In 2017-2018 GoEast team held a number of personal meetings with non-governmental organizations in the East of Ukraine. Despite a sufficient number of studies at the national level, there is a lack of studies which dealt with the public sector structure in the areas close to the front-line.
Taking into account previous research topics, it was important for us to understand how did the armed conflict influenced the development of civil sector at government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts. The other important question for us was to understand the main work areas of the non-governmental organizations.
76 NGOs were selected for the research. As basic selection criteria, we determined that the organization should work in the Ukraine Government-controlled territory of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts and for it has been active during the last year. The activity was determined by the number of implemented projects during the set period of time.
Our research shows that armed conflict has become a significant driver for the development of the public sector in the front-line territory of Ukraine. This is evidenced by the fact that 73% of the total number of the interviewed organizations began their activities during the last 4 years. They work predominantly on introducing a culture of control in the governing bodies and a change in the education system.
We hope that our research will make it possible to understand what areas of activity are still not covered by public organizations in the east of Ukraine, which will give a more complete understanding to donors and international organizations in which area the public sector needs their help most. With regard to the impact of armed conflict on the development of civil society, the fact that such a large number of organizations began its activities during the war shows both the great potential of Ukrainians in the East and the fact that the activities of international organizations and donors had a positive impact on the development of the region.
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