Providing education and vocational opportunities for orphans in Russia

The Russian Orphan Opportunity Fund (ROOF) is a charitable organization that was formed in 1997 to further the employment potential of children who are growing up in Russia's orphanages by directly providing supplemental education and vocational training.

Please use our description at: http://www.glasnet.ru/~roof/main.html

The U.S.-Ukraine Foundation is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization established in 1991 to facilitate democratic development, encourage free market reform, and enhance human rights in Ukraine. The Foundation creates and sustains channels of communication between the United States and Ukraine for the purpose of "Building Peace and Prosperity Through Shared Democratic Values." USUF is dedicated to strengthening the mutual objectives of both nations while advancing Ukraine as a cornerstone of regional stability and as a full partner in the community of nations.

Major projects include the Community Partnerships for Local Government Training and Education Project, funded by USAID. Publications of this project include the monthly newsletter Partners/Partnery, distribued in English and Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian-language quarterly journal on local government issues, Aspekty Samovraduvannia (selections also published in English in semi-annual journal Thinking Locally).

Address of the Foundation in Washington, DC: 733 15th Street NW, Suite 1026 Washington, DC 20005

Four regional training centers in: Donetsk, Cherkasy, Lviv, Kherson.

Founded in 1981, Romyr Consultants Corporation began as a group of seasoned government and public relations professionals working together to serve the communications needs of several international companies. As times changed and markets evolved, so did Romyr. Today, as Romyr & Associates, we serve the public affairs, government relations, and international liaison needs of private and public sector clients in Ukraine, Canada and the United States. Headquartered in Toronto, with offices in Washington, D.C. and in Kyiv, Ukraine, Romyr & Associates also has networking arrangements with firms in New York, and Montreal, allowing us to expand the set of skills we can offer to our clients. Our associates are acknowledged professionals, experienced in handling the most daunting communication challenges. We provide solutions through creative thinking, the use of cutting-edge technologies, and a firm commitment to excellence. The staff of Romyr & Associates offer a full range of specialized skills, including strategic planning, issues analysis, media interview training, and video production. Put our skills and experience to work, to help your company achieve success in government affairs; public, media and investor relations; marketing and employee communications; image-building and special events.

The Citizenship Foundation was set up in 1989 by the UK Law Society as an independent educational charity working in the field of civic education. Since then we have run many projects in the UK promoting education for democracy and democratic citizenship. We have been working closely with the UK government to develop citizenship as part of the revised national curriculum.

Since 1992 we have also been working in Central and Eastern Europe to promote democracy and civic values in the new independent states. Many of the materials used in schools in the UK have been adapted or translated for use in other countries, and we have held a number of training seminars for civic education teachers. We seek to extend our work to incorporate young offenders' institutions and community groups in the new democracies, and would be very keen to hear from potential partners.

We also have a logo which I would be happy to send to you.

The Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC) was fouded in 1993 as a non-governmental organisation that is active in the field of sustainable development, raising awareness and basic assistance in Macedonia.

For the realisation of its aims and objectives, MCIC mobilises and organises human resources and material means, in the country and abroad.

The aim of MCIC is to concentrate on support and development of local and national initiatives for improvement of sustainable development of human resources in Macedonia

Starting from the general aim, MCIC defines three long-term aims:

- promotion of peace;
- further organisation of civic society;
- assistance to those in need.

MCIC is active in 6 sectors:

- civil society, awareness and democratisation;
- rural development;
- watersupplying and sanitation;
- employment and income generation;
- health and education;
- emergency relief.

MCIC realises its activities by means of:

- financial support of development initiatives/projects with grants/loans;
- training and consulting;
- information;
- advocacy and lobbying.

The logo is on our web page, in its top left corner of the main page (Refuge Macedonia).

IJC is a non governmental, non profit and apolitical organization that is specialized in the field of assistance for Moldovan journalists. We are offering short term training programs to journalists, hosting experts that consult media organisations in Moldova, publish "Media in Moldova", a bi-annual research magazine and a bi monthly information bulletin for journalists. Another area of concern that we are working on is media legislation in Moldova (Access to Information draft law presented in the Parliament). Together with the Moldovan Press Freedom Committee we host the Press Club, an activity designed to build solidarity among Moldovan journalists. We offer resources at our library that include books and publications, as well as free Internet access for journalists, students in journalism and journalism educators. Our most recent activity was the first Press Freedom Week in Moldova organised in cooperation with other media organizations from Moldova.

Who are we? We are VUSMO Eastern-Ukrainian Union of Youth Organizations. The members of Union are 26 organizations of various types: both youth and children organizations, youth political parties and NGOs working in the educational, cultural and other fields. Our organization was founded in 1995 with the following aims:

• the consolidation of the youth organizations` efforts in the framework of the national youth policy
• the development of the movement in all spheres of our society
• the involving of young people in decision-making
• the incarnation of the ideas of youth to life
• the increase of public awareness about the needs and contribution of young people.

In order to make the work of our Union creative and productive the Governing Body was formed. It consists of 2 organs:

• The Youth Leaders Council- the highest decision-making body. It consist of representatives of 26 member-organizations.
• The Executive �ommittee- the executive body of VUSMO with the executive secretary in its head.

International contacts:
VUSMO has relations with all countries of former USSR and Sweden. We run the international project Global Democratic Youth Leadership with National Swedish Youth Council (LSU). In 1995 LSU decided to initiate a five-year project , aiming at strengthening the work in international development cooperation among Swedish youth organizations. On this project we conduct two seminars for NGOs from all Ukraine and two international exchanges a year. We have been working on this project for two years and do hope for further cooperation. Also we take part in project Skhid-Skhid (East-East).On this project an experience- exchange seminar is conducted yearly. The member-countries of this project are Armenia, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine

Activities in Ukraine:
We cooperate with many NGOs of our country. We conducted charitable actions, festivals, competitions with the purpose to stir the youth to greater activity and increasing awareness among young people. We conducted two-days seminars for organization member of VUSMO. Every year VUSMO conducted the School of young politician; where we help youth to understand the political life of Ukraine. Also we conduct the School of youth leader. We take part in State Program "Molod za Maibutnye"-"Youth for Future".

Working with Funds:
VUSMO works with international Funds, which have representatives in Ukraine. We defended several projects. For example not long ago we defended the project "MIKS" informational and consulting service for youth in Soros Fund in Ukraine "Vidrodzhenya"

Informational department:
This department gathers the information about youth movement in Ukraine and forms the bank of information about youth, creates the bank of youth brainstorming ideas. Also it works with massmedia and gives the information about our activities. It supports the creation of youth organizations, clubs, associations, renders juridical help.

The organizations of our union are involved in various kinds of activities, such as: environment protection, sport, prevention of HIV/AIDS prevention, education, music, preventing drug abuse, youth policy.

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The Independent Press Association grew out of a small and inconspicuous meeting in the winter of 1997. At that time, there were a few small local papers struggling to grow and become quality local press. The initial meeting was a foreign consultant's attempt to bring together these few newspapers and two press agencies to exchange experience and information. They liked the idea and continued to meet. Over the course of a few months this small network attracted more newspapers and decided to formally register as an NGO on September 29, 1997. During the months before registration and since the Association's official registration, the members have worked together on a variety of projects, all focused on building the Association, its members, and as a result, a stronger objective press in Moldova. Members have coordinated the purchase of newsprint, working together to find the best price and highest quality by searching and negotiating as a block. They have held round table discussions for local press in four regions and invited press from throughout the country, beginning an important dialogue about the role of independent press and press as a business in Moldova.

The Independent Press Association is busy in 1999, due to several strong projects developed by API, and supported by international aid organizations. First we are coordinating, with the support of the Eurasia Foundation, a series of round table discussions on independent media in different regions of Moldova, to which representatives from all types of news media are invited. The Open Society Institute, Budapest and the Soros Foundation of Moldova are supporting an advertising program which has already paid dividends in the early stages. This advertising strategy leverages the unique market penetration the combined membership represents outside of Chisinau to attract advertising from businesses, most of which reside in Chisinau. A digital photography project, supported by USIS, has provided API members with digital cameras, giving local newspapers an instant boost in quality and reader appreciation.

The project which will provide the glue for current and future API projects is an internet and email system for API members, funded by the Open Society Institute, Budapest. Once all members have been set up with email, we will use this to distribute information among members much more efficiently than currently possible. Members will utilize file attachments for distribution of advertisements, syndicated columns, news services, and correspondence.

And finally, API members will be working with newspapers specialists from the United States, sponsored by USIS. Experts in areas like electronic page layout, advertising, and journalism ethics will work with API members throughout 1999.

B. Scope of the Association

The Independent Press Association is dedicated to bringing together and developing Moldova's independent and objective press. Association membership requires that all members be independent and objective press, defined by the statute as organizations that:

• are not state owned or politically funded
• are engaged in fact based publishing, reporting all facts
• separate clearly fact and opinion.

The members and the Association are dedicated to the development of objective press in Moldova, through:

• the facilitation of a better exchange of experience and information amongst members, and the independent press community.
• the improvement of journalists' knowledge of objective press programs, activities and present conditions for objective press.
• the collaborative resolution of problems that members have found difficult to resolve on an individual basis.

My project began in 1993, with the help of Arnost and Pepi Lustig, and in the company of my wife Kathleen Kennedy-Corey, who herself went to Prague to find family forty years silent behind the Iron Curtain. Starting first at the Film School, FAMU, I reached out to writers, artists, musicians, dancers, actors, the whole spectrum of people in the arts in and around Prague. The list of portraits contains the well-known, and purposefully the new and unknown. Jiri Menzel, famed film director since the 60's New Wave is alongside Sasa Gedeon, young and very talented director. Zdenek Urbanek, author and statesman is alongside Jachym Topol, inventor of new and exciting prose. Josef Istler, one of the last surrealists and still working, paired with Frantisek Skala, who represented the Czech Republic at the Venice Biennale recently.

The entire series will be posted on the Web throught the auspices of the Czech Embassy in Washington, starting the second half of 1999, and running through 2000. My goal beyond the exhibits is for a monograph to be published.

[Mission] Goal of the Foundation is formation of socially matured citizens, promotion of creation of an Open Society in Kazakhstan.

[History] This Program has came from the Soros Foundation and OSI. It has started in 1996.

[Present Status] Today Debate program is developing on the basis of National Debate Center Kazakhstan, which opened in Almaty in August, 1998. National Debate Center Kazakhstan conducts starting and advanced seminars on basic principles of debating, provides information on topics for discussion, hosts regional and National Tournaments, and Summer Debate Camp. Besides it the Center conducts methodological work.

[Membership] We are currently members of International Debate Education Association (I.D.E.A.)

[Interests/Needs] We are interested in all information concerning partnership with NGO in education sphere, contacts with them.