Civil society organizations of Kherson region are among the list of regions where CSO participation in community recovery is the highest in Ukraine. Despite constant shelling, team exhaustion and lack of funding, frontline organizations show the greatest resilience.
This is evidenced by the results of a new study “Level of resilience and participation of civil society organizations in the processes of recovery and rebuilding of territorial communities”, conducted by the East Europe Foundation and the International Renaissance Foundation.
Researchers surveyed more than 200 organizations in various regions of Ukraine — from frontline to rear areas. The results showed — CSOs are most active in areas that directly affect people: social integration of IDPs, support for veterans, community cohesion and psychosocial assistance. At the same time, participation in infrastructure recovery remains the lowest — and this is an untapped potential for future reconstruction.
Although 76% of organizations operate with a funding deficit, their human, expert and communication resources remain at a high level. At the same time, CSOs note significant burnout within teams. That is why experts emphasize: support for the institutional development of CSOs is about accelerating the country’s recovery.
“Ukraine recovers where there are strong organizations. Today many of them are working at the limits of their capabilities. Therefore, investments in CSO resilience directly affect the quality and pace of community recovery”, — emphasized Inna Pidluska, Deputy Executive Director of the International Renaissance Foundation.