Ednannia: Initiative Center to Support Social Action

Ednannia, Ukrainian for "Joining Forces," is an indigenous Ukrainian organization founded in 1997 through the joint efforts of several experienced Ukrainian NGOs and staff from the organization ISAR: Initiative for Social Action and Renewal in Eurasia (http://www.isar.org). Ednannia seeks to: foster the professional and organizational development of local NGOs; to improve the public image of NGOs in the region; to encourage relations between NGOs and the government and business sectors; and to unite grassroots NGOs and activists, who believe that, while one person can make a difference, cooperation is the key to building a more sustainable society.

Ednannia serves the NGO community through three main structures:
**The Bureau of Information and Consultation works to meet NGOs' information and development needs.
**The Network of Nine Regional NGO Support Centers works to support the development of NGOs in their region, promote cooperation in their region and facilitate connections with local government, business and others.
**The Network of Seven Environmental Issue Expert Centers works to increase the environmental professionalism of NGOs through trainings and consultations on concrete environmental issues, and encourage coalition building and cooperation between NGOs addressing similar environmental issues.

EDNANNIA PROGRAMS
Bureau Services:
* Information Service
* Consultation Service
* Service to Improve NGO Image
* Research and Analysis Service
* Partnership Search Service

The School for Civic Initiatives: A training program for NGOs. It includes the development of training programs, training-of-trainers in the regions of Ukraine, and providing comprehensive training to NGOs on numerous organizational development issues and practical seminars in concrete areas of environmental activity.

Toloka: Helping Hands Within the Community: Works to rally support within the NGO community for individual NGOs, who are tackling issues that require wide public support, to assist with information campaigns and making their voices heard by decision-makers.

NGO PR Program: Provides assistance to NGOs in the development of outreach materials for publicizing the activities of their organization (including brochures, booklets, press releases, web pages, etc.).

Consultation Service for the General Public: Provides concrete assistance individuals or groups, who are not yet "activists" on how get started-specifically in addressing environmental problems within their communities and how to foster the participation of other community members.

Green Libraries: A network of libraries, containing literature on social and environmental issues and open to the general public, is being established as part of Ednannia's regional NGO support centers.

RESOURCES
**a database of environmental NGOs in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova and their projects
**a database of foundations that provide financial or technical support to organizations within the region
**databases of regional environmental problems
**databases on experts in specific environmental issues
**a network of libraries for NGO use

PUBLICATIONS
**Ednannia's Monthly Bulletin- Published monthly in Russian in electronic and printed versions, it includes information about upcoming events and new resources. The bulletin is published jointly with ISAR. Subscription is free.
**Directory of NGOs Working on Environmental Issues in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine (currently seeking funding to publish a 1999 edition)
**Travels Along the Horizon - Published in Russian, it includes stories about successful NGO projects related to the environment.

The center also sponsors a new English language web site designed to be a gateway to the environmental NGO movement in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.

The web site has several components, including:
** a searchable directory of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) working on environmental issues in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. (The directory is searchable by field of activity, location, organization name, and contact person). The entry for each organization includes contact information and a short description;
** full-texts of the six latest issues of the Ednannia/ISAR Monthly Bulletin (in Russian) that provides information about upcoming events and new resources of interest to the NGO community;
** information about the Ednannia NGO network-its 9 regional NGO support centers and 7 environmental issue expert centers;
** an overview of Ednannia's programs and services, ranging from consultations and trainings to assistance in finding partners for concrete projects, and information resources, ranging from its monthly bulletin to analytical information about the environmental NGO sector in Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova;
** a list of international foundations and organizations that support NGOs in Belarus, Moldova or Ukraine and links to their web sites.

Last updated:    May 1999

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