News

A pilot project of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Missions in Italy and Ukraine “Capacity Building Action towards Ukrainian Local Institutions for the Empowerment of Migratory and Social-Educational Policies on Behalf of Children and Local Communities” is successfully completed. On this occasion a final conference of all stakeholders of the project will be held on 22 July in Kyiv to discuss main achievements of the project and opportunities for development in future.

 

The representatives of the Ukrainian Ministries, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Italian Embassy in Ukraine, the IOM Mission in Italy and Ukraine, Italian and Ukrainian NGOs and Ukrainian community in Italy as well as local authorities of Ternopil and Chernivtsi regions, the Head of Operations of the Delegation of the European Commission in Ukraine Laura Garagnani and First Secretary of the Italian Embassy in Ukraine will take part in the final conference.

 

During the conference Italian and Ukrainian institutional counterparts will sign a Declaration of Cooperation committing themselves to work together to support communities left behind by labour migrants and continue joint Italian-Ukrainian and governmental-NGO initiatives to benefit the children left behind.

 

“I am very pleased that this project benefits children who are the future decision makers of this country by making them stronger. We feel that this way we are directly contributing to the wellbeing and the future of Ukraine,” says Manfred Profazi, Chief of IOM Mission in Ukraine.  

 

Within the framework of the project the representatives of the IOM Missions in Kyiv and Rome trained NGOs, teachers and the social service providers in Terebovlia (Ternopil region) and Upper and Lower Petrivtsi villages (Chernivtsi region) to carry out communication sessions with children left behind by labour migrants, called creative laboratories. These sessions included narrations on migration, children and teachers painting together and playing role games.

 

NGOs “Suchasnyk” from Chernivtsi region and “The Revival of the Nation” from Ternopil region continued trainings in creative laboratories that were attended by 70 teachers from 34 schools of Terebovlia district and 4 schools of Upper and Lower Petrivtsi villages. The trained teachers then carried out special creative laboratories for children of 68 schools that were attended by 2,492 children.

 

In addition within the framework of the project in the schools of Upper and Lower Petrivtsi villages three training sessions of team building via sport activities were carried out by a famous Italian football referee Stefano Farina. This methodology, based on experience in team interaction management and winning techniques in football was used building new linkages between children and teachers through sports.  

 

“It is very important to give these children a life motivation, to support them and help to be successful in their future. Thus the main goal for us is to encourage children left behind to make them stronger and self-confident”, stated Mr. Farina.

 

A theatre performance of the play “Blue Bird” by the Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck Kyiv Theatre Art Studio “Suzirja” became another highlight of the project and was attended in Terebovlia and Lower Petrivtsi village by 750 children. Now the theatre play was also included in the programme of “Suzirja” Theatre in Kyiv.

 

“In this play by Maeterlinck children left behind express their feelings and soul. The children left behind receive a real life experience and can compare two different worlds – world of children and adults,” said Oleksii Kuzhelnyi.

An Italian film producer Domenico di Ruocco with the support of the IOM Mission in Rome prepared a documentary film “Children Left Behind” about Ukrainian local communities, families, children left behind and mothers working in Italy.

 

Also the trainings of trainers on Skype usage for teachers and children of four schools of Upper and Lower Petrivtsi villages were carried out to provide an opportunity to children left behind to communicate with their mothers in Italy.

 

Finally, the Italian-Ukrainian Observatory on Migration was created during the project, which includes among the participants representatives of local administration and Ministries of Ukraine and Italy, researchers, teachers, NGOs and the social service providers, who joined and continued discussion on migration issues. Four meetings of the Observatory were held in Italy and Ukraine and its further sessions are to continue by Skype beyond the life of the project.