In the autumn, development volunteer Veronika Leitman went (after a two-month mandatory internship in the ADRA Slovakia office) on her volunteer project in Ukraine. There she will be directly in Kiev for nine months operate (thanks to the support of SlovakAid) in the local organisation „Institutionte Respublica“.
As Veronika herself says: „Kiev is not only a city with a rich history, interesting architecture and great food. It's also full of smart people trying to achieve a common goal - to engage the citizens of Ukraine in creating democratic change at home, through changes in the functioning of the state system. But such changes do not happen overnight; they take weeks, months and years to implement.“
Our volunteer Veronika Leitmanová is part of a group of such enthusiasts. For „Institute Respublica“ she carries out various project and administrative tasks, at the moment she is probably helping the most with translations, deepening partnerships between local initiatives and local authorities, including in the preparation of events and in writing projects. These focus on supporting the development and sustainability of various partnerships - especially local communities with government authorities. They also seek to increase women's participation in decision-making processes in the country.
In a couple of months, Veronika will also be helping with the implementation of Civil Society Capacity Building Project in Ukraine, which is being implemented in 2019 in two regions (affected by the war conflict) by ADRA Slovakia together with partners and thanks to the support of the Visegrad Fund and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
New calls for humanitarian and development volunteers will be launched in spring 2019. Therefore, it is important to follow this page and not be afraid to get involved in the process of improving the lives of the needy.
Text and photo: ADRA team
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