Community Self-Help was launched in 2015 (after Maidan 2014, Revolution of Dignity) with a project promoting the development of civic organizations, supported by the US embassy in Ukraine. Vitalii Kharechko and Marta Pyvovarenko traveled to 6 regions of Ukraine to help local NGOs and volunteer initiatives articulate their missions, structure their organizations, and connect with the communities they aim to serve. These workshops and subsequent activities of Community Self-Help facilitated the creation of numerous new independent organizations all over Ukraine (in Berdiansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Rivne, Ivanofrankivsk).

In January 2022 we registered as NGO Community Self-Help.

Today Community Self-Help is putting all its efforts into defending Ukraine from Russia’s brutal assault on our people, our territory and our freedom. We understand that the networks and relationships between people and organizations forming through concerted efforts to aid our fellow citizens and defenders are also the civic foundations of the new Ukrainian nation that will emerge from this war. Therefore we are committed to supporting the resilience of individual Ukrainian people, the development of community organizations, and the public voices of Ukrainians telling the world about their experience. This means caring for Ukrainian military personnel and Ukrainians forced to leave their homes, as well as telling the world what is actually happening each day in the country.

PAST PROJECTS 24 projects and targeted assistance in 10 mounths 2022

2020 — How Can Your NGO Keep Working and Providing Services during Lockdown? 6-week online course for community organizations in Ukraine’s eastern regions, supported by the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program and the European Union 2019 — Entrepreneurial Skills Training Program in Eastern Ukraine supported by the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Program and the governments of Poland and Japan 2017 — Public Oral History Archive, with Polish Foundation Dobra Wola - https://oralhistory.com.ua/aui.html 2016 — Volonter, online platform for volunteer initiatives in Ukraine - https://volonter.org/ Marta Pyvovarenko and Vitalii Kharechko, members of Community Self-help, are also co-founders of Development Foundation, an organization of mental health specialists devoted to advancing the field in Ukraine and especially providing psycho-social support to veterans, civic activists, and people affected by the war in eastern Ukraine that has been ongoing since 2014.

Community Self-Help Rapid Response Headquarters:

• Chairman of the Board of the Community Self-Help, NGO - Vitalii Kharechko, Ukraine@communityselfhelp.org

• Head of Department Quality Assurance for MHPSS services of the Community Self-Help, NGO - Marta Pyvovarenko, advocacy@communityselfhelp.org

• Communication Department of the Community Self-Help, NGO, coordination of volunteer activities in cooperation with the Ukrainian Catholic University - Dr. Michael Radigan, +17203271374, +380500650493; michael@communityselfhelp.org

• IT support of the Community Self-Help website, Roman Svystun, roman.svystun@communityselfhelp.org.

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