Roundtable with Local Officials

In the early evening after the first day of training, we hosted a roundtable for local officials and members of the community to talk about this population. All but one member of the training stayed behind, which was quite energizing.

Iryna had invited an inspiring woman to open the session and she talked about the day she learned about this young woman and her baby (photo below) who were about to be turned out onto the street. She said that she just couldn't see any other way than to take her into her home - she was quite humble about it and even surprised to be asked to speak. But, you could tell the baby was quite adapted to her new "grandmother" and on her way to a healthy life. And, it was the perfect way to open the Roundtable - an honorable, generous community member, a young, healthy mother and her baby quietly sitting on her lap. A local reporter was at the roundtable and arranged to feature them in the "Women's Day" issue of the local newspaper.

We had hoped to have have more officials, unfortunately there was only one. However, the mayor's number 2 person was on hand and the mayor herself stopped to recognize Iryna for her commitment to the community (photo below right). The elected official is an oblast (state) representative and if we could only have had one, she would have been one of the best to have (photo of her above with a standing Iryna). Very well-connected and influential, she was clearly interested in the topic and took lots of notes when the consultant talked about our day, the state of things in Ukraine, and how elected officials can help tackle this issue.

The two most pressing issues, identified earlier in the day, were registration and a one-stop place where one can go to find out about all available resources. I could see the wheels were turning about how we might be able to streamline the local process.

One example was discussed. A local woman who has no identification and cannot get any because she has no family. In order to get a "passport" (ID card) one must return to their place of birth, prove they are who they say they are, and wait for a period of time for processing. This woman was from another part of Ukraine, lacked money to return and had no place to stay while she waited. Her child cannot be registered, because she, the mother, is not registered. Furthermore, to prove you are who you say you are - one must have identification. To pick up a new identification, one must present identification. Seems a bit reciprocal doesn't it?

The consultant shared that, in another community, the police accepted the sworn statement of two members of the community who knew the person and were able to approve registration. This was just one example of how a local social service agency has worked with local police in partnership.

It was even more powerful ending the session with mini-presentations by former graduates of the boarding school who are making it - and contributing members of society after receiving the support of Opika and other organizations like them to help them get set-up to live life on their own, soundly and securely.