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About us
Here you can view the history of the Promote Ukraine team and its members, which members are responsible for a certain working group
Our history
Since 2014 Promote Ukraine aimed at being established as a hub for coordination and collaboration between volunteers and civil society organisations in benefit of democratic and sovereign Ukraine.
In March 2022 in response to the full-scale invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola offered the space of the European Parliament building Station Europe to the volunteers of the organization Promote Ukraine.
It is also supported by the President of the European Economic and Social Committe Christa Schweng who provided the room for Ukrainian Hub at the premises of the Committee.
We are very grateful to President Metsola and President Schweng for support of Ukrainian activism and their trust in our cause.
Promote Ukraine stays firmly behind the idea of Ukrainian Hub in the heart of the European Union. Therefore, volunteers of PU created the website ukrainianhub.eu which functions independently from any physical locations and should become the centre for cooperation between the pro-Ukraine activists in long run.
On ukrainianhub.eu you can explore who we are and what we do. If you feel compelled, if you know we can be helpful to each other, reach out: we are open to cooperation.
2014
Founding
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Registration – 9 May 2014.
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Manneken Pis – first mass event of PU
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Charity events
Fighting disinformation
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Dutch referendum.
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Business Seminars
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Disinfo Review of EEAS
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Children for peace – hosting children from Volnovakha in Belgium
2016
Culture, Advocacy & Trainings
2019
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Oksana Bulda and Anna Melenchuk join PU / Women in Politics
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Cultural events, Ukrainian-Italian & Ukrainian-Georgian afterworks
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Charity events
Covid, EU & UA
Promote Ukraine initiated a flashmob #Stoprussianbrutality which was supported by Ukrainian Embassies, Ukrainian MPs, members Of The European Parliament, journalists, and experts.
2021
Full Scale Russian Invasion
2022
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#StandwithUkraine Manifestation
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Solidary with Ukraine Manifestation
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Changed pro-Russian narratives into pro Ukrainian ones (University Gent, Lukoil Leuven)
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Collected more than 200 000EUR and supported Ukraine with this donations
Continuation of the struggle
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Ukraine Leads 2023
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Supported by Partenamut, Microsoft, King Boudoin Foundation
- We became recognizable in the European quarter (media, politicians, decision-makers)
2023
Marta Barandiy, Ph.D., LL.M.
Founding chair of Promote Ukraine
Marta is specializing in International Law, specifically in the topics of Human Rights, Sovereignty and Statehood as well as Supranationality of the EU.
She is editor in chief of Brussels Ukraїna Review, Promote Ukraine's quarterly magazine on Ukraine-Russia-EU relations. Marta gives guest lectures on Conflict Resolution in International Relations at the Ukrainian Free University in Munich.
She is fluent in English, German, Polish, Ukrainian and Russian. She also speaks French and Dutch.
Advocacy & Manifestations
The team is responsible for manifestations including obtaining permissions from the police and communication with authorities.
Advocacy
The team is mainly focused on advocacy work with EU and NATO institutions. We organize meetings and events with decision-makers at various levels to promote Ukraine's interests in Brussels. Our team closely coordinates its work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Mission of Ukraine to NATO, Ukrainian civil society organizations and analytical centers.
It is vital to onboard new people who are willing to help and want to contribute with their time, efforts and skills. Besides, matching part is nevertheless important in order to make sure that right people are in the right place.
Manifestations
The team is responsible for arranging manifestations including obtaining official permissions from the police and communication with authorities. We also prepare people for interviews, arrange necessary media support to target more participants, develop key messages on behalf of civil society, implement creative manifestations and arrange all necessary materials. We also Track socially meaningful political and economic developments to immediately respond if necessary.
We organize different manifestations from huge marches to multiple local events. The main goal is to bring awareness to local population on topics around EU & Ukraine. If you have some ideas on demonstrations, feel free to contact team members below.
Networking events help us to spread awareness, as well as communicate to wider audience regards our current needs and where people can contribute the most.
Anna Melenchuk
Advocacy
Oksana Bulda
Manifestations
Olena Kuzhym
Manifestations
A&M
SMM, PR & Media
The team works on sustaining SMM channels, spreading awareness about our events, and gained achievements.
SMM
The team works on sustaining out several social media platforms, spreading awarenes about our protests and events, reporting on carried out meetings and gained achievements. As well we hold communication through direct of fb and instagram with our followers, reach out to media, take pictures of the events and protests.
PR & Media
The group builds and fosters relationships with key stakeholders across traditional and online media channels; writes press releases and media statements; guides journalists to the volunteers in charge of the subject matter; organises press conferences; tracks media coverage and main narratives about Ukraine in the EU and Belgian press.We ensure media presence in order to share our activities, spread awareness across general public and different industries.Also, our team is actively publishing press releases on day to day topics around Ukraine, EU and overall worldwide activities.
Ivanna Malchevska
SMM, PR & Media
Yana Brovdiy
SMM, PR & Media
SMMPRM
Fundraising & Donations
The team raises funds and other contributions for our initiatives in support of Ukraine.
We facilitate donation opportunities, build partnerships with sponsors, and take part in fundraising events. We also keep grant programs in focus. Key drivers of our work are smooth processes, clear communication, and transparent reporting.
Oksana Terletska
Fundraising & Donations
Refugee Support
We help newly arrived Ukrainians to integrate into Belgian society by providing informational sessions on insurance, transport, etc
The team is responsible for welcoming refugees from Ukraine in Belgium, providing them immediate humanitarian aid as well as supporting their integration here.
Collection and distribution centers in Brussels for humanitarian aid to refugees (clothes, non-perishable food, medicines, baby items, etc.).
Ukrainian Cultural Center. French, Dutch and English conversation classes, support groups with professional psychologists, art and music therapy classes, etc. Professional seminars and information sessions on various topics, including general orientation, health care, job search and employee rights, etc. We also serve as a liaison between the Ukrainian community in Belgium and politicians and authorities at the regional and federal levels in Belgium, as well as at the EU level, advocating for refugee rights.
Lyuba Karpachova
Anastasia Ariefieva
Refugee Support
Refugee Support
fundraisinganddonations
refugeesupport
Aid
Our team is responsible for the delivery of aid to Ukraine, in the form of food, clothing, medicines, and protective gear.
Our team is responsible for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukraine, in the form of food, clothing, medicines, household appliances, protective gear. We accept applications in the form of a letter of appeal. We process them, sort them by priority, then find suppliers who are ready to either sell or provide goods for free, provide logistics, collect goods in a warehouse, sort and deliver them to Ukraine to a specific place to a specific person who made an application, we receive confirmation of receipt from him in the form of a video or photo report. We are doing everything possible in our power to help people in need and to save someone's life.
Vasyl Kushmuns
Aid
Liza Bezvershenko
Aid, Operations
Aid
IT
Operations
The team works on improvement and facilitation of internal working flows and communication inside the Center
The team works on improvement and facilitation of internal working flows and communication inside the Coordination Center. We also conduct an onboarding process for new volunteers and create support groups by the needs of PU. We organize networking events, training, team meetings and develop external relations with our partners to maximize our efforts. Our main task is to match the requests for support with the help offers we receive.
It is vital to onboard new people who are willing to help and want to contribute with their time, efforts and skills. Besides, matching part is nevertheless important in order to make sure that right people are in the right place.
Networking events help us to spread awareness, as well as communicate to wider audience regards our current needs and where people can contribute the most.
Also, we keep on the pulse internal team collaboration - our goal is to make sure that all working streams can find synergy across and collaborate easily among each other.
Liza Bezvershenko
Aid, Operations
Operatons
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