The premiere of the documentary film “Bashtanka. The City of Cossack Victory,” which tells the story of the city and its residents during the onset of the full-scale war took place in Bashtanka, Mykolaiv Oblast on May 13, 2023.

The film was produced with the support of the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) as part of the all-Ukrainian project “Cities and Their Heroes”, which aims to show the heroism of the Ukrainian people and the transformation of an ordinary person into a hero. As part of the project, documentaries about Ukrainian cities and their residents are being shown throughout Ukraine, as well as a thematic photo exhibition featuring the work of leading Ukrainian photographers.

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The training for case managers who will work in their communities providing social services to veterans has commenced, with the first group consisting of 30 participants from Khmelnytska Oblast. The training for each group lasts 6 days and is being conducted by the NGO “Prostir Mozhlyvostei” with support from the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA). The training will cover aspects such as identifying and communicating on the needs and challenges faced by veterans, existing opportunities for veterans on education, medical care, rehabilitation, social services, and entrepreneurship at the community level, and working with veterans’ families.

The veteran case managers are being trained according to a program approved by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, and this training course, which is titled “Veterans’ Support System in Communities Using Case Management” is accepted at the national level.

Oksana Koliada, project manager at the NGO “Prostir Mozhlyvostei”, noted:

“A veteran case manager is a specialist who should simplify the life of a veteran in the community as much as possible by providing him or her with all the information needed to facilitate their reintegration. The extent to which such a specialist is effective depends on whether we can fully use the human potential of veterans or lose it. It does not matter what this specialist will be called in the end. The main thing is that he or she performs these functions and uses the case management tools. That is why we have developed our training program based on the practical experience of the coaching team in both veteran policy and social issues. We are pleased that there is a demand from society and communities for such specialists, and our task today is to train as many case managers as possible who will start working without waiting for demobilization. After all, we do not forget that there are families who are waiting and need support, as well as the wounded who are already returning and who deserve adequate treatment from society,” The overall project will last until the end of the year and involves training both veteran case managers and coaching teams that will be able to work in the regions. This will make it possible to reach even more people who can potentially work as case managers.

Background: In February 2023, ERA signed a memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Social Policy and the NGO “Prostir Mozhlyvostei”. A pilot course was then held to train case managers in communities in three oblasts: Lviv, Rivne, and Khmelnytskyi. The 30 trained specialists are already working in the social sector of the regions or are planned to be appointed to the newly created units for working with veterans.

The USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) and the Polish American Freedom Foundation, a non-profit private foundation and one of the partners that helped develop a concept for the restoration of Mariupol, arranged the transfer of four public buses to the Mariupol City Council (MCC) on May 12, 2023. The buses, of the brand Scania Omnicity 280, were donated by Jaworzno Municipal Utility Company (Poland), and will assist with strengthening the work of the I am Mariupol centers. ERA supported MCC with the transfer process, ensuring communication between the parties, preparing documents for customs, their translation, and consulting on the options of the vehicles’ safe delivery. As part of this initiative, a total of 10 city buses have so far been handed over to the MCC, which are to be distributed among the I am Mariupol centers. 

“We will use these buses for the humanitarian needs of the “I Am Mariupol” centers,” said Serhii Orlov, the Mariupol Deputy Mayor. “We are already using these buses to transport Mariupol residents to educational, cultural, entertainment and tourist events in our largest centers in Vinnytsia, Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa and other major cities. We will also use these buses to transport Mariupol residents to summer recreation camps in Vinnytsia and Morshyn. Currently, the buses are operated by the Mariupol Tram and Trolleybus Department, and after the city is liberated from the Russian occupiers, we will take them with us to Mariupol.”

I am Mariupol centers are already opened and operational in Cherkasy, Chernivtsi, Dnipro, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kalush, Khmelnytskyi, Kropyvnytskyi, Kryvyi Rih, Kyiv (2 centers), Lviv, Odesa, Rivne, Ternopil, Uzhhorod, Vinnytsia, and Zaporizhzhia. These centers provide assistance to over 56,000 displaced Mariupol residents, enabling them to return to normal life, get employment, housing, and vital material and psychological support. 

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On May 11, in cooperation with the Reform team under the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine (MEU), the USAID Economic Resilience Activity (ERA) held the 13th online dialogue of the “Support for Business in Wartime: Relocation and Recovery” platform, which gathered 60 business representatives.

Oleksii Nazarenko, a representative of the Senior Expert Service (SES) under the German Economic Foundation for International Cooperation, spoke about the advice and mentoring support his organization provides to businesses in times of war. SES a leading German organization that brings together experienced professionals and helps Ukrainian companies in technology, investment, marketing, and development. Every year, the organization implements 2,000 projects around the world, with about 100 of these in Ukraine.  Now, due to the war, they are ready to consider an unlimited number of applications from Ukrainian businesses, where Ukrainian entrepreneurs will be able to connect with world-class experts who help both micro businesses and corporations.

Any company from Ukraine (except for defense, chemicals, and start-ups) can apply to the organization for consulting assistance. Experts in more than 500 professions can provide professional advice, withthese consultation services provided both on and offline,free of charge.

“To get a consultation, you need to fill in an application and describe the problem you want to solve. The process of finding experts can take from two weeks to two months. For example, if a business wants to enter a new market in Europe, an expert can be offered in two days. If a business needs to optimize a technical process in production on a unique machine, finding an expert may take longer. Some businesses need several mentors at the same time, so they work in cooperation to fully meet the entrepreneur’s needs,” Nazarenko said.

You can apply for advice from the Senior Expert Service by writing to biloylianna@gmail.com.

Entrepreneurs who have previously received consultations shared their experience of working with SES. Iryna Sokur, director of the Kherson Regional Oncology Center, shared how the consultations helped improve conditions for patients and staff. Vasyl Voloshynov, director of “New Vasiuki” Odesa Ethnopark, also spoke about working with the Service’s mentors, which helped expand the hotel business and attract more customers to visit the park.

During the event, the participants asked about the list of experts available, how to get mentoring assistance in several areas, how many times they can apply, the possibility of joining the Service, and how Ukrainians in Germany can get advice.