USAID Democratic Governance East Activity Quarterly Progress Performance Report

USAID Democratic Governance East Activity FY 2020 Q1 PROGRESS REPORT (October 1 – December 31, 2019)

Contract No: 72012118C00006

Prepared for USAID/Ukraine C/O American Embassy 4 Ihor Sikorsky St. Kyiv, Ukraine 04112

Prepared by Chemonics International Inc. 1717 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20006, USA

Table of Contents

Contents I. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS 3 II. CONTEXT UPDATE 5 III. INTRODUCTION 8 IV. KEY NARRATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS 11 V. UPCOMING ACTIVITES 23 VI. PROGRESS AGAINST TARGETS 37 VII. PERFORMANCE MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING 41 VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING 45 IX. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES 45 X. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO HOST GOVERNMENT 46 XI. PROGRESS ON INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT 47 XII. FINANCIAL INFORMATION 48 XIII. SUB-AWARD DETAILS 49 XIV. ACTIVITY ADMINISTRATION 49 XV. ATTACHMENTS 52 USAID SUPPORTS OPENING THE LARGEST ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE CENTER IN UKRAINE 52 SPURRING CIVIC AND YOUTH INITIATIVES IN A FRONTLINE COMMUNITY OF LUHANSK OBLAST 54 USAID DRIVES STRATEGIC THINKING AND LEADERSHIP TO 60 SCHOOLS IN EASTERN UKRAINE 56 PROMOTING UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE AND IDENTITY IN EASTERN UKRAINE THROUGH LITERATURE, ARTS, AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES 58

I. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ACMC Anti-Crisis Media Center AIM Activity Implementation Manager APS Annual Program Statement ASC Administrative Services Center ATO Anti-Terrorist Operation BUR Building Ukraine Together initiative CDF Community Development Foundation CEC Community Engagement Centers CID Center for Innovative Development CMU Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine COR USAID Contracting Officer’s Representative CS Civil Society CSC Community Score Card CSO Civil Society Organization CVA Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment DDGS Direct Distribution of Goods and Services DG East USAID Democratic Governance East Activity Doc flow Document flow DRC Danish Refugee Council DSP Department of Social Protection EMMP Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plan ERA Ukraine Economic Resilience Activity ERC Environmental Review Checklist EU European Union FC2U From Country to Ukraine festival GCA Government-controlled Area GESI Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH HICD Human and Institutional Capacity Development HR Human Resources ICT Information and Communications Technology IDLO International Development Law Organization IDP Internally Displaced Person InCoForum Integration and Cooperation Forum ISPI International Society for Performance Improvement LEF Lviv Educational Foundation LGBTQI+ Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex Persons, Plus All Other Sexual Identities LGE Local Government Entity MCC Mariupol City Council MEL Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning MinDig Ministry of Digital Transformation MinVATOT Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories, and IDPs MIS Medical Information System

MP Member of Parliament NCER Ukraine's National Commission for Energy, Housing, and Utilities Services Regulation NGCA Non-Government-Controlled Area NGO Non-Governmental Organization NRC Norwegian Refugee Council NUS New Ukrainian School OPI Organizational Performance Improvement OSA Oblast State Administration OSBB Association of Apartment Building Co-owners (abbreviation from Ukrainian “Ob'yednannya spivvlasnykiv bahatokvartyrnoho budynku”) PC Public Council PEA Political Economy Analysis PFU Pension Fund of Ukraine PHC Public Health Center PIN NGO People in Need RFA Request for Applications RFP Request for Proposals SACCI USAID Support to Anti-Corruption Champion Institutions Program SCORE Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index SeeD Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development SME Small and Medium Enterprises SOW Scope of Work SSP State in a Smart Phone STTA Short-term Technical Assistance TAPAS Transparency and Accountability in Public Administration Services Program TOR Terms of Reference UCBI Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative UCF Ukrainian Cultural Fund U-LEAD Ukraine-Local Empowerment, Accountability, and Development Programme UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund UN United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women WOMEN USAID United States Agency for International Development USG United States Government VNG International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities

II. CONTEXT UPDATE

Ukraine continued to experience significant shifts in policy and rhetoric towards eastern Ukraine throughout the reporting period, first and foremost at the September 30 Unity Forum in Mariupol with the participation of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, senior Ukrainian officials, key public leaders, and arts and cultural representatives – all hosted at the USAID DG East- supported Multiservice Center. During the Forum, the president highlighted the necessity of returning the non-government-controlled areas (NGCA) not by means of a “hot” conflict, but via successful economic and social growth overall in Ukraine. This point can demonstrate positive signals to NGCA residents and motivate them to reach out to a successful Ukraine. In his speech, President Zelenskyy focused special attention on Ukraine’s and Ukrainians’ indivisibility and the fact that all citizens need to strive towards coherence and joint growth.

The president sent a clear message that the problems in eastern Ukraine can be resolved only by diplomatic means, relying on Ukrainian powers and with international support. In the last two months, this idea has proven correct. Ukraine has taken active steps regarding troop withdrawal, exchange of prisoners, and the start of social development and infrastructure revival in areas where it seemed impossible before.

Troop withdrawal was not definitively accepted by civil society in the East. Troop disengagement was almost disrupted in Zolote (Luhansk Oblast) in October by nationalist organizations opposed to the withdrawal from the town, in particular, the National Corps, which promised to remain in the city even without the army’s support. The conflict was settled only after the president arrived in Zolote. The next disengagement, in Petrivske (Donetsk Oblast), took place in November without any particular problems.

The first meeting of the Ukrainian, Russian, German, and French heads of state – the Normandy Format – in over three years took place in December 2019. This historic event, preceded by months of troop withdrawal at points along the line of contact, was actively debated in media and among citizens. Representatives of patriotic civic organizations feared that President Zelenskyy would accept Russia’s conditions. Some political forces from eastern Ukraine expected positive changes to end the conflict. Information circulated among NGCA residents that a peace agreement might be reached. Ukraine advocated for amending the Minsk agreements regarding the transfer of control over the border before elections in the occupied territories. Russia did not agree to these conditions. As a result, a very general declaration was signed stating commitment to the Minsk agreements, with only two items specified: the exchange of prisoners before the new year, and troop withdrawal in three places. Many political observers concluded that such an “understatement” after the Normandy Four meeting means the war will continue in 20201. Although the Normandy Format meeting did not result in significant breakthroughs regarding the peace process, the fact that it took place – and that the next iteration is planned for April 2020 – is itself momentous.

1 https://korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/4176842-prohnoz-dlia-donbassa-na-2020-hod-Atlantic- Council 5

Another high-profile event was the December 12 arrest of the alleged killers of journalist Pavlo Sheremet, who was murdered in Kyiv in 2016. Volunteers and Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) participants were named as suspects in the murder. They denied their guilt, and their support group considered the charges trumped up. Civil society representatives discussed in social networks the assumption that the case was fabricated to undermine public confidence in representatives of the volunteer and veteran movements, which enjoy high levels of trust among Ukrainians.2

In the context of general national policy, regional policy in eastern Ukraine is under considerable pressure from local political forces. In light of the upcoming elections, which are tentatively scheduled for October 2020, as well as completion of the decentralization process, many key civil society figures, such as the leaders of public organizations, receive proposals from various political forces to lead election campaigns in exchange for future support.

At the same time, the SCORE results for 2019, which were presented in December, showed that, in general, the mood of the eastern Ukraine residents became more positive. People in the region commend the changes in the areas of social services, healthcare and the provision of administrative services. Moreover, the survey showed that the lowest indicator is the assessment of the availability of services in the field of post-secondary education. (SCORE slide)

Figure 1: Distribution of the satisfaction rate on publis services

The perception of the reintegration processes of the occupied territories is also evaluated positively. Eastern residents are open to dialogue but want more information on how the reintegration process will be implemented.

2 https://dif.org.ua/en/article/pidsumki-2019-gromadska-dumka 6

Figure 2: Different visions for the future of NGCA territories

The results obtained by SCORE on the perception of the provision of services in the NGCA were also interesting. According to the survey, NGCA residents feel that all areas of the provision of administrative, social, health and education services are higher in the NGCA, in comparison to those provided in the GCA. This may be due to the fact that in the occupied territories there remained larger cities that had a better developed infrastructure and technical bases.

Figure 3: Satisfaction with public services: GCA and NGCA

Another event in December 2019 was the opening of a pedestrian bridge in the Stanytsia Luhanska after the completion of repairs. This event was preceded by a troop withdrawal on both sides of the contact line. The Stanytsia Luhanska is still the only checkpoint between the NGCA/GCA territories of the Luhansk region. This checkpoint remained a pedestrian crossing and is not intended for road transport. Customs services noted an increase in the flow of citizens after the opening of the bridge. According to the customs services of the Stanytsia Luhanska, up to 14 to 16 thousand people crossed the contact line per day by the end of December 2019. In contrast, up to 12 thousand people crossed the line before the bridge was repaired and the area demilitarized.

The situation with the elections in the occupied territories, which are supposed to be part of the implementation of the Steinmeier formula, remains unclear. The occupation authorities declare that they do not agree3 with the conditions of the Ukrainian government, and they will decide for themselves on the control of the Ukrainian border with Russia, as well as on elections in the occupied territories. At the stage, the issue of elections in the occupied territories looks like a somewhat frozen issue. However, in connection with the upcoming local elections in October 2020, opposition political forces such as (Opposition Bloc - For Life) are actively manipulating this issue4.

III. INTRODUCTION

USAID Democratic Governance East (DG East) builds upon USAID’s continued investment in eastern Ukraine which has been ongoing since 2014 through projects such as the Ukraine Confidence Building Initiative (UCBI) I and II. Like its predecessor projects, DG East works to build confidence among the region’s citizens and government in the East of Ukraine while maintaining a presence near the center of policy formulation in Kyiv. DG East will continue to build on this work and amplify USAID’s meaningful impact in the region. A highly effective and productive platform has been established to deliver assistance in communities that other donors and implementers simply cannot reach. DG East presents a new opportunity to elevate this partnership with USAID by expanding interventions that showed demonstrated success under UCBI and jointly discovering new programming opportunities.

DG East continued programmatic interventions in FY 2020 Q1, as detailed below.

A. Key Narrative Achievements

Grants Program In FY 2020 Q1, DG East launched six new grant activities while closing out another five. In all, DG-East continues to support a total of 17 active grants with a cumulative value of approximately $1,885,111. Of the 17 active grants, five were with local government and municipalities and 12 were with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As of the end of the reporting period, 38 grant awards were in development for a total estimated value of $3.16 million. In line with Activity objectives, these grants will focus on citizen engagement, participatory governance, service delivery by local governments entities (LGEs), youth empowerment, and civic inclusion.

The grants program is implemented through two primary mechanisms: Annual Program Statement (APS) and Request for Applications (RFA). The APS served as a broad call for proposals covering all possible sectors which DG East might support, and the RFA focused on media outlets.

3 https://zn.ua/UKRAINE/glavari-boevikov-otreagirovali-na-formulu-shtaynmayera-obidami-i-ugrozami- 331486_.html 4 https://focus.ua/politics/444748-kogo_khochet_donbass

 APS01. During FY 2020 Q1, DG East reviewed the last round of APS01 applications for the period of July 1-September 11, 2019. Out of 101 eligible applications received, 37 were shortlisted: 30 related to civil society work and seven related to local governance. A total of 18 applications were approved (13 civil society organizations and five LGEs and 19 applications were rejected (17 CSOs and 2 LGEs).  RFA01: Media Sector Support. DG East received 33 applications in response to the media RFA, of which seven were selected for award in FY2019. Two grants were issued prior to the reporting period and one during the reporting period, with four awards pending at the end of FY 2020 Q1.

Other Technical Activities DG-East led a wide variety of technical activities and initiatives in Q1 2020, covering diverse sectors of engagement with the citizens of Eastern Ukraine. Activity highlights include:  Gender Equity Expert Viktoria Preobrazhenska conducted a 3-day training for partner CSOs in November 2019. The trainings raised gender awareness among participants and built their capacity to understand gender-sensitive approaches in increasing participation and involvement of underrepresented groups.  DG-East partnered with the Lviv Educational Foundation to conduct a Building Ukraine Together (BUR) camp in Stanytsia Luhanska in September 2019. The focus of the camp was devoted to promoting civic post-Maidan and European values and sharing local and cultural values. The camp attracted 500 participants.  Through a partnership with the local NGO Nova Druzhkivka (ND), DG East supported people with disabilities to engage in local decision making on issues that directly affect them and to shift attitudes both in mind and in physical infrastructure accessibility. DG East supported ND to develop an interactive navigation system to help people with disabilities feel more comfortable in the city. It is available in two versions – as a web- portal5, and a special mobile application for Android phones, “Smart Druzhkivka”6, with the mandatory add-ons for people with visual and hearing impairments. 500 special QR- coded plates were installed around the city in previously defined buildings comprised of institutions of communal and social importance, health, culture, sports and education.  Throughout October 2019, DG East brought the From Country to Ukraine festival series to nine communities in Eastern Ukraine that are adjacent to the line of contact. These dynamic festivals attracted over 30,000 attendants.  DG East supported the opening of a new Department of Social Protection (DSP) center in Svatove, Luhansk Oblast which now serves 40,000 city residents, including nearly 4,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs). DG East trained staff on customer-oriented service provision and provided grant funding for operational equipment.

5 http://qrcode.druisp.gov.ua/?fbclid=IwAR3lvHxKbfZoMAZ54FJu7w5uCMrPoNaOaPxl430F0d66YTU_HvLJLG rgRcQ 6 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ua.gov.druisp.qrcode 9

 On October 30, 2019 the Mariupol Multiservice Center opened as a result of direct DG East funding and support. The Multiservice Center, which opened the same day Mariupol hosted a USAID-sponsored Unity Forum, is expected to service approximately 1,200 people daily, including residents from Ukraine’s non-government-controlled areas (NGCA). The Center was furnished and equipped for up to 140 workplaces and further supported with an online learning platform by DG East.  In December 2019, DG East’s partner Foundation for Social Innovations “From Country to Ukraine” (FC2U) brought together 180 principals, vice principals, and teachers from 60 eastern Ukraine schools for a 5-day intensive training in Kyiv. The Education Marathon received national and local media coverage.

IV. KEY NARRATIVE ACHIEVEMENTS Pursuant to section F.4.B.1 of the contract, the following section summarizes the outcomes of activities during the reporting period. Activities in progress with achievements planned in upcoming periods are discussed under the section “Subsequent Reporting Period.”

Objective 1: Greater acceptance of shared civic culture based on common values and understandings

SO 1.1 Increased interaction of citizens with civil society groups. NGO networking and experience exchange (will lead to coalition building, identification, and support of advocacy efforts, etc.).

Activity 3. Interest Group Forums. During the reporting period, DG East organized the IDP Integration and Cooperation Forum (IDP InCoForum) for designated interest groups to identify ideas for community-based initiatives or advocacy. The IDP InCoForum, scheduled for January 28, 2020, has the following main objectives:  Attract attention to IDP strategy development issues and opportunities for development (at least two Ministries and 15 Ukrainian cities);  Promote IDP rights advocacy tools and mechanisms on the local and national levels (eastern Ukraine, Kyiv, Central Ukraine, and Crimea representatives);  Improve understanding and quality of services delivery for IDPs (social, medical, administrative, and other services);  Improve assistance in social services; and  Engage national and local actors into collaboration on IDP strategic/program development at the national and local level.

DG East worked closely with Ukraine Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) Inclusion Specialists, Mariupol City Council, Ministries, and key IDPs from the civil sphere. Participants and presenters at the IDP InCoForum are expected to include representatives of the MinVATOT; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Social Protection; and NGOs CrimeaSOS and DonbasSOS; UN agencies.

Maximize potential of NGOs that can jointly advocate for change (coalition building will increase CSO voices and reach a larger audience).

Activity 8. Expand and institutionalize community development role of OSBBs. (See also OSBB grant support in SO 1.3) DG East prepared for the implementation of the first stage of the Good Neighbors-One Country activity. A Request for Proposals (RFP) was published for an assessment of the OSBB landscape in DG East target communities in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. The selection committee considered two proposals, from NGOs MLS Group and IS. A draft contract was prepared with the selected company, MLS Group.

Activity 9. Contact Line Community Association. DG East prepared an activity concept and budget during the reporting period. The amount for the company's media services was clarified, a consultant for the grant was found. The concept's 11

activities have been worked out to mitigate the potential risks for the implementation of the grant. Eight cities were selected to begin activity analysis (Stanytsia Luhanska, Schastya, Svitlodarsk, Toretsk, Avdiivka, Novhorodske, Popasna, and Zolote/Hirske), and selection of an additional five cities for further coalition formation A full package of documents will be sent for USAID approval in March 2020

SO 1.2 Increased understanding of reform and participatory governance processes.

Use media content to engage targeted Donetsk and Luhansk residents in Ukraine's transition (relevant content delivered to target groups via channels most consumed by each group will positively affect the reform discourse).

Activity 14. Reform communications campaigns. Based on the findings from the Reforms Communication Assessment in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, the communication strategy was developed and submitted to USAID.

Improve understanding of participatory governance methods and target actors (for both government and citizens).

Activity 19. Promotion of Gender-Responsive Participatory Processes. In November 2019, three 3-day trainings for partner CSOs were conducted by Gender Equity Expert Viktoria Preobrazhenska: in Sviatohirsk (northern Donetsk Oblast) November 13-15; in Severodonetsk on November 16-18; and in Mariupol on November 20-22. The trainings aimed at raising gender awareness among partner CSOs, building their capacity in understanding gender issues and a gender-sensitive approach, and increasing participation and involvement of underrepresented groups in CSO activities (Y1 SO 2.1 Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations).

Activity 20. Women in Government program. DG East and VNG developed a concept to prioritize and empower women in government so they govern with more participation. The concept includes supporting exchanges and sharing best practices and experiences among women in government to empower others to pursue a career in public service. DG East plans to engage local and international consultants to work together to identify participants and conduct a series of workshops, activities, and exchanges between reform-minded women government officials in Ukraine and abroad.

Activity 23. Modeling participatory governance. To assist Severodonetsk City Administration to develop the Central Park as a comfortable place for entertainment and communication between all groups of city residents and guests by implementing innovative solutions, DG East will engage a team of international and local consultants on landscape and innovative park zones, lawyers, and community engagement specialists. The activity will be implemented in several phases, including 3D visualization of suggested park zones and functions; discussions/agreements on ownership, maintenance, and management principles; co-funding; etc.

In FY 2020 Q1, DG East developed and submitted a concept for a Multi-Functional Park in Severodonetsk. It is projected that Phase I will be implemented in FY 2020 Q2. Depending on Phase I results, DG East will discuss and agree with Severodonetsk City Administration and USAID to start developing the next phases of the activity, including implementation and opening of the Severodonetsk Multi-Functional Park.

Use culture to enable citizens to understand and articulate a new Ukrainian civic identity.

Activity 37. Citizen Listening and Learning Events. Over a two-week period in late September, USAID's Democratic Governance East Activity through its partner Lviv Educational Foundation (LEF) conducted a Building Ukraine Together (BUR) camp in frontline Stanytsia Luhanska. The BUR camps serve as educational platforms to strengthen horizontal connections among local youth activists and establish broader volunteer networks. The camp demonstrated opportunities to influence local decision-making through themed discussions, lectures and presentations. These focused-on building intergroup dialogue on pluralistic views of the war conflict, IDP issues, and legal aspects of relocation. Elements of camp were devoted to topics such as international support for Ukraine in the Eastern conflict, the importance of grassroots initiatives leading to country's prosperity and role of youth, promoting civic post-Maidan and European values, and sharing local cultural and historical heritage. The evening program of the camp, which attracted more than 500 participants, featured two concerts that acquainted locals with modern Ukrainian music.

Complementary efforts by local activists and BUR led to creation of a youth space in the Museum of Local History. Local activists from the Golden Lions NGO formed a team, received guidance and mentorship and subsequently applied for a BUR Lab, which is BUR's project management school. They received support for their tourism project and art exhibit for a local museum. This museum space, also supported by the local Golden Lions NGO, is designed to connect youth to the community and vice versa. Negotiations with local authorities are underway to help activists get financial support from the Raion Administration which also promised to furnish the space by the end of the year.

In addition to BUR camps, DG East is supporting LEF in creating a designated BUR website that upon completion will be widely promoted to enroll new activists and present BUR to larger audiences, in Eastern Ukraine in particular. BUR and DG East released a video on the camps7.

Activity 38. From Country to Ukraine (FC2U) Festivals. This series of festivals was designed to build upon the already popular FC2U festivals that take place in Western and Southern Ukraine. The FC2U series is dedicated to highlighting common Ukrainian cultural heritages and positive civic values.

The festivals’ daytime civic/cultural program and nighttime concerts featuring modern Ukrainian musicians attracted more than 30,000 attendees (including many from across the Line of Contact). This was the culmination of months of activism and consultations between local

7 https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2765863516810709 13

organizers and the communities and was designed to engage citizens in a variety of ways. Thematic focuses of the festivals included perceptions of community life among residents, fostering connections among small businesses, citizens, and government, and demonstrating that a positive, pro-Ukrainian civic attitude is possible even in front line communities, such as Avdiivka, Toretsk, and Schastya. DG East supports festivals and cultural events in conflict-affected communities in eastern Ukraine to strengthen local networks of pro-reform organizers and demonstrate the region’s connection to modern Ukrainian culture and the positive changes taking place across the country.

Objective 1: Problems Encountered and Proposed Solutions SO 1.1, Activity 7: NGO Capacity Building Program: development of this activity encountered delays with the prospective service provider. As an alternative to meet the needs of beneficiaries in more creative ways, DG East plans to publish an RFA to identify one or more potential service providers to ensure the program is comprehensive and innovative.

Objective 2: Increase Participation to Improve Ukraine’s Governance and Reforms

SO 2.1 Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations.

Facilitate service delivery to border crossing population.

Activity 1. Monitoring of checkpoint/crossing area service delivery. The Inclusion Specialist and AIMs continue to monitor the situation with checkpoint crossings through constant communication with CSOs and relevant actors involved in assessing the border crossing population matters. The Inclusion Specialist and AIMs regularly attend coordination meetings of UNHCR, OCHA and other actors. Based on the received information, DG East will develop a factsheet with updates about the situation with crossing checkpoints in quarters 2 and/or 3. Additionally, potential media partners focusing on this theme may provide relevant information to help inform DG East interventions in this area.

Improve access to government and community facilities for people with disabilities, LGBTI+ people, and the aged Activity 7. Design and implement accessibility interventions To advance the rights of people with disabilities and promote barrier-free and more accessible city spaces, DG East worked with a local NGO, Nova Druzhkivka. Through ND, DG East helps people with disabilities engage in local decision-making on issues that directly affect them, aiming to change the local context - both in mind and in physical infrastructure. To institutionalize changes, three series of trainings for activists, civil servants and local officials were conducted to equip them with knowledge on how to work on inclusion issues. To advance the matter and start the advocacy campaign to improve physical accessibility of Druzhkivka, ND developed an interactive navigation system to help people with disabilities feel more comfortable in the city. It

is available in two versions – as a web-portal8, and a special mobile application for Android phones, “Smart Druzhkivka”9, with the mandatory add-ons for people with visual and hearing impairments. A version compatible with iOS devices is in development and will be released soon. The “Smart Druzhkivka” app is an interactive system of information to better navigate people in urban areas and fully integrate people with disabilities into community life. With the help of QR- codes people can get information about an institution, its services, public transport schedules, distance to the nearest stop, address, working hours, contact telephones, email address, website and a list of services. It has mandatory duplication of voice, allowing the application to speak out all the information contained in the QR code. The inscriptions show the QR-code and name of the institution or office that is duplicated by Braille font. All data can be updated and added as needed.

The creation of the app and platform is an organic completion of the first part of the Druzhkivka Physical Accessibility Assessment project, which included training for city officials and locals on creating an inclusive urban space, auditing accessibility of the city and filming the #Visible video series10. The project can be scaled to other Eastern Ukraine cities as well.

SO 2.2 Effective advocacy by local actors on relevant national and regional policies. Coordinate dialogue and advocacy on key issues and reforms.

Activity 9. Public council development and advocacy. DG East, through STTAs Inna Simenenko and Serhiy Mitrokhin, started implementation of the activity “Modeling Public Council Policy Advocating” with an orientation meeting in December 2019. The activity involves in-depth work and mentoring of the PCs in Druzhkivka, Kramatorsk, Severodonetsk, and Kreminna. It aims to demonstrate very concrete results through mentoring and facilitation of each PC that works with a respective LGE to advocate and adopt three to five local policy initiatives that reflect citizens’ priority issues. At least one local policy must be adopted by each PC. The activity will be completed in FY 2020 Q3.

Activity 10. Building SME capacity in advocacy. In Year 1, topics and cities were selected for the advocacy campaign according to the results of the round table with SME representatives. The SOW for the contracting organization was developed and approval obtained. The RFP is under development to select the contracting organization. The RFP will be published in Q2.

Assist local government institutions to improve policy formation.

Activity 12. Rubizhne scorecard activity. DG East, through the VNG subcontract, started the activity “Assisting Rubizhne City to Implement Action Plan on Scorecard’s Prioritized Issues.” This activity aims to mentor Rubizhne City Administration and Working Group to implement an Action Plan on three priority

8 http://qrcode.druisp.gov.ua/?fbclid=IwAR3lvHxKbfZoMAZ54FJu7w5uCMrPoNaOaPxl430F0d66YTU_HvLJLG rgRcQ 9 https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ua.gov.druisp.qrcode 10 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MqShEFUF2E&list=PLUCB6jo_dIXTuEzRY1KN_j6SfpARsmpC- 15

community issues that were identified as a result of the scorecard exercises under SEV006 (VNG) in 2019 which includes improvements to solid waste management, information dissemination on services, and strengthening OSBB engagement in decision-making processes. In FY 2020 Q1, DG East activated the Working Group on Action Plan implementation which was approved by Mayoral Decree. The working group updated the Action Plan and discussed actions and indicators, as well as possible assistance to OSBBs. The activity will be completed in Q3.

Support networking among civic groups and economic actors.

Activity 14. Conduct local development forums to improve horizontal dialogue among community stakeholders. This activity will be implemented as part of Activity 16 and is aimed at establishing a dialogue between local authorities and civil society to develop a strategy for the city of Mariupol.

SO 2.3 Improved local governance processes and capacities

Support interactions between citizens and governments for participatory planning and community-driven improvements

Activity 16. Support City Strategic Plan Development On October 16, a new Department of Social Protection center opened in Svatove, Luhansk Oblast, and began delivering more friendly, efficient, and corruption-free services to 40,000 city residents, including nearly 4,000 IDPs. DG East provided support to train staff on customer- oriented front office and efficient back office operations, redesign the reception area, and obtain information/communication technology and network equipment. This included a new electronic queuing system that registers visitors within seconds of their arrival, reducing the wait times for frequently accessed services from days to minutes. During the office’s first week of operation, the staff serviced 10 times the number of customers they had previously.

The Mariupol Multiservice Center, which will now provide administrative and social services to Donetsk Oblast citizens, opened on October 30, 2019 as part of a series of events bringing attention to efforts to turn Mariupol into a model city for the rest of eastern Ukraine. The Multiservice Center, which opened the same day Mariupol hosted a USAID-sponsored Unity Forum, is expected to service approximately 1,200 people daily, including residents from Ukraine’s non-government-controlled areas (NGCA). The Center was furnished and equipped for up to 140 workplaces and further supported with an online learning platform by DG East. It was specifically built in the part of Mariupol closest to the line of contact to provide for easier access by people living in the NGCA. It is the largest administrative services center in Ukraine, providing up to three times the government services other, more standard centers offer. The Multiservice Center was also designed to act as a cultural and social space for the area’s residents and is situated in a renovated park that includes a hi-tech computerized water fountain.

In November–December 2019, DG East conducted trainings on improving services capacity for the Multicenter staff/human resources (HR) department. A total of 190 Mariupol Multicenter staff members (from ASC, Pension Fund, DSP, etc.) studied practical topics such as:  Constant Innovation, a 1-day training for the Multicenter management (one group);

 Effective Communication, a 1-day training for all Multicenter staff (120 members in five groups);  Teamwork, a 1-day training for all Multicenter staff (120 members in five groups);  Public Speaking, a 1-day training for Multicenter management (1 group);  Team Management, a 1-day training for Multicenter management (1 group);  Stress management, a 2-day training for all Multicenter staff (120 members in eight groups);  Project management, a 1-day training for all Multicenter staff (120 members in six groups).

Activity 18. LGE participatory planning process. DG East, through the VNG subcontract, started the activity in September 2019. In Q1, DG East selected two LGEs in Severodonetsk and Bakhmut for a pilot participatory planning exercise. A number of workshops were conducted on tools and methodologies, and two joint groups of LGEs, CSOs, youth, and civic activists were assisted in generating small-scale community projects and developing a project proposal, action plan, and budget. The two pilot municipalities developed projects. The Severodonetsk initiative, “More Than a Lake”, aims to clean the lake area; and Bakhmut wants to create a techno club under the project “Creation of an Innovative Science Center for Children and Youth.” The activity will be completed in FY 2020 Q2. Follow-on activity will be designed in Q3 and implementation will start in Q4.

Community Engagement Centers

Activity 19. Develop Community Engagement Center (CEC) model. This activity supports DG East partner rural communities in promoting civic activism and strengthening collaboration and partnership between various actors in the community, such as LGEs, CSOs, youth, elderly, and various initiative groups and associations. The activity supports communities to develop an open platform for the community that can host CSO and LGE meetings and discussions, can generate community initiatives, disseminate information, learning, planning, and facilitate implementing joint initiatives. In December 2019, DG East finished Phase 2 of the activity. Additional meetings were conducted with rural partners to discuss CECs. Based on the latest developments, indicated at an ERA workshop, LGEs should include the activity into the Luhansk Oblast strategic development plan.

As a result, DG East created the final version of 3D visualization; one pilot community was identified to implement the CEC project, with construction work and furniture and equipment procurement. The activity will be completed in FY 2021 Q1.

HICD/OPI Capacity Building

Activity 28. Assist pension agencies in automating internal organizational processes. DG East conducted an assessment to identify needs for improving organizational performance and quality of pension services delivery in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts and developed recommendations on potential actions to be undertaken. Eight Pension Fund of Ukraine (PFU) territorial departments were selected in order to analyze current practices and organizational capacity for delivering pension services to citizens. One PFU territorial department was selected for future piloting of the Stanytsia Luhanska PFU territorial department to provide complex

technical assistance on improving organizational performance and increasing the quality of pension services delivery.

Activity 38. Regional coordination meetings of DG East with OSA and GP. The first coordination meeting took place in FY 2020 Q1 between the Luhansk OSA and representatives of international organizations in Severodonetsk. The meeting, attended by nine representatives of international organizations (GIZ, NRC, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN WOMEN, USAID, PIN, Office of European Council in Ukraine), aimed at bringing together international organizations working in Luhansk Oblast to discuss OSA regional development priorities, introduce each project’s operation directions in the region, and explore possibilities for cooperation, coordination, and joint activities. Key agreements and conclusions from the first coordination meeting include: • Coordination meetings will be conducted every 2-3 months; • If there are some priority issues that need attention and joint decision coordination, a meeting can be called earlier than scheduled; • The location of coordination meetings will be selected on a rotation basis between partners; • The next coordination meeting is tentatively scheduled for February; • Starting from the next coordination meeting, the agenda and discussion points for the meeting will be determined and agreed in advance.

Activity 44. City council training. DG East, through the VNG subcontract, started the activity “Training of Elected Municipal Council Representatives” on October 30, 2019. During the reporting period, DG East carried out two phases of this activity, including conducted six 2-day trainings on a range of topics to improve participatory governance for elected municipal council representatives in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and developing eight training modules:  consensus-based decision-making and cooperation;  participatory governance and the role of CSOs in local governance;  public speaking;  integrity and code of conduct;  gender and inclusion policy; Participatory Decision-Making Training  anti-discrimination policy at the Participant Feedback municipal level; “I am the head of the city council commission on  participatory budgeting; communal property, land, and privatization. This is one of the key commissions in the city and the  rule-making process of the regulatory information received is very important. I believe act at the municipal level. that such trainings should be carried out at least once every six months so that we know what In total, members from 105 municipal councils changes Kyiv is adopting and can use them" - Vsevolod Sabaev, Bakhmut local MP. from target locations were trained through three sessions in Donetsk Oblast and three in Luhansk Oblast. Participants drafted action plans for implementation of their priority policy issues. The activity will be completed in FY 2020 Q2 with six 1-day feedback sessions.

Activity 45. Support LGE document flow to improve internal capacity and efficiency.

During Q1, DG East assessed the legislative framework and LGE needs to automate internal document flow (doc flow) operations. A roadmap was developed for automating doc flow processes within an LGE’s internal organizational setting by indicating functions, business processes, and key aspects for software architecture, including training needs for specialists. DG East identified information and communications technology (ICT) and server needs for implementation of the doc flow system and developed a TOR to tender out doc flow software, highlighting modules and key functions under each module, length for user training and operational manuals, and service warranty conditions. The processes for the Rubizhne City Council pilot will be designed in Q2 and implemented during Q2-Q4.

LGE Y2 Start-up Forum

Activity 47. LGE start-up forum. DG East completed this activity during FY 2020 Q1 in close partnership and collaboration with ERA. The forum brought together 44 participants from Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, who gained information about strategic directions that relate to DG East support to partner LGEs: to increase efficiency in implementing reforms and transforming organizational efficiency and service delivery to better respond to community needs. The forum also provided the opportunity to share with LGEs and OSA partners a broad overview of DG East and ERA’s complementary assistance and discuss opportunities for joint technical assistance in key areas. The activity is complete.

National Level Engagement and Collaboration

Activity 48. Central level policy coordination. DG East held three central-level coordination meetings in Kyiv and one Skype meeting in FY 2020 Q1 successfully developing partnerships with central level policy-making institutions and promoting reforms in service delivery sectors - pension services, administrative services and in general e-services. The meetings and outcomes are summarized below 1. Evhen Kapinus, Chairman of the Pension Fund of Ukraine. DG East initiatives were presented to agency representatives, especially focusing on the intention to explore opportunities to collaborate with the PFU and its branches in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. DG East shared preliminary assessment results on pension services and discussed potential areas of collaboration on customer-oriented service delivery trainings, customer-oriented reception, digitalization, and standardization of service delivery. Mr. Kapinus expressed willingness and motivation to collaborate with DG East, and he initiated the idea of a partnership when (if) DG East determines its readiness to start technical assistance to pension agencies in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. 2. Oleksii Vyskub, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. DG East goals and objectives were introduced, and opportunities for collaboration on a few concepts were explored, such as “State in a Smart Phone”; e-signature policies; e-services, including administrative, social, pensions, e-citizen cabinet; and the Trembita and Vulyk systems. Mr. Viskub described the Ministry’s work in developing a concept for activating consolidated communities. In this context, the CEC concept and draft 3D visualization were discussed. Mr. Viskub expressed great interest in collaboration. DG East and the Ministry agreed to continue exchanging information and do joint planning.

3. Oleksii Sivirin, Deputy Minister of Culture. DG East presented the CEC concept and 3D visualization. The discussion covered the Ministry’s vision for activating communities as an interesting place for youth, and the flexibility to adapt CEC functionality for the innovative Youth Engagement Centers. The Ministry expressed serious interest in collaboration and will support adapting this concept. 4. Skype call with Mykhailo Fiodorov, Vice Prime Minister, and Oleksii Vyskub, Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation. The call was a continuation of the conversation on CEC which took place on November 14 with Mr. Viskyb in Kyiv at the MinDig. The Vice Prime Minister expressed interest in the CEC concept and highlighted that they are willing to collaborate with DG East in this direction.

Objective 2: Problems Encountered and Proposed Solutions During the reporting period no problems occurred on the stages of designing and implementing planned activities.

Research DG East continued to make headway on research and analysis during FY 2020 Q1, having four active subcontracts with local organizations to conduct research and analysis through surveys and assessments. The activities cover an online media consumption survey in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, data collection for the panel survey Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index (SCORE) for Ukraine, indicators baseline collection, and the political economy analysis that will provide an overview of the issue and identify main factors contributing to or hindering citizen engagement with local government given the current political economy dynamics.

On December 12, 2019 the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD) presented key findings of the Social Cohesion and Reconciliation Index (SCORE) for Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of the 2019 wave. The SeeD team presented the following topics: the satisfaction of Ukrainians with the progress in the country; support for reform processes; satisfaction with services; trust in authorities and political security. They also presented preliminary findings of how residents on both sides of the contact line in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts view different reintegration scenarios. SeeD provided baseline Social Cohesion and Reconciliation (SCORE) Index for selected 15 cities in eastern Ukraine to provide a rich, robust, and holistic picture and better serve the programmatic and policy needs of key stakeholders, while improving the efficiency and effectiveness of resources and investments through robust temporal analysis of changing trends. City profiles are intended to be “living documents” which will be continually updated as information becomes available. Further modifications to profiles are envisioned, as the longitudinal data are acquired, to enable assessment of the progress of each city. Quantitative data collected using a representative longitudinal panel survey in Eastern Ukraine. Additional qualitative information collected through multi-level stakeholder consultations, focus groups, and interviews. DG East finalized the REACH accessibility assessment and finalized terms of reference (TOR) and the data analysis plan for the REACH capacity and vulnerability assessment.

 Online Media Consumption Survey in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. DG East engaged the research agency Info Sapiens to analyze audience preferences of online media resources in the government-controlled areas (GCA) and non-government-controlled areas (NGCA) of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts in 2019. The qualitative component included four focus group discussions, which were conducted in Kramatorsk, Mariupol, Severodonetsk, and Kreminna on November 15-17, 2019. The target audience included females and males, 20-50 years old, who are active internet users. Twelve in-depth interviews were conducted in the NGCA. In addition, four expert interviews were conducted with media experts who have extensive knowledge of the Donbas media environment on November 5-7.The quantitative component included 1,600 computer- assisted face-to-face interviews in the GCA, and 800 telephone interviews with calls to mobile phones and randomly generated phone numbers in the NGCA.

 Political Economy Analysis. A political economy analysis (PEA) in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts will be carried out in FY 2020 Q2 by the Donetsk Institute for Social Research and Policy Analysis. The PEA will identify the main factors contributing to or hindering citizen engagement with local government, given the current political economy dynamics. The research will focus on windows of opportunity, roadblocks, champions, and spoilers in order to identify programmatic implications for DG East, and will explore structural factors, institutional architecture, and local context to inform the analysis.

 Accessibility Assessment (REACH). The REACH Accessibility Assessment (Y1 SO 2.1 Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations) to identify barriers in access to governmental services for people with disabilities was finalized and the narrative report was completed. The research results will be actively used in planned Project activities, as the data obtained are intended to address and inform DG East about the existing gaps in the provision of governmental services to people with disabilities and suggest ways for improvement and reducing barriers. In January 2020, the data will be presented to a wide audience of local government and CSO representatives to initiate public discussion and cooperation to improve access to services for people with disabilities.

 Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (REACH CVA). The TOR and data analysis plan for the REACH Capacity and Vulnerability Assessment (Y1 SO 2.1 Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations) were discussed and finalized in November 2019. The CVA is intended to map the networks of basic service delivery relating to health care, education (including tertiary education), social services (with a separate focus on pension and all remaining social services), administrative services, and state employment services. The CVA will help DG East to understand the capacity gaps of facilities providing basic services at the suburban level and identify household-level barriers that affect residents’ ability to access basic services. Data collection started in early December and was finished on December 23, 2019. The data will be processed and analyzed in January 2020. The results will also include information on where and what kind of services are most often requested and received by residents of the NGCA who cross the contact line and come to the GCA. The data will help DG

East to understand more objectively what gaps and difficulties exist in obtaining public services by residents of designated territories, and what exactly DG East can do to improve the quality of services and increase the population’s level of satisfaction with services.

Activity Administration DG East continued screening candidates with necessary qualifications to fill positions across the project’s four offices. DG East developed and maintains a rolling recruitment tracker, covering all positions. Seven positions remain open and continue to be advertised, with interviews conducted on a rolling basis. The full personnel chart is attached (Attachment 3). DG East opened new positions earlier in the process to better align activities and emerging needs. In Kyiv, we transitioned our Environmental Compliance Specialist from a short-term contract to a long-term position, and Mariupol hired a Communications Assistant. DG East successfully recruited an NGO Specialist who was onboarded in November 2019. Larisa Romanenko, our Activities Pool Director, was extended for the life of project and has continued to streamline our DGAP processes. Grants and Subcontracts Specialist Diana Zaldastanishvili completed a second short- term assignment to develop two large media grants for USAID approval.

V. UPCOMING ACTIVITES In subsequent reporting periods, DG East will implement the activities indicated below. These activities are broken out by objective and elaborated upon.

Objective 1: Greater acceptance of shared civic culture based on common values and understandings

SO 1.1 Increased interaction of citizens with civil society groups

Activity 1. NGO Forums. The first part of local forums will be conducted at the end of March 2020: one per oblast for 1- 2 days, with up to 30 participants each. The second portion, a large bi-oblast NGO Forum, will be conducted in April 2020 for three days with up to 100 participants in Severodonetsk.

Activity 2. CSO Free Spaces (Tolokas). DG East will develop the activity in Q2. It will be implemented by the Severodonetsk (for Luhansk) and Kramatorsk (for Donetsk) regional offices

Activity 3. Interest Group Forums. This 1-day forum will be held in Mariupol on January 28, 2020, with up to 65 participants from relevant Ministries, regional and city administrations, and local and international NGOs working with internally displaced persons (IDPs).

Activity 4. CSO public outreach capacity. NGO capacity building for target CSOs will contribute to cross-organizational collaboration, growing constituency, and constructive engagement in participatory processes. DG East will continue to provide capacity building training to existing and new CSO and media partners. The activity will be implemented by an STTA media expert who will provide on-site technical assistance on building skills in areas such as social media advertising, targeting, messaging, and caption video production.

Activity 5. Hackathon for CSO storytellers. This activity is being developed. An implementing organization will be identified in FY 2020 Q2.

Activity 6. Online TV shows. A new RFA is under development, with the task of developing and disseminating online shows highlighting CSO/community initiatives to promote awareness of and interest in CSO activities in eastern Ukraine. It will be published in February 2020. Grant activities will begin in May-June 2020.

Activity 7. NGO Capacity Building. The preliminary concept for a year-long Capacity Building Program for CSOs in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts was developed by a contracted short-term consultant and discussed with ISAR/Ednannia, the most reputable expert organization and potential implementing partner for this activity. ISAR/Ednannia’s first proposal was received and reviewed by DG East. Several

meetings were conducted with ISAR/Ednannia on program and cost negotiations during FY 2020 Q1, but terms had not been agreed by the end of Q1. DG East changed its approach and decided to choose the most qualified implementor through a competitive process. A draft RFA for this activity will be developed and published in February, with anticipated awards by May. The year- long Capacity Building Program for CSOs in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts will be launched in late Q2 or early Q3.

Activity 8. Expand and institutionalize community development role of OSBBs. The selection committee considered two proposals from NGOs MLS Group and IS. DG East is working on a draft contract with MLS Group. DG East anticipates starting the activity in February 2020. (Mariupol office in lead).

Activity 10. Information platform. Part of the activity is being implemented as part of the Kramatorsk Anti-Crisis Media Center (ACMC) media project, Donetsk Oblast. One of the deliverables is the development of a special application on the ACMC platform, which includes mapping local NGOs in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, indicating their main areas of work and a current calendar of events. Due to changes in the cost of application development services, the grant requires modification and a budget increase. A modification request was submitted by the grantee.

The next step will be to support the development of coalitions that can be either thematic-based or geographic in reach.

Activity 11. Explore creation of an anti-discrimination (or diversity) coalition on the oblast level to bring together efforts of CSOs working with different underrepresented groups to work together to improve advocacy at the local level. The training on Gender Equity in November 2019 showed that CSOs have a moderate degree of desire and willingness to work towards promoting rights and expanding the participation of underrepresented groups in civil society. Nevertheless, deeper analysis and a clearer understanding is still required of how CSOs are ready to form a coalition, and whether they have enough resources and knowledge about coalitions as an advocacy tool. These further steps are planned for FY 2020 Q2.

Activity 12. Private House sector engagement. The draft Concept Paper for this activity was pending COR Concurrence as of the end of FY 2020 Q1. Under Stage 1, DG East will conduct an assessment to evaluate the current situation, needs, and potential of street/neighborhood district committees in the private house sector, which will help identify the viability of working with street/neighborhood district committees through the Community Development Foundation (CDF) instrument. Representatives of the selected committees will participate in two study tours to other Ukrainian communities that have existing CDFs. Under Stage 2, DG East will select communities with the best development potential for street/neighborhood district committee development and will identify an organization that can work with these committees to collaborate on identifying, designing, and implementing local improvement initiatives. This activity is anticipated to start in April 2020.

Activity 19. Promotion of gender-responsive participatory processes. The activity is under development.

Activity 20. Women in Government programs. DG East and VNG developed the TOR for the activity and scopes of work for short term consultants. This activity will be launched in Q2.

Activity 24. Youth needs assessment. The Inclusion Specialist will contribute to activity development, with a focus on intersectionality (youth from rural areas, Roma, IDPs, and LGBTQI+ youth).

Activity 35. Inclusiveness information campaign. The activity is under development. Consultations with subcontractor SeeD and local partner CSOs will be held to identify topics and shape the campaign.

Activity 46. Gender and Inclusion Exchanges. DG East and VNG developed the TOR for the activity scopes of work for short term consultants.

Activity 47. Inter-generational exchanges. The activity is under development. An International consultant will be identified and engaged to carry out this activity’s scope of work. Potential partners will be identified among youth organizations and organizations working with people with disabilities. The activity scope will be developed based on the needs and capacities of identified partners.

SO 1.2 Increased understanding of reform and participatory governance processes.

Activity 13. Concepts to deliver information to contact line communities and NGCA. Part of this activity will be implemented under the grant to NGO Our Home Sloviansk for the multimedia platform “Eastern Option” (Східний варіант), to cover local issues in eastern Ukraine.

Activity 15. Oblast administration leadership capacity-building in communications In December 2019, DG East had preliminary meetings with Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast Administration representatives to coordinate needs. DG East will identify and engage short-term consultants in Q2. This activity will run through February–April 2020 and will be primarily aimed at developing the Communication Strategy and Plan for the Donetsk Oblast State Administration (OSA).

Activity 16. Communications roadmap updates. The activity will be delivered in February 2020. The Media and Outreach Specialist will update the existing roadmap, which will be instrumental for identifying potential interventions aimed at supporting media outlets in the targeted region (new media RFA).

Activity 17. Develop locally relevant content, including checkpoints and transportation TV series (3-5 minutes). This activity is being developed. A consultant will be identified to develop relevant content.

Activity 18. Media school creation. This activity is scheduled for April-September 2020 and will be implemented within the framework of KYV-002-G-001.

Activity 19. Promotion of gender-responsive participatory processes. This activity will be developed from Q2 and onward. Part of this activity will be addressed by other Objective 2 activities implemented by DG East and VNG consultants (e.g., municipal budgeting support to Year 2 target communities), as well as Activity 20 Women in Government.

Activity 21. Local Government 101. This activity will be developed in Q2 as a grant or subcontract. It will be one component of Deliverable No. 8 Civic-based Education Programs.

Activity 22 Interactive citizen engagement events. The activity will be designed in Q2. The activity start is planned for March 2020.

SO 1.3 Further development of Ukrainian civic identity

Youth programming (more youth become civically aware and engaged).

Activity 24. Youth needs assessment. DG East identified potential consultants to be involved in the implementation of this activity. DG East is in the process of developing the methodology and approaches for this assessment, to be conducted by the end of Q2. The results of the assessment will help inform the scopes of work for Activity 25 and 26 and 27. International consultants were identified during the reporting period, but they will be engaged, together with local consultants in Q2.

Activity 25. Youth communications campaign. Consultants engaged under Activity 24 will help inform this scope of work, based on the findings of the youth assessment. Further, this activity may be part of the support to the Ministry of Culture, Youth, Sports, and Information Policy as part of a youth exchange program to promote active youth engagement in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Activity 26. Active youth grants. To implement the objectives of this activity, DG East started development of several projects that are aimed at active youth engagement, prioritizing Year 2 target communities coupled with strategic involvement of other, smaller communities to increase the youth constituency, particularly because many of these rural youth will be looking for higher education institutions in the larger urban areas. DG East will cover part of these tasks with grants from Teplytsia and Praktika NGOs, with the mentoring support of two other NGOs - Street Culture and Misto Sad. DG East received positive COR concurrences for all of these activities. Activity implementation is anticipated to start in late Q2.

Activity 27. Implement Second Annual Youth Forum. This activity is under development. Based on the results of Activity 24, DG East will finalize the second Youth Forum agenda and program in Q3.

Activity 28. Youth training programs. Part of this activity is under development. Grantee Lviv Educational Foundation (LEF) will conduct “School of Social Initiatives: Activation of Donetsk and Luhansk Youth” to train 25 volunteers from five DG East target cities in three areas:  My community is my fortress: the social sphere and the role of everyone in it;  Assessing the needs of citizens in social services: Local Government Partnership;  Successful cases of introducing new social services delivery.

As a result of these activities, a local team in each of the selected locations will be ready to work in close cooperation with city authorities to formulate a request for social services and their local provision, thereby providing a model for future social contracting. In addition, 100 to 200 volunteers in each city will be involved in the project to disseminate information about new opportunities for social services delivery. The ultimate beneficiaries will be 40,000 residents of Donetsk Oblast and 28,000 residents of Luhansk Oblast who will receive social services in a new format.

Activity 29. Youth council networking and training. This activity is under development process. Partly, it will be covered by a grant from the NGO Teplytsia and/or Network of change (Merezha Zmin, TBD).

Activity 30. Journalism competition. DG East will begin developing the activity concept in FY 2020 Q3.

Activity 31. Student/Youth innovation festival. Part of this activity is under development. DG East will support the innovative Plan B music and culture festival. The festival unites students and youth from all over Ukraine around social innovation and new music, cultural, and social ideas. The festival will be held April 9-12, 2020, in Kharkiv.

Use of media content to engage more Donetsk and Luhansk residents in developing Ukrainian civic identity.

Activity 32. Youth exchanges and internships. This activity is under development. Partly, this activity will be covered by the support that DG East will provide to the Ministry of Culture, Youth of Sports and Information Policy regarding the implementation of the state Youth Exchange program in eastern Ukraine. Estimated implementation time - Q3-Q4.

Activity 33. National Geographic Youth Photo Camp. Negotiations with Vision Workshops Inc., the camp organizing company, are underway. The agenda was discussed, and the preliminary budget was provided.

Activity 34. Media and outreach program. This activity will start in FY 2020 Q2. DG East will identify local and international consultants to create a media and outreach program to promote positive gender equality and social inclusion communications strategies for civic groups and local media to strengthen their capacity to produce gender-sensitive and inclusive content.

Activity 35. Inclusiveness information campaign. DG East will competitively select a subcontract partner Q2 for the activity. DG East, in close consultations with grantees aiming to strengthen GESI CSOs, will conduct in-house desk research in Q2 to identify the most relevant topics and groups for the information campaign. Upon selection, we will identify a relevant subcontractor to implement the ongoing six-month-long campaign for Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Activity 36. Youth community engagement grants. DG East will implement this activity in Q4. Inclusion Specialist and Media and Outreach Specialist will manage an RFA based on the results of the Activity 27 - “Second Youth Forum”, and the identification of key requests from youth in the region.

Use culture to enable citizens to understand and articulate a new Ukrainian civic identity.

Activity 37. Citizen listening and learning events. Two festivals that promote the identity of a city and its unique culture will be held in target communities. For example, a ceramics festival in Sloviansk and Most Fest in Kostiantynivka- Kramatorsk. This activity is scheduled for FY 2020 Q2-Q4. DG East will organize listening/learning events with citizens, such as focus group discussions or public meetings, to identify what people understand as the history, identity, and symbols of their cities, and what meanings they assign to “identity.” Based on the results, two festivals that promote the identity of a city and its unique culture will be conducted in two pilot communities in April-June 2020.

Activity 38. From Country to Ukraine (FC2U) festivals. Part of this activity is under development. From May to October 2020, DG East will support 12 FC2U festivals, which will be held in key target cities. Past experience has shown that festivals help significantly to develop local teams and provide a good basis for building the potential and capacity of an active civil society.

Activity 39. Mariupol cultural festivals. DG East initially planned to have an ethic Greek food festival, called “Chir-Chir”, along with its cultural heritage and traditions. Since DG East already received four concurrences for cultural festivals in the Mariupol area, it was decided to change the initially planned “Chir-Chir” festival to another activity to be discussed with USAID by the middle of Q2. Upon deciding, DG East’s Mariupol Activity Implementation Manager will facilitate concept note development and further send it for concurrence and approval of the whole activity.

Activity 40. Cross-regional festival. DG East will support a Greek Festival in Mariupol with the involvement of different Greek groups and societies from all over Ukraine. The event will combine different aspects of the rich Greek-

Ukrainian national culture (e.g., dance, music, ethnic foods, etc.). It will be held in different locations, such as the theater square, seaside, and a greenhouse (sadyba), and will include activities for different target groups, including youth, children, and older people. DG East will award a grant to the Greek Federation of Ukraine for festival implementation. The Concept Note was approved by the COR. Anticipated start date is April 2020 (preparation period) and June-July 2020 the festival itself.

Activity 41. Regional festival focusing on post-industrial transformation. DG East is finalizing the concept note along with the budget of the historical festival in Kostiantynivka of Donetsk oblast. DG East is negotiating with the grantee and plans to sign a grant agreement in Q2. DG East and the grantee – department of Kostiantynivka city council – agreed upon the date of the festival - May 30, 2020.

Activity 42. Mural Festivals in Luhansk Oblast. DG East will support creation of eight colorful murals and conduct eight citywide colorful festivals in target locations of Luhansk oblast – in Bilokurakine, Novopskov, Novoaidar, Svatove, Kreminna, Popasna, Lysychansk, Severodonetsk, - which will gather up to 13,000 women and men of all ages as a part of grant activity with Severodonetsk-based NGO “Dream Town”. The activity will contribute to the further development of modern Ukrainian identity and the development of a positive image of Luhansk oblast. DG East received COR approval for the grant package concept note, and the required ERM/EMMP is currently under development. The anticipated start date for the preparation period is March-May 2020 and June-July 2020 for the festivals and murals themselves.

Activity 43. Summer courtyard film festival. The Mariupol DG East team will draft the concept note in late Q2 – early Q3. The anticipated start date for the film festival is the middle of August.

Activity 44. ParadeFest (theater festival). DG East will support the theater festival ParadeFest. Based on the success of the Kharkiv ParadeFest theater festival, which drew local, national, and international theater groups and performances to Kharkiv for a week of performances for the public, DG East will support similar theater festivals in Severodonetsk, Mariupol, and Bakhmut or Sloviansk. These cities have demonstrated a desire to increase access to culture, particularly the theater. Bakhmut and Sloviansk were selected due to the small number of events in the cities. Furthermore, many IDPs have relocated to these towns from the NGCA. DG East plans to award a grant to NGO Art Dot, which has had successful experience organizing this festival. The Concept Note was approved by the COR. The anticipated start date is March 2020 (preparation period), and the festival will take place in May, June, and August 2020.

Support experience exchange on civic topics.

Activity 45. Community center revitalization. During the reporting period, DG East identified areas for analysis and prepared the scope of work. Tender documentation is being prepared for selection of the contracting authority. The anticipated start of contractor work is FY 2020 Q2.

Activity 46. Gender and Inclusion Exchanges. DG East and VNG developed a concept to prioritize building civil society capacity to incorporate gender and inclusion in everything they do within their communities so that it becomes second nature rather than stand-alone initiatives. To this end, a series of learning and networking events will be developed and implemented throughout Ukraine and abroad. The target groups will include underrepresented groups such as IDPs, elderly, youth, LGBTQI+, people with disabilities, ATO veterans, Roma, and organizations working to advocate for the rights of underrepresented groups. Topics to be addressed include prevention of gender-based violence, promoting tolerance, and non-discriminative approach.

Activity 47. Inter-generational exchanges. DG East will identify the STTA to support the activity and create the concept for inter- generational exchanges in Q2.

Objective 2. Increased participation to improve Ukraine’s governance and reform processes and help resolve community problems

SO 2.1 Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations

Activity 2. Produce short informational movies on key services for marginalized populations. In FY 2020 Q2, DG East will identify potential consultants or implement a grant activity to conduct the activity, which is expected to start in Q3.

Activity 3. IDP issue analysis. (Mariupol office in lead). DG East will work with the Danish Refugee Council to conduct research along with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, Temporarily Occupied Territories, and IDPs (MinVATOT) and analyze IDP issues, that include housing, medical, social, and administrative issues. DG East plans to build upon this activity after holding an IDP Forum in late January and collect feedback and summarize results. Based on the rapid needs assessment and roadmap development, DG East will identify potential other target groups for further activities’ planning.

Facilitate intra-Ukraine exchanges [VNG].

Activity 4. City-to-City program to establish five international partnerships. (Severodonetsk office in lead). DG East will implement this activity through a subcontract with the International Cooperation Agency of the Association of Netherlands Municipalities (VNG). In FY 2020 Q2, DG East and VNG will design the activity as a follow-up to SEV016 City-to-City Partnership Program Development, which was implemented August–November 2019. The activity involved conducting an assessment and developing a Road Map and program for activating three best practice instruments for the City-to-City Partnership, including exchanges, scholarships, and LGE City-to- City sectoral partnerships.

Improve access to government and community facilities for people with disabilities, LGBTI+ people, and the aged.

Activity 5. LGE/CSO roundtable discussion on promoting improvement of service delivery to marginalized populations. DG East will conduct a roundtable the second half of January 2020. The event will combine a presentation of the REACH accessibility assessment results and further discussion between representatives of CSOs and LGEs to identify further steps and follow up actions for cooperation with to improve access to public services for people with disabilities.

Activity 6: Government official anti-discrimination training. DG East will design the activity in Q3 and implement in Q4 with support from local and international consultants to create training curricula, select participants, and conduct the trainings.

Activity 7. Design and implement accessibility interventions. DG East will analyze the results of the REACH accessibility assessment and will identify potential initiatives for further development of activities in Quarter 2 and 3.

Activity 8. Pilot accessibility map and mobile application. DG East received concept approval in December 2019 and prepared terms of reference and a scope of work for a subcontractor and consultant to conduct the activity. DG East contacted the Ministry of Digital Transformation to secure partnership and support from the Ministry’s side with the actual implementation of the activity. As a result, DG East plans to have an IT tool that is focused on expansion of services for people with different disabilities and impairments, aiming to ease the service delivery processes for the disabled. DG East will publish an RFA to select the implementer in the middle of Q2.

SO 2.2 Effective advocacy by local actors on relevant national and regional-level policies

Activity 9. Public Council development and advocacy. (Severodonetsk office in lead). Implementation of Public Council (PC) Modeling Advocacy will continue. DG East will conduct workshops with selected PCs, and PCs will identify priority community needs to select the most needed local policy initiatives to advocate.

Activity 11. Support CSO advocacy initiatives (including rights protection, community needs, local education, and health issues). (Mariupol office in lead). DG East will conduct the needs assessment by conducting the focus groups with opinion leaders from educational, healthcare, and local self-governance spheres. DG East will design the activity based on the results and applying SCORE 2019 data. DG East will start drafting the concept note by late Q1. The activity will be split into three grant sections that will focus on CSO advocacy matters, community educational small projects, and healthcare reform-related trainings. For example, as part of the medical reform, there is a problem that residents of target cities do not understand how reform of the secondary level of medicine will roll out. The Mariupol Development Fund NGO offers the project “Friendly Medical Services” within the framework of which it is offered to conduct an advocacy campaign in Mariupol, aimed at raising the level of public awareness in the aspects of medical reform, the rights and obligations of doctors, the rights and obligations of patients, compensation procedures by the National Health Service of Ukraine, etc.

Activity 13. Replicate scorecard activity in additional locations. (Severodonetsk office in lead). Implementation of Rubizhne Scorecard Activity will continue. VNG’s local consultants Inna Simenenko and Serhiy Mitrokhin will mentor Rubizhne City working groups to implement the Scorecard Action Plan.

Activity 15. Implement cross-sectoral partnership between CSOs, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and LGEs to improve community and economic capacity. (Mariupol office in lead). Mariupol DG East team will start draft concept development by the end of Q2. In mid-December 2019, DG East convened Mariupol City Council representatives and Sartana village council members to discuss priorities for the cross-sectoral partnership between the two municipalities. Based on the results, DG East will identify the most needed priorities that will satisfy both of the involved LGEs to create partnership relationships in the social and economic sphere, tourism, and administrative services. Both LGEs suggested cooperation in the joint development of city schools and sports agencies, security technologies implementation in the city, as well as other ideas. DG East in partnership with the two LGEs will select and finalize ideas by the middle of Q2, following support and implementation of the activities in Q3-Q4.

SO 2.3 Improved local governance processes and capacities

Support interactions between citizens and governments for participatory planning and community-driven improvements.

Activity 16. Support city/town strategic plan development. With the activity concept approved during the reporting period, DG East will support the Mariupol City Council’s strategic planning process in the following areas: 1. Social sphere development and services improvement (health, education, youth policy, social policy, etc.); 2. Culture/sport services and development; 3. Modern municipality/SMART city/e-governance; 4. General improvement of administrative and other services that correlate with DG East goals.

To support the strategic plan working groups, DG East will:  Engage international and local consultants with expertise in both planning and sector- specific strategic directions listed above. They will guide and facilitate the work of the strategic plan working groups and liaise with ERA in implementing the planning process.  Engage a subcontractor to help design and conduct a range of data collection exercises with the goal of collecting and analyzing citizen needs and opinions, the results of which will greatly inform the working groups for each of the strategic directions listed above;  Engage four international and six local consultants to support the strategic planning process within DG East’s sphere of responsibility; the scope of work was developed, and DG East is identifying consultants for the activities.

An initial Mariupol city public event will be conducted on January 28, 2020, after which DG East will start to support focus groups with target groups: youth, older people, marginalized

individuals, etc. DG East plans to support the Mariupol LDF first in March 2020, while MCC/ERA/DG East identify key persons and strategic way of development.

Activity 17. Develop civic/community small scale infrastructure microprojects. The Concept was approved for “Mariupol - City of the future” during the reporting period. A dialogue began with MCC about microproject priorities and opportunities. DG East will issue a grant to MCC to implement five initiatives that will be identified based on public hearings with participation from LGEs, local NGOs, and target groups for implementing public infrastructure microprojects. DG East will engage a local consultant to work under the oversight of Mariupol’s Activity Implementation Manager and the Civic Engagement Specialist to help facilitate public hearings and citizen prioritization. The scope of work for a short-term local consultant to facilitate public hearings and prioritize citizen issues was prepared, and the consultant will be identified in Q2.

Activity 19. Develop Community Engagement Center model. (Severodonetsk office in lead). DG East plans to select the land plot, allocate and register the land for construction, and carry out all necessary legal procedures in Q2. DG East will sign a memorandum (contract) with the pilot community’s City Council and select and contract an architectural design company to develop the architectural plan.

State in a Smart Phone (SSP) Concept

Activity 20. State in a Smart Phone (SSP) Workshops. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implementation will start in Q3.

ASC and DSP Replication

Activity 21. Administrative Services Center (ASC)/DSP Replication. Sloviansk DSP replication is in development and will be a grant activity. Under this activity technical assistance will be provided to Pokrovsk Multi-Functional Service Center and Avdiivka ASC. Activities will be designed in Q3 and implemented in Q4.

Activity 22. Introduce e-governance in eastern Ukraine. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implementation will start in Q3.

PHC and Health Sector

Activity 23. Replication of Sloviansk Public Health Center (PHC) model. (Severodonetsk office in lead). In Q2, an international consultant will work with Sloviansk PHC to build on assistance provided to Sloviansk PHC over the first year of implementation. The consultant will conduct information sessions for medical personnel on process automation and ways to increase the quality of service delivery, as well as provide recommendations on Medical Information Systems (MIS) architecture that is most suitable for Sloviansk PHC, along with relevant IT and server equipment needed.

Activity 24. Assist Public Health Centers to manage organizational performance improvement. DG East will design the activity in Q2 and will implement it during Q3-Q4.

Activity 25. Monitor policy development process for secondary health centers. During Q1, DG East re-developed the activity concept paper according to the updated information, and implementation will start in Q2. DG East will engage an international consultant to monitor the policy development process related to secondary health care reform and will develop an institutional context assessment with recommendations for possible interventions for support to secondary health care reform implementation. International STTA will be engaged in implementing this task in Q2.

Activity 26. Deliver training modules to PHC healthcare personnel. This activity will be designed in Q3 and implemented during Q3-Q4.

Pension Services

Activity 27. Deliver “Service +” training to Pension Office and Department of Social Protection (DSP) front offices. (Mariupol office in lead). DG East’s Mariupol team met several times with Mariupol Pension Fund representatives to identify Pension Fund training priorities and needs, as well as the number of participants for the trainings. Based on the collected information, DG East started developing the concept note to support more efficient service delivery to Mariupol-based clients and agreed on the number of participants (150) and the amount of training. DG East plans to implement at least seven two- days training sessions with assistance from short-term consultant, Olena Dotsenko, who has the proper experience and relevant background to conduct the training.

Activity 29. Assist pension agencies in implementing customer-oriented reception. This activity will be designed in FY 2020 Q2 and implemented in Q3

Activity 30. Facilitate communications on recent pension service delivery developments. This activity will be designed in Q3 and implemented in Q4.

Implement SMART CITY Solutions

Activity 31. Conduct in-country study visits on “Smart City” models. This activity will be designed and implemented in Q3

Activity 32. Implement Smart City initiatives. This activity will be designed and implemented in Q3-Q4

Activity 33. Develop, test, and replicate Druzhkivka City navigation system mobile application. DG East grantee Nova Druzhkivka in partnership with the local city council is testing the application. DG East developed the concept of application’s integration in other Donetsk and Luhansk oblast cities and received consent from Druzhkivka City Council to transfer the app and its architecture to other cities. Upon identification of other cities’ needs, DG East will further negotiate application implementation with respective cities in Donetsk, and potentially, Luhansk oblast. DG East plans to identify new host cities for the mobile app and platform integration in February, with the activity close-ups by the end of the fiscal year.

E-procurement

Activity 34. Conduct LGE and CSO information sessions on State Procurement Law updates. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implemented in Q3-Q4.

Activity 35. Institutionalize e-procurement tools. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implemented in Q3-Q4.

Activity 29. Assist pension agencies in implementing customer-oriented reception. (Severodonetsk office in lead). In Q2, DG East will start piloting with Stanytsia Luhanska to conduct a broad-scale capacity building training for PFU specialists in territorial departments and the PFU main departments for Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts on customer-oriented service delivery and key principles of customer-oriented reception. DG East plans to conduct in-depth on-the-job training for Stanytsia Luhanska reception specialists on key principles of modernizing reception. The second stage will be to develop functions for reception specialists relevant to new infrastructural solutions for reception and customer waiting area, including the introduction of the new role of “Meeter- Greeter.” DG East will conduct one 2-day workshop for Stanytsia Luhanska PFU specialists to discuss and determine the roadmap to institutionalize key principles for customer-oriented service delivery and reception operation. This will serve as a roadmap for implementing key principles, including developing internal procedural guidelines for customer-oriented reception operations. DG East will develop a training needs assessment report and up to six training modules.

Participatory Budgeting

Activity 36: Increase CSO participation in LGE budgeting to promote thoughtful LGE budgeting cycles. (Mariupol office in lead). DG East received COR approval for the activity in December 2019. The DG East Mariupol team is negotiating with the potential grantees – Center of Innovative Development and Isar Ednannia – on activity development, including designing proper terms of reference, drafting KPIs and other activity-related materials. DG East plans to roll out the activity in partner cities - Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka, and Mariupol in March 2020.

Activity 37. Build LGE capacity on program budgeting and CSO participation. During Q1, DG East and VNG developed the concept “Build LGE capacity on program budgeting and CSO participation.” The activity aims at increasing partner LGE capacity in participatory program budgeting and engaging CSOs and community groups in a joint program budget planning exercise. The activity will be led by local VNG consultants on LGE participatory budgeting and transparency, Viktor Chulik and Igor Dunaev. DG East received activity approval in Q1 and will proceed with implementation in Q2, aiming to complete it in Q4.

HICD/OPI Capacity Building

Activity 39. Identify and build local Human and Institutional Capacity Development and Organizational Performance Improvement (HICD/OPI) consultant capacity to work with local administrations. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implementation will start in Q3.

Activity 40. LGE HICD/OPI capacity building. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implementation will start in Q3.

Activity 41. Deliver specialized training to LGE specialists. This activity will be designed in Q2 and implementation will start in Q3.

Activity 42. Establish HICD discussion platform for local and international organizations, donor programs, and local stakeholders. This activity will be designed and implemented in Q3.

Activity 43. Facilitate International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI) Conference participation. This activity will be designed and implemented in Q4.

Citizen Satisfaction Survey Methodology

Activity 46. CSO capacity building on citizen satisfaction surveys. This activity will be designed in FY 2020 Q3 and implemented in Q4.

VI. PROGRESS AGAINST TARGETS

Table 1: Indicators collected and analyzed during FY 2020 Q1 Collectio FY 2019 FY 2020 Base Activities related to the Indicator Description n line Target Actual Target Q I indicator in FY 2020 Q1 Methods Program Goal: Strengthen the connection and trust between citizens and their government in eastern Ukraine Trust in local authorities Sentinel| 3.4 n/a 4.3 n/a n/a (SCORE dimension) SCORE Data will be obtained through research. SCORE Survey will Progressive EU orientation Sentinel| 3.9 n/a 3.6 n/a n/a start in Summer 2020 and the (SCORE dimension) SCORE data will be available at the Support for reforms (SCORE Sentinel| 7.2 n/a 5.8 n/a n/a end of FY 2020. dimension) SCORE Objective 1: Greater acceptance of a shared civic culture based on common values and understanding Level of civic optimism Outcome| 4.1 n/a 4.5 n/a n/a (SCORE dimension) SCORE Data will be obtained through Percentage of respondents research. SCORE Survey will expressing confidence and start in Summer 2020 and the Outcome| understanding of key reforms 4.5 5% 8.8% 5% n/a data will be available at the SCORE (Health Reform Awareness) end of FY 2020. [change in] Number of civic coalitions Outcome| 0 2 1 1 0 formed DG East Sub-Objective 1.1: Increased interaction of citizens with civil society groups 2 activities:  Awareness+ Activity = Successful Community– 34 Number of CSOs and other Output|  civic actors receiving USG 0 25 196 35 45 Training for CSO DG East representatives: “Gender assistance equality and gender integration at the community level”– 11 6 activities (148 males and 388 females):  Seeking Solutions, Increasing Political Participation– 31  The 4th Kalmius Literary and Art Festival– 52  BUR camp - new Output| Number of people engaged opportunities of the East DG East| 0 200 278 350 536 in CSO/CS group activities (NGO LEF)– 74 Grantees  Educational Marathon, Part )– 181  Empowering Eastern Street Culture Activists–26  FC2U - People Change a City, and a Community Changes Ukraine, Festivals– 172 Collection Base FY 2019 FY 2020 Activities related to Indicator Description Methods line Target Actual Target Q I indicator in FY 2020 Q1

7 grants issued:  Active Youth: Community Agent of Change (SEV-020- G-003)  The 4th Kalmius Literary and Art Festival (KRA-025- G-007)  School of Active Community (SEV-021-G- 004) Output| Number of grants issued 0 30 10 30 7  The Donetsk Oblast. DG East Changes (KRA-028-G-008)  Educational Marathon, Part 1 (KRA-031-G-009-2019)  Improving Service Delivery for Local Community (MAR-013-G-002)  Implementation of E- Document Management System at Rubizhne City Council (SEV-026-G-005)

Sub-Objective 1.2: Increased understanding of reform and participatory governance processes Outcome|

Percentage of respondents consuming news or Data will be obtained from IRI’s information about reforms 0% 5% n/a 5% n/a research and related events

Outcome| Data will be obtained through Percentage of LGEs DG East research. Survey will start in demonstrating performance (Capacity 0 15% 34.6% 15% n/a Summer 2020 and the data improvement assessment will be available at the end of ) FY 2020.

Number of local HICD/OPI Output| 0 20 0 0 0 consultants assisted DG East

Collection Base FY 2019 FY 2020 Activities related to Indicator Description Methods line Target Actual Target Q I indicator in FY 2020 Q1

8 activities with 611 LGE representatives (103 males and 508 females):  Awareness+ Activity = Successful Community– 95  Capacity Building of Mariupol Multicenter– 39  Kurakhove Administrative Services Center: Administrative Services for Everyone– 10  LGE Participatory Number of LGE Output| 0 115 718 115 611 Planning Process– 10 representatives trained DG East  Mariupol Multicenter development: Kyiv Smart City– 19  Participatory Decision- Making Training and Mentorship for Members of City Councils DDGS Activity– 80  School of Active Community– 4  Trainings for Mariupol Multicenter specialists– 354 Sub-Objective 1.3: Further development of Ukrainian civic identity Data will be obtained through research. SCORE Survey will Pluralistic Ukrainian identity Outcome| 6.9 n/a 7.1 n/a n/a start in Summer 2020 and the (SCORE dimension) SCORE data will be available at the end of FY 2020.

18 civic/cultural events:  FC2U - People Change a City, and a Community Number of civic/cultural Changes Ukraine, Output| events supported by USG 0 30 12 100 18 Festivals–6 DG East assistance  The 4th Kalmius Literary and Art Festival– 7  Active Youth: Community Agent of Change– 5

Collection Base FY 2019 FY 2020 Activities related to Indicator Description Methods line Target Actual Target Q I indicator in FY 2020 Q1 18 civic/cultural events with 25,411 direct beneficiaries (11,736 males and 13,675 females):  FC2U - People Change a Number of direct Output| City, and a Community beneficiaries from 0 10,000 14,278 23,400 25,411 Grantees Changes Ukraine, civic/cultural activities Festivals– 21,934  The 4th Kalmius Literary and Art Festival– 3,423  Active Youth: Community Agent of Change– 54 GNDR-8. Number of persons trained with USG 1 activity (10 males and 37 assistance to advance females): outcomes consistent with  Training for CSO Output| gender equality or female 0 150 72 150 47 representatives: Gender DG East empowerment through their equality and gender roles in public or private integration at the sector institutions or community level– 47 organizations Objective 2: Increase participation to improve Ukraine’s governance and reform processes and help resolve community problems Infrastructure services Outcome| 5.9 n/a 5.7 n/a n/a Data will be obtained through (SCORE dimension) SCORE research. SCORE Survey will start in Summer 2020 and the Negative stereotypes Outcome| data will be available at the towards IDPs (SCORE 2.3 n/a 4.4 n/a n/a SCORE end of FY 2020. dimension) Sub-Objective 2.1: Increased integration of separated, marginalized, or isolated populations Percentage of respondents Data will be obtained through reporting improved service Outcome| research. Survey will start in delivery in underserved areas DG East 0 3% 3.2% 5% n/a Summer 2020 and the data and/or among vulnerable and (Satisfactio will be available at the end of marginalized populations n Survey) FY 2020. [change in] 3 tangible outcomes:  Mobile application Number of “tangible "SMART Druzhkivka" outcomes” (e.g. new policy (interactive navigation adopted, service delivery system) Output| implemented, infrastructure 0 35 21 40 3  BUR organization’s DG East project completed, etc.) website attained in activity (bur.budmiks.com) communities  New administrative center on the left bank of Mariupol

Collection Base FY 2019 FY 2020 Activities related to Indicator Description Methods line Target Actual Target Q I indicator in FY 2020 Q1 Number of DG East civic Data will be obtained through activity beneficiaries Outcome| research. Survey will start in reporting improved DG East 0 1,350 n/a 1,350 n/a Summer 2020 and the data governance in geographic will be available at the end of activity areas FY 2020. Sub-Objective 2.2: Effective advocacy by local actors on relevant national and regional-level policies Outcome| Percentage change in DG East Community Score Card communities’ satisfaction (Communit (CSC) Pilot Results in with implementation and 2.6 2% 2.6 8% n/a y Score Rubizhne Municipality impact of community-driven Card) (Luhansk Oblast) priorities

DR.4.2-2 Number of CSOs receiving USG assistance Output| 0 10 0 15 1 NGO Nova Druzhkivka engaged in advocacy DG East interventions Sub-Objective 2.3: Improved local governance processes and capacities Number of participants in Output| 0 200 146 1,000 0 community-driven exercises DG East 1 activity (30 males and 22 Number of local council and females): commission members  Participatory Decision- Output| trained on decision-making 0 120 19 120 52 Making Training and DG East to advocate for community Mentorship for Members reforms of City Councils DDGS Activity

VII. PERFORMANCE MONITORING, EVALUATION, AND LEARNING SEV019 Participatory Decision-Making Training and Mentorship for Members of City Councils. Two site visits were conducted. The activity’s greatest achievement was the increased experience and understanding of participatory decision-making principles for local Members of Parliament (MPs) in DG East target communities, which will be applied immediately by developing their individual Action Plans to present in Phase III (January 2020). However, a challenge observed was to obtain maximum results despite the lack of skills and knowledge among participants. The majority of participants were involved for the first time in professional development activities. Some of the topics were new for the attendees, such as gender-oriented budgeting, project management, participatory budget, and regulatory policy. The lesson learned is that there is a need to organize more similar trainings for elected municipal council members in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.

Solution Journalism Training Participant Feedback KYV-002-G-001 Solution Journalism Training. Two “I learned tools for specific cases. The regional site visits were conducted. The most significant mass media can develop quality content and write achievement was the transformation of regional about solving issues in certain communities. The media’s approach to reporting on Ukrainian knowledge and experience we got are useful to reforms and participatory governance by apply in our work with communities.” - Iryna Koval, line producer, Suspilne UA Donbas introducing constructive and solution journalism methods. The main challenge for participants was to get results due to an inaccurate understanding of what “solution 41

Study Tour Participant Feedback journalism” means and how to practically “Thank you very much for the opportunity to learn communicate key reforms. It makes sense to about the experience of working in urban city journalists to continue providing information services, especially Contact Center 1551. This is a about new and interesting trends in global good opportunity to learn from more experienced colleagues, about current trends in the development journalism and deepening their knowledge of of electronic services, and how to deal with issues these topics, as it is very interesting to the that arise when working with residents. It is representatives of this region. The lesson important that we get to know our colleagues learned is based on the trainer’s opinion that directly and exchange contacts, which will help in success stories from neighboring countries the future when implementing the workflow.” – Anna Bukalo, Mariupol Multicenter should be taken into consideration for the development of future activities and be presented to participants. This will help to provide relevant experience to local journalists and increase their capacity.

Multicenter Specialists Training MAR-DDGS-008 Trainings for Mariupol Multicenter Participant Feedback Specialists. Three site visits were conducted. City “As a leader, I would like to have a 1-day administration employees were very interested in the training session, as it’s difficult to drop out trainings, but sometimes the groups were small, and it of work for two days. It would be good to was hard to spend several working days at the training. include in the training examples from real Participants also mentioned that it would be helpful if situations at work." - Serhei Golubkov, Mariupol Multicenter trainers showed a real situation as an example of what could be put into practice. The lesson learned is to change the location of the trainings, as it was not convenient to get to the location by public transport.

MAR-DDGS-009 E-queue to City Schools and Kindergartens. Two site visits were conducted during E-queue to city schools and kindergartens the trainings for school personnel. Participants Participant Feedback “I find this system very useful as it is modern, expressed great interest in the system. The main convenient, and useful for parents and educators. challenge for staff is how the system works with Working with these programs, I think our parents special categories of people who have the legal right will feel confident in the purity and transparency to attend the school they choose. The full structure of the education system.” of the system and work will be understood only after - Iryna Byrdina, teacher the start of realization.

MAR-DDGS-010 Mariupol Multicenter Development: Kyiv Smart City. There were no site visits as the study tour was in Kyiv. Feedback and opinions were collected by AIM. The study visit helped to improve the work in Mariupol and showed the experience of a big city. The lesson learned is the necessity to organize more visits between local authorities for exchanging knowledge and experience.

KRA-G-003, KRA-G-006 BUR Camp - New Opportunities of the East (NGO LEF), Part 1 and Part 2. Two site visits were conducted under the interrelated activities. The following problems were identified: 1) The LEF project manager lacked sufficient experience in project coordination, thus it greatly influenced the quality of grant realization;

2) Coordination issues and the prolonged grants approval procedure significantly delayed the start of the activity, and initially planned activities had to be modified in a short time without proper planning; 3) The grantee had insufficient communication with target audiences and beneficiaries.

Based on the lessons learned, the main recommendations for future work are: additional control and monitoring are required when working with this grantee again, and the prolonged grants approval procedure should be considered when activities are planned. At the same time, the LEF project manager and team believe that all the difficulties and the lessons learned enabled BUR to better understand and address their internal problems with organizational processes.

KRA-025-G-007 The 4th Kalmius Literary and Art Festival. Four site visits were conducted. At the festivals in Dobropillia, Konstiantynivka, and Kramatorsk, some events were canceled and some adjusted (speakers were changed, addresses and locations were modified), which might have contributed to the lower-than-planned number of festival participants (the total number of festival participants was almost two times fewer than expected). However, the main lesson learned was that the promotion campaign should be much longer (two weeks were not enough) and methods other than Facebook outreach should be utilized. This experience will be considered by the team to more effectively conduct the next Kalmius Literary and Art Festival in 2020.

Overview of the SCORE indicators selected for DG East Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) toolkit based on Ukraine national SCORE Surveys in 2019.

Building an effective MEL toolkit is crucial for ensuring the program targets are on track, positive social impact is created, and goals achieved. DG East has identified a range of MEL indicators to evaluate progress. Many of these indicators are based on the SCORE designed and implemented in Ukraine by the Centre for Sustainable Peace and Democratic Development (SeeD) since 2015. SCORE is a robust scientific tool with accumulated knowledge and experience in Ukraine, fit to assess societal trends with precision.

Table 2: SCORE Indicators 2019 Donetsk and Contact Line, Donetsk Luhansk SCORE Indicators 2019 Luhansk Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast Oblast oblasts oblasts Provision of infrastructure 6.0 5.1 5.7 5.1 Trust in local institutions 4.6 3.7 4.3 4.1 Skepticism about reforms 5.7 6.1 5.8 6.1 Support for decentralization 4.8 4.4 4.7 4.2 reform Support for health reform 4.1 3.7 4.0 3.6 Health reform awareness 4.8 5.0 4.9 4.7 Support for EU membership 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.0 Civic optimism 4.6 4.2 4.5 4.2 Pluralistic Ukrainian identity 6.9 7.4 7.1 7.5 Openness to dialogue with 3.7 3.4 3.6 3.5 outgroups

Openness to dialogue with IDPs 4.6 4.2 4.5 4.3 Openness to dialogue with 5.2 4.9 5.1 4.8 people from eastern Ukraine

In December DG East conducted 3 significant events/activities to meet MELP targets:  Communication training for the DG East team  Year 2 Workplan Workshop  The 3rd MEL coordination meeting The Communication training was held on December 9-10, 2019 in Kyiv. The aim of the training was to improve communication between the staff of 4 DG East offices. During the training, the DG East team learned different communication styles and methods, improved interpersonal skills and received practical tools for conflict management and mitigation.

December 11, 2019, DG East held a Year 2 Working plan Workshop. During the event, the NGO specialist presented developed Community Outreach And Citizen Engagement Strategy For Target Civic Actors. Also were distributed between offices activities which weren`t assigned for specific teams during the Work Plan development.

The 3rd MEL coordination meeting in Mariupol, December 18-19, 2019. The DCOP and Activity Pool Director took part in it and provided their inputs for the DGE Learning events agenda. Also, the process of MEL plan revision was initiated. The final version of an updated MEL plan is expected to be submitted for the USAID approval in Q2.

VIII. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

DG East monitored the following approved Environmental Mitigation and Monitoring Plans. Results of monitored activities and any relevant mitigation efforts are documented in the table below.

Activity Monitoring recorded in Issues encountered Measures taken to reporting period address issues SEV-009-S-001 Mriya Monitoring to ensure the No issues encountered – All the required Invest - Svatove DSP partner organization was EMMP followed. mitigation measures were Rehabilitation Project compliant with USAID implemented and and DG East guidelines; monitored in place, and established EMMP for requested records were activity collected. KRA-020-G-004 “From EMMP established to No issues encountered – All the required Country to Ukraine ensure cohesion among EMMP followed. mitigation measures were all festivals for implemented and environmental impact and monitored in place, and mitigation requested records were collected. MAR-014-G-003 Dovira EMMP included mitigation Activity Canceled Activity Canceled Foundation measures dealing with activity planning and design, equipment delivery, testing, installation, and operation. The Monitoring Plan included monitoring frequency and a list of requested records for defined indicators.

IX. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO OTHER ACTIVITIES

In FY 2020 Q1, DG East had meetings with U-LEAD, TAPAS, and SACCI to discuss potential cooperation and technical assistance to the MinDig; the Ministry’s current policy initiatives in promoting e-services under a unified conceptual approach and automated platforms; and the current status of the e-cabinet, doc flow, and e-services connection to unified platforms. During the reporting period, DG East communicated activity updates with the ERA project (e.g., Mariupol strategic planning), and had coordination meetings with UCBI II to discuss joint activities (e.g., Plan B 2020) and media-related efforts of our respective projects. DG East also met with IRI to discuss possible collaboration on research efforts.

DG East continued efforts to coordinate and link with other USAID projects and other donor activities. The Inclusion Specialist regularly takes part in UNHCR coordination and protection cluster meetings. The DG East Inclusion Specialist participated in the DG East and ERA coordination/planning meeting and the coordination meeting with ERA Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Strategy Specialist. In order to strengthen efforts and collaboration in the GESI

component, ERA and DG East Inclusion and GESI Specialists will continue to share relevant information and will have regular coordination meetings.

X. PROGRESS ON LINKS TO HOST GOVERNMENT

DG East continues to engage with host government entities at the ministry and state level to identify areas for collaboration and support. In addition to the activity details above, the following section highlights our continued engagement with key entities and the evolving relationships and cooperation.

Engagement with MinVATOT During the reporting period, DG East and USAID met with representatives of the new MinVATOT to discuss the ministry’s plans for 2020 focusing on IDPs and how DG East can support their strategy development. DG East shared its Year 2 plans and followed up on a few of the previous proposals from the ministry prior to the new government taking office. The ministry representatives expressed interest in supporting planned DG East activities, including the anticipated National Geographic youth photo camp. DG East also brought up the ministry’s stated interest in supporting information campaigns for educational opportunities for NGCA youth. DG East will continue to keep the Ministry aware of upcoming programming that may be of interest.

In December, members of DG East and the Inclusive Education Specialist STTA met with a representative of the Ministry of Education and Science to discuss government policy and plans related to inclusive education. This meeting is an example of ongoing coordination with DG East and the Ministry, with further discussions scheduled for Q2 2020. Several DG East activities are being developed as a result of these discussions with government partners, such as the Education Marathon currently scheduled for Q2-Q3.

Partnership with MCC HR Department STTAs Andro Gigauri and Olena Chumachenko provided excellent mentoring and education services for MCC personnel growth and improving services provision for citizens. The regular use of gained experience in the daily work will be valuable not only for Multicenter staff members but will also help the MCC HR Department build personnel policy for other municipal institutions.

From July to November 2019, consultants Andro Gigauri and Olena Chumachenko implemented the following tasks:  Wrote staff onboarding handbook;  Developed training agenda, materials, evaluation instrument (questionnaire) for effective communications and constant innovation trainings;  Developed a template for standard operating procedures, with detailed instructions;  Developed a detailed written concept for internship program;  Wrote a roadmap for establishing the internship program;  Developed a detailed implementation plan to develop, launch, operate, and evaluate the internship program;

 Developed training agenda, materials, and evaluation instrument for staff who are hosting/mentoring interns;  Wrote a roadmap for a continuous learning program, including training needs assessment, five training programs (online and/or in person), based on needs assessment results. All the materials were developed in Ukrainian and English and are available online11.

Improving Service Delivery for Local Community In terms of MAR-013-G-002, DG East actively cooperates with the MCC. Over the month of December 2019, the grant implementor and DG East developed training materials for 20 MCC pilot specialists who will be trained as personnel assessment specialists. The training period is expected to start on January 20, 2020.

Oblast Administration Communications Capacity Building In December, DG East met with representatives of the Donetsk and Luhansk state oblast administrations to discuss their communications and outreach needs. Based on the needs identified, DG East began identifying international STTA to engage to work alongside the oblast administrations.

XI. PROGRESS ON INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT

DG East continues efforts to consider the gender and inclusion component in program activities, as well as through increasing capacity and awareness of partners and potential and existing grantees on a gender-sensitive approach in program activities. The gender aspect was considered in training for representatives of municipalities and CSOs working with underrepresented groups. DG East also continues to interact and communicate with organizations working with groups such as IDPs, youth, LGBTQI+, elderly people, ATO veterans, and Roma. The Inclusion Specialist held a number of strategic meetings with organizations such as Kharkiv Women’s Union Sphere and Equality East LGBTQI+ Community Center Mariupol to gain greater confidence in and acceptance of DG East among the LGBTQI+ community.

In November-December 2019, DG East and DRC had meetings to discuss the development of a future project aimed at promoting an IDP agenda within the MinVATOT. International STTA Selena Imerovic Hodzhic and Inclusive Education Expert STTA Madalina Turza held a series of meetings with education sector representatives for further development of inclusive education and identifying ways and opportunities for DG East to address the topic through project activities.

11 https://drive.google.com/open?id=18sGzc5XZ4TeGDxdP9sMCpkHfsm_JWiy3 47

XV. ATTACHMENTS Attachment 1 - Snapshots SNAPSHOT USAID SUPPORTS OPENING THE LARGEST ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICE CENTER IN UKRAINE “Mariupol is just one On October 30, 2019, the largest administrative services center in example of how eastern Ukraine was opened in Mariupol city's left bank. Volodymy Ukraine can lead the Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine, received the first ticket from the country forward – in Administrative Service Center’s (ASC) e-queue and became its firs implementing reforms client. that transform people’s The Mariupol Multicenter was created with the support of the lives, in reorienting toward international donor community, in particular, the USAID an innovative economy, Democratic Governance East Activity (DG East). DG East provided and in uniting Ukraine technical and expert assistance to the Mariupol City Council in around common civic procuring the necessary furniture and equipment and helped create 120 new Multicenter workplaces. DG East also provided capacity values and optimism in the development support, delivering client-centered trainings, future” - William Taylor, professional development courses, and study tours to other Chargé d'Affaires of the leading Ukrainian ASCs so the Multicenter employees could gain United States Embassy in hands-on experience in Smart City management approaches, e- Kyiv governance, and the capability to use smart tools to provide high- quality administrative services to citizen clients. The Multicenter, with an area of about 4,500m2, will include the ASC, pension fund, Department of Social Protection, and municipal utilities, and will allow residents to receive car registrations and driver’s licenses. The center expects 1,200 daily visitors, 20% of whom are Ukrainian residents coming from non-government- controlled areas. With a rooftop observation deck, this striking feature provides an additional seating area and lecture space. Vadym Boychenko, Mariupol Mayor, and Olena Paramo nova, Mariupol Multicenter facade a day Director of the administrative services department of the Mariupol before ASC opening and President City Council, conducted a tour of the Multicenter for the President, Zelenskyy’s visit. PHOTO: USAID DG representatives of Donetsk Oblast State Administration, and East Activity international guests. President Zelenskyy congratulated the center staff and got acquainted with its premises. William Taylor, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Kyiv, who also took part in the opening, noted: “The Multicenter is impressive, as are other efforts by the city administration to improve the quality of life for its 500,000 citizens, including over 100,000 displaced persons. It shows that Mariupol is a city not looking to the past but focused on its future. Anyone who visits this Multicenter will see firsthand that it’s possible to receive high-quality services without paying a bribe, that government listens to citizens, and that reforms are having real, President Zelenskyy (center) gets visible results. Mariupol is just one example of how eastern Ukraine ticket number one and becomes the first Multicenter client. PHOTO: can lead the country forward – in implementing reforms that USAID DG East Activity transform people’s lives, in reorienting toward an innovative

economy, and in uniting Ukraine around common civic values and optimism in the future. The United States is with you in these efforts.” Mayor Boychenko thanked the international community for its partnership and assistance and said: “We are creating an open office where municipal employees will provide high-level quality services. The main goal of the project is to create conditions for each Mariupol resident to get necessary services quickly and effectively. The Multicenter is a symbol of Mariupol’s openness and transparency. Through these front offices, we are changing the face of the municipal sphere.” William Taylor, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States Embassy in Kyiv, The Multicenter is a one-stop-shop for all administrative services. notes that Mariupol is a city not “Half of the Multicenter workplaces are new, created specially to looking to the past but focused on its future. Photo: USAID DG East serve residents better and more effectively. This is very important Activity for the development of the city. All staff are selected on a competitive basis and trained on customer-oriented approaches to service delivery. We do constant monitoring of the quality of service delivery to the population and take these inputs into account for the center’s further work. Other centers in the city provide about 240 services to their customers. Here, even more will be available with new services – from issuance of driver's licenses, registration of marriages, to other civil acts. Representatives of municipal utilities will also have the opportunity to work with citizens here,” Olena Paramonova said.

President Zelenskyy (center) on tour More than 125,000 residents of Mariupol’s left-bank around the Mariupol Multicenter with will now receive high-quality administrative, social, and legal Vadym Boychenko (right), Mariupol Mayor, and Olena Paramonova (left), services. The ASC was opened on October 30, while a full-scale Director of the administrative services launch of all Multicenter services is scheduled for early 2020. The department. Multicenter is already turning out to be a destination in and of itself CREDIT: USAID DG East Activity in Mariupol and is transforming what people think is possible in More than 125,000 residents of the eastern Ukraine.

left-bank of Mariupol will now receive high-quality administrative, social, and legal services in the Multicenter, while its outside area with a music fountain has become a leisure place for numerous local dwellers. CREDIT: USAID DG East Activity

SNAPSHOT SPURRING CIVIC AND YOUTH INITIATIVES IN A FRONTLINE COMMUNITY OF LUHANSK OBLAST BUR camps serve Over a two-week period in late September 2019, the USAID as educational Democratic Governance East Activity (DG East) through its partner platforms, aiming to Lviv Educational Foundation (LEF) conducted a Building Ukraine Together (BUR) camp in Stanytsia Luhanska, a frontline community. forge and strengthen The BUR camps serve as educational platforms aiming to forge and horizontal connections strengthen horizontal connections among local youth activists and among local youth establish broader volunteer networks. The camp demonstrated activists and establish opportunities to influence local decision-making through themed broader volunteer discussions, lectures, and presentations. The events focused on networks. The camp building intergroup dialogue on pluralistic views of the war conflict, IDP issues, and legal aspects of relocation. Camp elements were demonstrated devoted to international support for Ukraine in the eastern conflict, opportunities to importance of grassroots initiatives leading to the country’s influence local decision- prosperity and the role of young people in it, promoting civic post- making through themed Maidan and European values, and local cultural and historical discussions, lectures, heritage. The camp’s evening program, which attracted more than and presentations. 500 participants, featured two concerts that acquainted locals with modern Ukrainian music.

Diana Ruda, student and NGO activist from Kharkiv, recalls: “It was hard to leave the camp after a week of work. We communicated a lot, shared stories, and looked for common ground with both locals and other team members.” Alyona Deylyk, volunteer, shares that BUR camps are an instrument to look for linkages: “Many people ask if the people here share Ukrainian values. All these questions are built on uncertainty. We have to break that line; break the walls of our own stereotypes. In this regard, BUR camp worked well for all the involved parties.”

A young man, BUR camp Dariya Lutsay, a student from Kherson/Lviv, joined the camp in volunteer, on the street of Stanytsia Luhanska, joined the Stanytsia Luhanska: “BUR East is a mere love. It’s a volunteer project initiative to help rebuild the that totally changes you, helps you to reshape certain life values and frontline community. priorities. This camp had a wonderful atmosphere of Ukraine’s East,

with all its beauty of cultural heritage, despite being close to the PHOTO: BUR/USAID DG East contact line. Apart from lectures, meetings, speakers, and exhibits, Activity we had a great time working side-by-side with fellow volunteers to help rebuild eastern Ukraine. This experience and people are truly unforgettable. Even though we are all different, we are driven by one goal, and that is really inspiring.”

Complementary efforts by local activists and BUR led to the creation of a youth space in the Museum of Local History. Local activists from the NGO Golden Lions formed a team, received guidance and mentorship, and applied to BUR Lab, BUR’s project management school. They received support for their tourism project and art exhibit for a local museum. The museum space, also led by the local NGO Golden Lions, unites the community and its youth. Negotiations with local authorities are underway to help

Apart from lectures, meetings, activists get financial support from the Rayon Administration, which speakers, and exhibits, BUR camp also promised to furnish the space by the end of the year. provided a great opportunity for young people to work side-by-side with fellow volunteers to help rebuild In addition to BUR camps, DG East is supporting LEF in creating a eastern Ukraine. “Even though we are designated BUR website, which, upon completion, will be widely all different, we are driven by one goal,” says student and BUR camp promoted to enroll new activists and present BUR to larger activist Dariya Lutsay. audiences, in eastern Ukraine in particular.

Photo: BUR/USAID DG East BUR and DG East developed a video that illuminates program Activity efforts in eastern Ukraine to rebuild frontline communities and

lessen the effects of the region’s proximity to the conflict zone.

SNAPSHOT USAID DRIVES STRATEGIC THINKING AND LEADERSHIP TO 60 SCHOOLS IN EASTERN UKRAINE The DG East-supported The USAID Democratic Governance East Activity (DG East) through Education Marathon project grantee partner Foundation for Social Innovations From a Country to aims to motivate teachers Ukraine (FC2U) brought together 180 school principals, vice principals, to engage with students, and teachers from 60 eastern schools for a 5-day intensive training in Kyiv. strengthen partnerships The training focused on helping them increase the competitiveness of each school and be ready for the changes that educational reform brings both with parents and the for students and teachers alike. Instead of memorizing facts and community, and accelerate definitions, students are now to acquire competencies - a dynamic the education reform combination of knowledge, skills, ways of thinking, opinions, values, and implementation process. other personal qualities that determine a person’s ability to socialize and engage in professional or further learning activities. Further, reform efforts also aim to elevate teachers’ professional and personal growth, providing them freedom of action in the educational process, and to increase their professional prestige.

In early December 2019, Donetsk and Luhansk educators came together for five days to learn how to implement ideas drawn from the New Ukrainian School (NUS) reform effort in their educational institutions. “We are here to get more information about NUS and its specifics from the people who started the educational reform,” says Viktoriya Donetsk and Luhansk educators Shliakhova, school principal from Avdiivka. “There are a lot of insights I’d during the 5-day intensive training like to share with my colleagues from the educational department. I wish in Kyiv. they were also here at the event to hear about the positive changes that PHOTO: FC2U/USAID DG East reform brings and that are happening now in schools.” She adds that all Activity the knowledge she gained during the Education Marathon will help her

explain the forthcoming changes and develop a strategy for her school.

The program included lectures, trainings, and discussions, as well as meetings and networking opportunities with educational reformers, representatives of business schools, and educational think-tanks from the NGO sphere. Participants discussed ideas to build partnerships between parents, teachers, and students; shared experiences on inclusive education provision, student leadership, and the roles of critical thinking and media literacy in the educational process. Based on a draft concept for school Liliya Hrynevych, ex-Minister of development participants completed as a homework assignment from the Education and Science of Ukraine, initial training, an expert team will be convened to shortlist 40 school initiated educational reform in the country. She explains the idea for the teams to fully participate in Part 2 of the Educational Marathon. Over the NUS during the first day of the course of the school year, each secondary school team, comprised of a Education Marathon in Kyiv. PHOTO: USAID DG East Activity

school principal and two teachers, will develop a school strategy under the mentorship of selected experts.

Nataliya Kibalko, school principal from Krasnohorivka (Donetsk Oblast), says that prior to her participation in the Education Marathon, she had already started working on a school strategy even without the specific knowledge needed. “Now I definitely know how to do that properly and will work on it together with my colleagues,” says Kibalko.

Viktor Hromovyi, an honored teacher Viktoriya Kalinina, a school principal from Kramatorsk School #8, adds: of Ukraine, motivates teachers from “Our school is now a lyceum and we participated in the Education Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts: Marathon with the goal of developing a strategy for not just a regular “Children have to be given freedom of school but a lyceum. We want to become more knowledgeable and choice and be respected for their individuality.” prepare a development strategy that will allow us to grow professionally, enhance cooperation with children and their parents, and motivate them Photo: FC2U/USAID DG East Activity to act. I’m returning with the intention of evaluating the quality of education at our facility, as well as interviewing students, parents, and teachers to identify both the benefits and disadvantages of the educational institution, presenting these SWOT-analysis results at local roundtables, and find development ways that will satisfy and involve all parties of the educational process - kids, parents, and school staff.” Nataliya Sahina, Head of the Department of Pre-school, Inclusive, and General Secondary Education of the Luhansk Oblast State Administration’s Department of Education and Science, noted: “We started implementation of NUS principles just like other Ukrainian schools, despite the existing war conflict that may affect the way we operate. Many teachers do not want to take on changes because they have Arto Vaakhtokari, Chief Technical stereotypes and are ‘native’ to the old Soviet system that outlived itself Advisor, Finland’s Support to the already. But the main principle remains the same - we have kids to teach. Ukrainian School Reform, shares experience of the Finnish education It’s hard for them to not use the grading system as they used to, or to use model: “Trust - responsibility - green ink instead of red, or get used to no homework for students. reflection - direction - perfection. Initiatives like Education Marathon help teachers to thoroughly These steps underlie your pedagogical understand the changes reform brings to schools.” leadership.” Business and education experts will provide mentoring support to teams, CREDIT: FC2U/USAID DG East who upon successfully passing the intermediate stage - online and in Activity practice - will enter the final stage. DG East and FC2U plan to develop 20 projects to implement educational strategies and to create an online platform for the educational community and partnership. Ten of the listed projects will be supported as grant activities under DG East. At the final meeting, the teams will present the strategies they developed, and the strongest ones will be implemented locally with FC2U expert support. DG East will also provide multimedia systems for their educational institutions. The remaining 10 school teams will develop projects for other donor and state support, as a part of the developed strategy. Upon completing their projects, participants will have a better understanding of the NUS reform, its value, and ways to implement it in their respective schools.

SNAPSHOT PROMOTING UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE AND IDENTITY IN EASTERN UKRAINE THROUGH LITERATURE, ARTS, AND THEATRICAL PERFORMANCES The DG East-supported The USAID Democratic Governance East Activity (DG East) through Kalmius Festival attracted grantee partner Foundation for Community Development conducted the th more than 3,500 people 4 Kalmius literary and arts festival. The November 2019 event series brought together almost 3,500 people across 73 events in six Donetsk across 73 events in eastern Oblast cities: Kramatorsk, Sloviansk, Druzhkivka, Kostiantynivka, Ukraine, showcasing Dobropillia, and Pokrovsk. cultural performances and providing an opportunity to This year’s theme, “Freedom under conditions of non-freedom,” focused promote East-West on discussions and promotion of the creative heritage of Ukrainian cultural dialogue and human rights activists, dissidents, and “Sixtiers” - poets and writers of a 1960s movement in the Soviet Union, who tried to stand against the establish new networks. political regime through cultural, educational, and language issues. The event brought two Lviv-based theaters, Les Kurbas Academic and First Theater, for performances promoting East-West cultural dialogue and establishing networks. Each one-day festival offered meetings and autograph-sessions with 30 popular Ukrainian writers, publishers, and musicians in a World Cafe format in the cities’ libraries, discussion platforms and roundtables on contemporary topics, educational events for librarians and literature teachers, study of art and history, book presentations, film screening by creative group Zaboroneno (Forbidden),

and literary competition games for youth, topping up with theater The Kalmius Festival showcased famous Ukrainian writers for performances. meetings with eastern Ukraine city residents, with autograph sessions A team of young people from Kramatorsk won in the literary competition and reading performances. and received a sponsored tour to Ivano-Frankivsk to represent eastern PHOTO: Kalmius Festival/USAID DG East Activity Ukraine. The final event in Kramatorsk featured a concert by the musical duet Telnyuk Sisters, based on the “Path to Freedom” popular musical project; they were accompanied by the displaced Luhansk Symphony Orchestra.

Recognized as a prominent event in the region’s cultural landscape, the Kalmius festival received financial support from both the Donetsk Oblast State Administration and the Kramatorsk City Council. DG East and grantee partner Foundation for Community Development created eight videos highlighting the event and featuring interview excerpts with Two Lviv-based theaters, Les Kurbas prominent arts celebrities. Academic and First Theater, performed plays aimed at linking and promoting East-West cultural dialogue. PHOTO: Kalmius Festival/USAID DG East Activity