Since 1995, GURT has been committed to better Ukraine, developing and utilizing the potential of changemakers. GURT strives for conscious and successful Ukraine where civil society, business, and government collaboratively ensure dignity, confidence, and trust among citizens at local and national levels.
GURT’s mission is to accelerate the Euro-Atlantic integration of Ukraine, being an effective implementing agency of innovative projects and serving changemakers to develop their capacity and maximize their impact. After February 24, we asked ourselves whether our mission, which we formulated back in 2020, is still relevant. In our opinion, yes. The GURT team is proud to be united around the organization’s mission. Despite the vulnerability of the entire civil society, from the first days of the war, we ensured the smooth operation of TechSoup Ukraine portal and program, continuing to inform changemakers about available opportunities. And this is not about heroism or an invisible front because there is only one front in the country – the combat zone. It is about personal responsibility, devotion to values, and effective resistance to the enemy’s attempts to break Ukrainian society.
In the first months of the full-scale war, GURT launched a campaign to mobilize the potential of civil society. Community representatives, managers of public and charitable organizations, and business representatives were able to take advantage of the opportunities offered by GURT: training on entrepreneurship development for those who have lost their jobs or need to restore business in a new city, courses on cyber security and countering disinformation, setting up CSO information systems for remote works, webinars on topics relevant to the challenges of the time.
KEY RESULTS
RESTORATION OF THE HUMAN POTENTIAL OF COMMUNITIES
The Ukrainian people are heroically fighting against russia – the last evil empire in the world. People are our main asset, forming communities’ potential to resist and defeat the enemy. Our ability to act effectively is the key to victory. The enemy exhausts us physically and psychologically. There was an urgent need to quickly and effectively restore the ability of people to withstand the challenges of war.
GURT has been popularizing the methodology of self-help groups for many years. It is an effective tool for working with vulnerable categories of citizens as a means of psycho-social rehabilitation and restoration of the human potential of communities.
Today, GURT develops a network of organizations that offer group social and psychological rehabilitation to those who need it because of the war. In 2022, we focused on providing additional resources to such organizations to strengthen their resilience and reshape their operations under martial law. This work was carried out in 19 communities of eleven regions of Ukraine. As a result, assistance was provided to more than 4,400 people, including veterans, their families, IDPs, and volunteers.
In November 2022, GURT held the National Conference for CSO representatives from different parts of Ukraine who use self-help group methodology.
Due to the war, opportunities for developing children and youth in our country have significantly narrowed. The European Meet and Code initiative, annually implemented in Ukraine by GURT in partnership with TechSup Europe, allows communities to compensate for such losses at least partially. Thanks to this initiative, Ukrainian children and youth can obtain digital knowledge and skills and choose professions in technology and digitalization.
This year, in war conditions, an important task was to create the safest possible conditions for young participants of Meet and Code digital events. The GURT team selected 38 Ukrainian CSOs, which, in current circumstances, successfully organized 85 exciting events involving 2,900 participants – children, teenagers, and young people. The total amount of grants provided by GURT is about $50K. According to the consolidated impact assessment report of the Meet and Code 2022 initiative, Ukraine, among the 21 participating countries, has the most participants in Meet and Code events.
BUILDING CSO RESILIENCE
Digital security and personal data protection are critical elements of CSO resilience in today’s world, especially under the conditions of russian aggression, an essential component of which is powerful cyber attacks. Unfortunately, most Ukrainian CSOs do not pay enough attention to compliance with the basic rules of digital security, starting with the wide use of pirated software. According to the results of the study of compliance with digital rights in the activities of Ukrainian CSOs, conducted by GURT in early 2022, almost 80% of organizations do not complete regular risk assessments in the field of digital security, and 65% do not conduct training for staff and volunteers on compliance with digital rights and personal data protection. Today, more than ever, Ukrainian CSOs need support with digital transformation to continue their activities and work effectively for the benefit of society.
In 2022, GURT successfully continued the implementation of a range of technology capacity-building programs serving Ukrainian non-profit organizations such as TechSoup Ukraine – a member of TechSoup Global Network. Since 2016, we have created opportunities to modernize and protect the work of CSOs and provide them with access to the technology solutions they need to fulfill their missions. It’s important to mention that when full-scale russian aggression started, we received the first request for software just two days later. It’s unbeatable evidence that TechSoup Ukraine services are vital for Ukrainian CSOs, especially during the war. The largest Ukrainian charitable foundations raising money to support our troops and bringing the victory of Ukraine closer – Come Back Alive and the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation, used TechSoup Ukraine to obtain the necessary software for their activities in 2022.
GURT offers free consultations and assistance with deploying digital solutions to Ukrainian CSOs, which, in wartime, provide social and psychological rehabilitation services to those who need them.
TechSoup Ukraine operates as a social entrepreneurship, generating income by serving its customers.
GURT Changemakers Web Portal – is the most significant communication platform and a robust environment for change-makers, which unites users from all corners of Ukraine. It combines information, tools, and resources to help organizations work more effectively. In 2022, registered users reached more than 57 thousand active citizens. The GURT portal is a crucial source of information for professionals and experts in the non-profit sector.
