Kharkiv City Women's Club
"Miroslava"

Kharkiv Women's Club "MIROSLAVA"is first women's organization in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Members of our Club are the representatives of science, culture, education and others spheres of society and youth which share the goals and dreams of "MIROSLAVA".

Goals

- to promote the increase of the status of woman in society; to reach the equality of rights between men and women;

- to promote improvement of the mutual understandings of Ukrainian society locally and overseas.

Programs

"MIROSLAVA" develops and implements programs in the following areas:

• Educational (conferences, seminars, round-tables etc.; priority questions of equal right, ecology and health);
• Cultural (exhibitions, concerts, speaking - tours, art-training for developing of self assurance, over coming of conflict situations, personality growth, etc.);
• Information (data banks, magazine distribution, assistance in the establishment of NGO's, etc.);
• International (Exchanges, peaceful speaking - tours, overseas study, popularization of Ukrainian culture).

History

"MIROSLAVA" revives the tradition of Kharkiv Women's Organisation of Mutual Help Of Workers established 1902.
1992 - "MIROSLAVA" is registered;
1993 - "MIROSLAVA" becomes honorable member of WNRRV, Minnesota, USA;
1994 - "MIROSLAVA" becomes a member of UAC UNESCO (Ukranian Association of Clubs of UNESCO);
1995 - "MIROSLAVA" joins GFWC (General Federation of Women's Clubs) in 43 countries;
1996 - "MIROSLAVA" becomes a member of Earth Action (133 countries) ;

Accomplishments

1993- Program of discussion clubs for women "Equal rights for equal opportunities".
1994- Program of seminars and trainings "Prevention and over coming of conflict situation".
1995- International Conference "Women activities during transformation from totalitarianism to democracy in Ukraine".
1996- Established a Resource Center.
1997- International speaking - tour "Art-therapy for Understanding" (GFWC).
1997- Conference "Women Initiatives at edge of the centuries".
1997- Speak-tour "Creation of NGO team".
1998- Established an Art-center. Program for art-training "Developing of assurance in yourself".
1998- International Conference "Ecology and Possibilities of Personal Self-Assertion in Modern Conditions".
1998/99- Psycological Center for Women in Crisis Situations.

Presidential Council:

President: Tetyana Glory / Ukraine

Vice-Presidents: Olga Bilyk / USA
Polina Volynska / Germany
Sonya Chorna / USA

The following are excerpts from the Kharkiv Declaration, adopted by the International Conference "Strengthening of Connections between NGO's for Increased Influence on the Democratization Process in Ukraine" that took place in October 27-30, 1999.

...We appeal to NGOs as exponents of democratic ideas to become the vanguard of society in any country, to create common principles of peace and cooperation, to establish partnership relations among the non-governmental sector and such interaction between the governmental and non-governmental sectors that would stimulate the democratic institutions' development and establish democratic principles of these relations;

We appeal to the governmental sector of Ukraine to acknowledge the importance and value of the non-governmental sector, to give up post-soviet totalitarian mentality and to establish equal responsible relations with the non-governmental sector directed at the strengthening and developing a democratic human rights state and civil society;

We appeal to all representatives of mass media to acknowledge the responsibility; that they influence people's minds and souls, their consciousness and culture, and are responsible for information and establishment of a moral and harmonious civil society.

To achieve the above-mentioned goals the International Conference "Strengthening of Connections between NGO's for Increased Influence on the Democratization Process in Ukraine" has adopted the Action Plan for globalization of the civil movement which we regard as our contribution...

Action Program

Objectives:

To promote the unification of NGO's efforts directed at strengthening democracy in Ukraine and the world and integration of Ukrainian public movement into the world community.

1. Implementation of the Action Program

1.1 To form a Coordination Council whose actions are directed at developing strategy programs that unite NGO's;
1.2 To create and register the International Alliance "MIROSLAVA" that will function as a information resource center and act as a peacemaking bridge between Ukraine and the world community;
1.3 To conduct peacemaking actions for international cooperation.

2. The focus of actions

2.1 To share the experience of professional NGOs through partnership, delegations exchange, holding common programs for reaching understanding, overcoming psychological barriers and building up trusting relations.
2.2 To integrate Ukrainian NGOs into the world informational system.
2.3 To encourage a harmonious relation among the three sectors with the purpose of creating and developing civil society institutions.
2.4 To master NGO's professional management by establishing address connections and creation of mechanisms with the help of which NGOs can influence the all sectors.

3 The Action Program

The following suggestions were reached as a result of the Conference:
3.1 To appeal to the Verhovna Rada of Ukraine, state and local authorities to join Kharkiv Declaration, to legislatively support it and protect the opportunities of effective NGO development.
3.2 To appeal to the representatives of the 3rd sector to establish open partnership relations among NGOs, work out and approve ethic codes of these relations, and embark on preparation and goals of common programs.
3.3 To appeal to all the Embassies, Consulates, Funds and other world community structures, oriented to encouraging the democratization process in Ukraine and the world to take into account specific situations of the 3rd sector in Ukraine and to change the attitude towards creating favourable conditions for its implementation and development.
3.4. To appeal to the General Federation of Women's Clubs as a vanguard of public club movement to develop and work together with NGO "MIROSLAVA" a program directed at furthering club movements in Ukraine.

The 12 NGOs that took part in the Conference have analyzed the current situation in Ukraine and decided upon a program "Independent Information Resource Centre" that will become the base for a wide support of NGOs and establishment of dialogue among the sectors.

Last updated:    November 1999

A print version of much of the information contained in this NIS Third Sector Organizations section can be found in the The Post-Soviet Handbook (Seattle and London: University of Washington Press, 1999).

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