East Europe Foundation and the Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group in Ukraine announce the grant competition A World Without Limits: Free Access for People with Disabilities in Ivano Frankivsk and Lviv Oblasts.The competition seeks to support local initiatives targeted free access to public places and services for people with disabilities in order to improve their quality of life. NGOs from Ivano Frankivsk and Zakarpattya oblasts are welcome to apply.
Maximal grant amount: UAH 100 thsd
Maximum project length: six months
Deadline: July 27, 2009
For more information please click here (in Ukrainian).

East Europe Foundation and Philip Morris Ukraine unveiled six new playgrounds, a newly landscaped park and new children's play complex in Kharkiv region in honor of International Children's Day June 1. Thanks to these projects, kids from Rohan and Bohoduhiv in the Kharkiv region will have new and safe places to play. The project initiators hope that the newly build playgrounds will become a popular site among families. These projects were implemented with the Rohan Village Council, Bohoduhiv City Council and the Yednist Bohoduhiv Community Organization of Veterans of Local Wars within the Cultivating Progressive Public Services program implemented by Philip Morris Ukraine and East Europe Foundation, which receives funding from USAID through Eurasia Foundation. The program is supported by the Kharkiv Region Administration. To date, more than UAH 640 thsd has been invested in the development of the Kharkiv region through this program. Please click here for more information (in Ukrainian).

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko has appointed East Europe Foundation board members Trond Moe and Natalie Jaresko to the Consultation Council on Foreign Investment in Ukraine. Mr. Moe, who is country director of Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group in Ukraine, serves as vice chair of the EEF board, as well as on the Executive Committee. Ms. Jaresko, managing and founding partner of Horizon Capital, is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee.    

Slavutich, Carlsberg Group and East Europe Foundation have awarded a UAH 170 thsd grant (USD 22,000) to establish two senior centers in the eastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia. The centers will offer medical and legal consultations, as well as organize different interest-based activities for their members. The senior centers will be established at the Zaporizhzhia City Service of Social Assistance and the Khortytsia Regional Territorial Center for Social Services. Slavutich, Carlsberg Group and East Europe Foundation will support the centers by broadening the services they offer, remodeling their premises and purchasing new equipment for them. The project is a part of EEF's Community Centers for People in Need program and is supported by the Zaporizhzhia City Service of Social Assistance. Please click here to learn more.

East Europe Foundation and Norwegian telecommunications company Telenor Group awarded the winners of the A Ukraine for Everyone photo contest May 14 at a special ceremony celebrating the two-week exhibition of the best contest entries.  The grand prize was presented to Lviv-based photographer Yuriy Dyachyshyn for a photograph taken at the Lviv School for Children with Disabilities. EEF and Telenor received 314 entries by 54 photographers from throughout the nation. The contest, held with the support of the National Union of Artist Photographers of Ukraine (NUAPU), culminated in the exhibit at Bottega Gallery in the center of Kyiv and boasted hundreds of visitors. For more information about A Ukraine for Everyone, please click here.

Eurasia Foundation Acting Regional Vice President and East Europe Foundation Acting President Timothy Pylate has been promoted to the positions of Eurasia Foundation regional vice president and East Europe Foundation president. Mr. Pylate joined Eurasia Foundation in March 2008 as director of development. Previously, he worked with World Vision International as the operations director for Lebanon, where he oversaw a wide range of development and relief programming. Prior to that, he served as the manager of World Vision’s Food for Education program in Afghanistan. He was also country director for Project Harmony in Ukraine from 2000 until 2005. He holds a B.A. in English from Sam Houston State University and an M.Ed. from the University of Texas, El Paso. He speaks fluent Russian and English.

EEF Executive Director Victor Liakh has been featured on the John Smith Memorial Trust website. Mr. Liakh was honored as a John Smith Fellow in 2008. Please click here to read more.

 The European Foundation Centre, which promotes NGO efforts internationally, has chosen the winning photo of EEF's photo contest, A Ukraine for Everyone, as one of 10 finalists for their 2009 international photo contest. The 10 finalists will be on display in Rome next month. The winner will be chosen by delegates to EFC’s Annual General Assembly and Conference May 14-16 in Rome. The winner will be announced at the end of the conference. EEF congratulates photographer Yuriy Dyachyshyn who submitted his entry to us last year. To view EEF's submission, as well as the other finalists in EFC's international photo contest, please click here.

 On March 27, EEF and ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih presented research within their joint project, Everyone Has the Right Work, on the plight of the city’s social orphans as they come of age and seek employment and social integration. Special guest ArcelorMittal Kryviy Rih CEO Jean Jouet was on hand to speak to the project participants and cut a special cake presented to him by the orphans to show their gratitude for his company’s commitment to CSR in their community. The project provides vulnerable youth with social, informational and educational services, as well as access to employment opportunities. It also provides for the training of social workers and employment center staff by introducing new approaches to preparing children for success as they reach  adulthood. Please click here for more information.