Ukraine

From 1993 to 2010, ISC helped Ukrainians make their communities better places to live. Most recently, ISC worked nationwide with Ukrainians—and the nonprofits that represent them—to help them better advocate for themselves and their communities on the issues that matter most in their lives.

We began with environmental projects that did more than just halt pollution, clean up toxic waste and illegal dumps, and establish waste collection and recycling. Our projects also laid the foundation for nonprofits, grassroots groups, government officials, and business to work together for the first time to solve community problems.

At the same time, environmental and community-based education projects pulled educators and young people into the process of solving global problems at the local level, leaving behind a legacy of community action beyond the scope of our work.

Most recently, our partnership with Chemonics International laid the groundwork for greater public engagement with and trust in Ukraine’s courts and judiciary.

Tangible Results

• Our program of training and mentoring resulted in measurable increases in the effectiveness of our nonprofit partners. More than 50% of them were rated as leaders in advocating on behalf of their constituents in 2009, up from 9% in 2003.
• 69 of our grantees successfully drafted or lobbied for critical legislative and policy changes at the local and national level addressing such issues as anticorruption, judicial reform, citizen access to services, human rights protection, and environmental protection.
• Our work with community groups addressing environmental issues removed 1,000 tons of illegal garbage, toxic chemicals, and recyclable materials from the landscape, while setting up long-term garbage collection, water purification, and recycling systems.
• We launched an innovative partnership between the American Chamber of Commerce and our program that is now funneling corporate resources to a range of worthy nonprofits and entrepreneurial projects with social aims.
• 68 civil society organizations carried out 42 projects in 13 different regions to increase dialogue between courts and citizens, conduct court monitoring activities, and disseminate monitoring results to courts and local citizens. Their efforts resulted in 508 recommendations for judicial improvements in 99 courts across Ukraine.