11: 30 am, August 20, 2015 Kramatorsk, Ukraine Discussion and Action Items

10:00 – 11:30 am, August 20, 2015
Kramatorsk, Ukraine
Discussion and Action Items
Welcome and Introduction
Partners Present included:
Ministry of Education, Kramatorsk
Donbas State Machine Building Academy
Konstantinovka Department of Education
Volunteer Psychologist, working for national NGO, PROMIR
Volunteer and Journalist
SoS Kramatorsk
Country of Free People
OCHA
Right to Protection
UNICEF
Save the Children
Department of Education, Druzhkovka, Directors of the Art School Sloviansk,
Dimitrov Volunteer organization
WFP
Meeting participants noted World Humanitarian Day, and acknowledge the humanitarian workers who gave their lives for this cause.
Bruno Cerqueira, Civil-Military Coordination Office for UN OCHA was introduced. He explained his role in Kramatorsk:
To create and sustain military and civilian dialog
Improve access for humanitarian actors
Facilitate the negotiations in critical areas of humanitarian and military interaction
Civil and military coordination meetings begin this week.
ACTION: To coordinate any civil and military coordination, please contact Bruno.
ACTION: Topics such as the use of schools by fighting forces, attacks on schools and infrastructure may be reported at Education and Child protection clusters, and will be followed up by OCHA.
One partner reported the use of the dormitories of the Agricultural College in Sloviansk. The presence of soldiers have been frightened, and avoiding registration.
The Education Cluster was introduced
Education can and must respond in times of crisis. UNICEF and Save the Children work together to co-lead the education cluster globally, cluster, and this arrangement is the same in Ukraine.
Partners updated about their current work
In times of emergency, teachers and school personnel were not able to evacuate children from schools, nor were there enough safe places such as bomb shelters. Teachers were bring children to basements and root cellars.
ACTION: EMERNGECY PREPAREDNESS for schools and through training for partners are required partners. We will take up at UNICEF.
ACTION: In the next meeting, we have to meet with heads of departments to
Konstantinovka:
ACTION: Secure clean areas for schools are needed
ACTION: Mine Risk Education education and refresher courses for teachers will be also brought up the with heads of the education department by UNICEF
What is the 3W and why is it important?
Education Cluster Information Manager presented the 3W reporting table, and encouraged partners to review it, and identify when their work and ongoing projects were not reflected.
ACTION: Consultations with partners in the afternoon. Information Manager can also follow up with phone conversations later.
OCHA encourages partners to work with IM to complete the 3W, because reporting from the cluster is shared with OCHA, who communicates for all UN agencies. OCHA explained that partners should take advantage of the 3W reporting. The reporting burden was not time consuming and was used for fundraising
Update by partners
The Oblast Department of Education: Oblast Authorities have prepared a list of schools and kindergartens with their needs.
Sometimes children have not attended school because of transport costs, or also because parents have not yet decided where they will live permanently after their displacement.
ACTION: Right to Protection monitors out of school children to understand the dimensions and reasons why children do not go to school. Will share updated reports with cluster, and continue to monitor.
Fewer children attend kindergartens, there are simply too few spaces, and families cannot pay 300 – 500, and additional monthly recurring costs. Additionally, there are “extra” fees
Tarasovka school was damaged by a tornado in May 2015, the roof of this center was ripped off. Children were receiving 2 meals per day, as the school was designated as a location in a feeding program. Unfortunately, school will be renovated and completed by November 2015.
Winterization is a problem for school. Schools lack funds for heating and sometimes infrastructure materials they need. Sometimes hosting communities are in equally bad shape.
WFP: has voucher program for most vulnerable households, those with small children, elderly, IDPs are given a 350 UAH every three months.
ACTION: Coordination on winterization of schools required
PROMIR: Youngest children who have been exposed to war, children have been frightened and have lost motivation to study. When parents are ill, the children also become ill.
ACTION: Please refer children and families to PROMIR’s office, they have an ongoing project to provide psychosocial support.
ACTION: All-day Seminar for teachers 26 August
OCHA: reported that many IDPs, are living in collective centers, and modular towns, children have reported increases in drinking and domestic violence, and child prostitution, as parents are being pushed into this with the wide-spread unemployment. If it happens in one oblast, it is likely to happen in another. This is an issue to bring to the Child Protection sub cluster.
Country of Free People: Run a collective center for mothers and children, and have pre-school, up to school year programs.
ACTION: Their organization needs additional support
Save the Children: Is also distributing school supplies, and 1500 children in Sloviansk, Svetagorsk and Krasniy Lyman.
ACTION: Save and UNICEF to coordinate to avoid sending supplies to the same schools
SoS: Requested OCHA to organize a meeting for local NGOs to represent UN organizations and OSCE to better understand the referral mechanism.
ACTION: Such a meeting will be held the first week of September.
SoS reported that volunteer organizations are coordinating and information sharing. They will create a platform for voluntary organizations.
ACTION: Inform humanitarian NGO coordinator.
Update on Japanese renovation project by UNICEF
45 schools in Donetsk and Lugansk will be renovated, Donetsk 30, Lugansk 15.
School furniture, for 2 classes per school, children will receive backpacks, and stationery sets (one for 10 children).
In September, the Japanese ambassador will come, Education cluster partners will also take part. UNICEF would like to increase their work.
ACTION: List of schools shared and status report will be circulated once project is complete.
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