Спілка жінок Херсонщини

2019 for Kherson Women Union has been a year of personal achievements and new peaks.

In early spring, Kherson Women Union for the second time has taken prestigious Angel of Good Award, having won the nomination “Regional Charity” of the National Contest “Charitable Ukraine – 2018”.

Speaking about the recently implemented project “I am Saint Nicholas”, over the last two years we have fulfilled about 550 dreams of 486 pupils of regional boarding schools. This year, in addition to 355 dreams of 248 children that have been already fulfilled, we have managed to give the Pre-New Year celebration to more than 500 children of social categories from across the region. Some of them visited the holiday of meeting new friends as part of project “I am Saint Nicholas” (these are the children who wrote letters to St. Nicholas in the past and we have fulfilled their dreams), and some of them were invited to a dance and acrobatic performance “The Snow Queen”.

This project alone brought together about 200 donors, 80 partners and 60 volunteers of the organization. Therefore, with our own example, the Union shows that we have an active public, a conscious business and caring Khersonians aspiring for quality changes in the social sphere.

This year we have held the largest festival “Children’s Day with KWU”. We have arranged a multi-purpose holiday for about 6000 children and 3000 adults. Imagine 9000 people in one place engaging in creative workshops, visiting interactive locations, having fun and getting to know each other.

It is such a powerful communication platform that challenges the Union to organize work in the field of protection of children's rights so that the celebration of the Children’s Day grows from the ice cream holiday to a tool for promoting information and respecting children's rights.

By the way, this year, our organization has become a member of the reputable organization Ukrainian Child Rights Network!

Also, Kherson Women Union has organized an innovative social partnership project between the business, public and government agencies.

Launched in 2018, the project “Kherson Oblast Chooses Health” was actively implemented in 2019, offering free-of-charge visits by the best doctors of the Oblast Center to women and children from remote areas of Kherson Oblast. Oncological examinations were very effective, as a very large percentage of women have not visited a gynecologist and mammologist for decades. The program covered about 1000 residents of the oblast. Nearly every 12 women were referred for examination to the specialist doctors. There were cases of finding precancerous tumors, and thanks to the project, these women are now undergoing treatment.

We have succeeded in organizing “stational” assistance. It means that with onset of a one-time need we seek assistance from Khersonians through the social networks. This is how we address the needs of the Mother and Child Center in Kherson. Once we know that there is a need for diapers, clothing, food, we form a list of needs and through our volunteers almost always provide all items. People often transfer money. Thanks to the trust in the Union team, Khersonians have donated more than UAH 6000 for the Center. During this period, more than 80 mothers with babies have found a temporary shelter in the Center.

Not everything went in 2019 as planned. The Corporate Mentorship Project, which we implemented together with practicing psychologists, has not quite achieved its goal. As part of deinstitutionalization, this is a very relevant project, and we want it to have a much deeper foundation – to help children without parental care choose a profession, a direction for their development in adulthood, outside the institution. So far, we are studying the experience of Western countries and I think that next year our Corporate Mentorship Project will really work.

However, most of all, we are grateful to this year for bringing the Union team together. It is an active, concerned group of modern women seeking change in the social sector.

We have added, to be more exact, globally expanded the direction of peacekeeping in Kherson Oblast. As you know, the chairman of KWU Irina Nikolaieva was honored with the title IWPG “Peace Ambassador” and UN WEDO Regional Ambassador. From now on, our organization is reaching not only an all-Ukrainian but also a global level of cooperation.

Therefore, we have done a lot of work, and 2020 promises to bring even more effective changes!