Canada to help voluntary sector in Ukraine (12/08/96)

Canada to help voluntary sector in Ukraine

EDMONTON - Canada will help strengthen the non-profit and voluntary sector in Ukraine, announced Judy Bethal, MP for Edmonton East. She made the announcement on behalf of Don Boudria, minister of international cooperation and minister responsible for La Francophonie.

"A healthy democracy depends on the active participation of non-profit groups and community organizations," said Ms. Bethel. "By strengthening Ukraine's civil society, we are furthering democratic reform and promoting sustainable human development."

Funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Partners in Civil Society program will strengthen Ukrainian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and increase links with their Canadian counterparts through staff exchanges, training programs, management courses and database development. Five Ukrainian NGOs from various sectors will participate in the initiative: West Ukrainian Resource Center; Democratic Initiatives Foundation; Kharkiv Center for Gender Studies; Lviv Board of Education; and Plast Ukraine, a Scouting organization.

The Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE), a national NGO that promotes Canada's international relations through exchanges and technical assistance in education, will implement the program in cooperation with various educational institutions and other partners across Canada, including Grant MacEwan Community College in Edmonton.

Representatives from the Western Ukraine Resource Center and the Kharkiv Center for Gender Studies were in Edmonton on November 7-9 to attend a training seminar on planning, fund-raising and volunteer management offered by the college's Voluntary Sector Management Program. The Ukrainian delegates also participated in a workshop on community-building hosted by the college's Ukrainian Resource and Development Center and the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

CIDA is contributing $1.2 million to the program over two years. Funding for this initiative was provided for in the March 1996 federal budget and is therefore built into the existing fiscal framework.