened — Ukrainian format of attracting non-legal volunteers to an important mission — ensuring access to justice: https://paralegals.org.ua/ 
5. Our support encouraged the development of the Ukrainian School of Practical Knowledge on Access to Justice  and its specific programs, namely Legally Empowered community and Pro Bono Lab.
6. The Program and our partners, in particular the Human Rights Office of the National Police of Ukraine, worked on piloting a new system of recording actions regarding detainees. Custody Records was recognized by the National Police of Ukraine and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and a decision was made to scale it up and gradually spread it throughout Ukraine.
7. Our support of the organization of monitors of the NPM “Ukraine without Torture” https://notorture.org.ua/ allowed, in close cooperation with the Secretariat of the Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, for quick resumption of monitoring visits to places of detention during the pandemic.
8. The JustTalk communication platform created by our Program for discussions on criminal justice diversified its formats, improved its identity, visited the NABU and the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court, significantly enriched us with professional communication, and expanded our audience. 
9. Our cooperation with the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Prosecutor’s Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, and Prometheus Center on documenting international crimes during the armed conflict resulted in the creation of a Virtual Museum of Occupation.
10. Despite the lockdowns and all possible and impossible limitations, due to our ingenuity, team spirit, and technology, we managed to organize two large-scale international events. The Kyiv Legal Empowerment Practical Program in the design thinking format worked remotely with teams from Ukraine, Kenya, Northern Macedonia, Poland, and Kyrgyzstan on the role of (non)lawyers in the inclusive justice ecosystem. Meanwhile, our conference justconf gathered criminal justice innovators.

12 interesting initiatives of the Roma Program

1. A study on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Roma communities in Ukraine was prepared. Its results laid the basis for further initiatives of the Program itself and its key partners, e.g. REYN-Ukraine Network (5 pilot projects on rehabilitation practices to improve Roma children’s access to online education); the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights (conducting its own monitoring and preparing a special report “The Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Roma community in Ukraine”); a comprehensive study of the teaching assistant practice in the context of inclusive education, which, in particular, summarized the experience of implementing the model of Roma teaching assistant in Ukraine and provided respective recommendations for the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine.
2. Two important studies “Mapping the potential and development of entrepreneurship in Roma communities” and “Roma participation in the 2020 local elections: experience and lessons learned” were launched and are awaiting release in January 2021.
3. We managed to unite more than 20 Roma organizations in the process of drafting of the new National Strategy for Roma Inclusion for the period after 2020. The recommendations provided were submitted to the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience and mainly taken into account in the pre-final version, which was sent for approval to the central executive bodies and the Minister of Culture of Ukraine in December 2020.
4. Due to the Program’s support, the following projects continued operating: the Center for Preparing Roma Children for School (Uzhhorod), Safe Space for Roma Women “Petalentsa” (Odesa), “RomArt” School (Mukachevo), Roma Political School (Odesa), Bilingual Education Center for Roma children (Kakhovka, Kherson region), and the School of Roma Activists (Lviv).
5. REYN-Ukraine Network reached a new level of visibility (recognition) and institutional and organizational capacity. It successfully passed external evaluation by ISAR Unity and held its annual forum, which brought together more than 100 innovators in the field of early development and education of Roma children and representatives of government bodies (the Ministry of Education and Science and the Ministry of Social Policy) and local governments responsible for the implementation of educational policy.
6. Five pilot projects were initiated to support employment and entrepreneurship development in Roma communities in Zakarpattia, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Cherkasy regions, as well as to develop a business mediation model in Roma communities.
7. An anthology of short prose “The Way of (to) Roma” by Ukrainian authors, in particular of Roma origin, was published. It received exclusively positive reviews and its full edition was sold out within a month after the official announcement and presentation.
8. A special project “Roma Art” was launched together with the editorial board of the UP.Zhyttya (Ukrainian Truth. Life). Within the project, during the year, 5 articles on various aspects of Roma art and Roma contribution to the development of Ukrainian art were published. In general, the project, which the Program aims to continue, reached a fairly large audience of about 25,000 readers (over 1,500 reposts).
9. Together with the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko, an exhibition of works by a Roma artist Tiberius Jonas, students of the art school “RomArt”, and children from the Roma camp in Mukachevo was held, organized under the support of the International Renaissance Foundation.
10. At the Odesa International Film Festival, “Chacho”, which was released under the support of the Roma Program, received the Best Ukrainian Short Film award.
11. Another video project “Invisible Truth”, a short documentary film on the life, dreams, and successes of Roma children, is being prepared for release at Suspilne.
12. Work on the creation and filling of the Roma electronic library started.