Cooperation East West Experiences and lessons learnt Oleksandr

Cooperation East – West: Experiences and lessons learnt Oleksandr Malov

Cooperation between East and West – lessons learnt Table of content: 1. How it works 2. Visible problems 3. Possible scenarios 4. What are the root problems and who cares? 5. Perspectives and recommendations

First-hand donor Mrs. Van Basten Mediators – 1. West Mediators – East How it works Church, NGO-1, NGO-2 Church Types of mediators • Churches • Fundraising agencies + policies/strategies • Those who do “real work” - churches and NGO’s. • Those who assist in legal issues/procedures and processes, but not or very little doing “real work”. • NGO’s – which are not doing the “real work”, but teach others how to do “real work”. Final recipient Mrs. Petrenko

1. How it works (The journey of 1. 00 EURO) First-hand donor Mrs. Van Basten EURO 1. 00 Does she know how much gets the final recipient? Mediators – West Church, NGO-1, NGO -2 Minus: EURO 0. 10 Minus: EURO 0. 250. 35 Mediators – East NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Minus: EURO 0. 10 Minus: EURO 0. 05 Final recipient Mrs. Petrenko = EURO 0. 5 -0. 4

1. How it works (how the image of a need is formed) First-hand donor Mediators – West Mrs. Van Basten Church, NGO-1, NGO-2 Mediators – East NGO-1, NGO 2, Church Final recipient Mrs. Petrenko Housing, treatment Internal policies and priorities Food package is the need Internal policies and priorities often based on marketing challenges – could we sell this need or not?

2. Visible problems (1) First-hand donor Mediators – West Mediators – East Final recipient Mrs. Van Basten Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Mrs. Petrenko General problems • Completions between • Competitions local NGO’s for EURO between NGO’s for 1. 00 Mrs. Van Basten’s • Need to justify own EURO 1. 00 existence may lead to The need is so big and they all want my EURO 1. 00. • Marketing requires staying attractive to the first-hand donors. the hidden approach of not willingness to any positive changes “the worst is the best”. • Big concern for number of projects in order to justify administrative cost, rather than for project’s quality. Manipulation with its own importance – you all make money because of

2. Visible problems (2) First-hand donor Mediators – West Mediators – East Final recipient Mrs. Van Basten Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Mrs. Petrenko Problem with the complexed procedures and processes • Does not care for it. Want • to be sure her 1 EURO got to the final recipient for the promised purposes • Increase the cost of work • Do not have any direct connection with the effectiveness of work • Shift the focus from “real work” to bureaucracy • Reports, interviews, pictures taking may upset final recipients and may lead them to reject receiving of help from NGO/Church • Because of given help may lose valuable social benefits from the government and some people in real need have to reject help from NGO/Church. Increase the cost of work May lead to wrong estimation of national EE NGO’s (abilities to communicate well and write good reports may become of higher importance rather than real impact of the work). • Artificial projects – just to meet requirements of Western NGO’s • Shift of excellent ministries toward donors with the easier procedures and processes.

First-hand donor Mrs. Van Basten 2. Visible problems (3) Mediators – West Mediators – East Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Final recipient Mrs. Petrenko Problem of high and not realistic expectations Pressure both from Western NGO and final recipients Decline of Frustrations – 26 years of interest to work in Ukraine but still no Frustration – support NGO significant changes are seen. • May lead to making the need housing, but when the reality of outcomes receives food promises are not nicer than they really fulfilled are.

2. Visible problems (4) First-hand donor Mediators – West Mediators – East Final recipient Mrs. Van Basten Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Mrs. Petrenko Problem of perceptions Presence of Western money • Business approach – rational, lead to obvious decline in costly, marketing driven interest of local people to support that same very cause Decline of value – • If that is a business for you if that is supported • At risk to lose Christian – we’ll do it as business as by West, there is a identity in methods, practices. hidden agenda in it well At risk to replace faith and they have At risk to lose Christian trust in Lord by marketing benefits in doing so identity in methods, methods practices. At risk to replace faith and trust in Lord by

3. Possible scenarios (1) First-hand donor Mediators – West Mediators – East Final recipient Tax payers Government(s), UN, EU Government, UN, EU local offices Mrs. Petrenko The Marshall Plan • Huge investments in Ukrainian economy • Open or hidden external governance over Ukraine • Change of national legislation • Control Life standards improvement of Ukrainian population

First-hand donor Mrs. Van Basten 3. Possible scenarios (2) Mediators – West Mediators – East Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Final recipient Mrs. Petrenko Decrease or even complete stop of present Western support to EE Possible change of a focus from EE to the countries with the bigger needs Little of harm – the current project’s structure shows the average final recipient receives an Will be harmed a lot amount of EURO 25. 00 - EURO 50. 00 per month and such help is not crucial for their lives

4. What are the root problems and who cares? PARADOX: There are no reasons for Ukraine being a poor state… …but that is still poor… WHY?

General mentality in society… Russia Belarus Ukraine Georgia Armenia* Moldova Romania Bulgaria Serbia and… Greece

General mentality – what about religious roots? • States with prevalent poverty level and with low human rights/freedom indexes (in a history) • “People’s beliefs” • Different traditions West verso East in regards of “sacral” part of life and daily“normal life” • Out of 80% just 2% may be practicing believers • “Low quality” of nation/people What you can do with it?

Mentality of Christians – protestants Christian First-hand donors WEST Mediators – West Church and Christians in Ukraine Why do Christians give? • Depth of faith – everything comes from Him and should be used for His Glory. Everyone has what to share with others. 2 nd Corinthians 8: 2, 9, 12 -15; • Culture of giving 1 st Corinthians 16: 1 -2; • Results of giving 2 nd Corinthians 9: 1214; • Low depth of faith (poverty mentality – I have nothing; rich should give, but not me) What you can do with it? • Low culture of giving (giving is a subject a lot of people want to avoid talking) • There is money in Ukraine – people give to what is important

Who cares? First-hand donor Mediators – West Mediators – East Final recipient Mrs. Van Basten Church, NGO-1, NGO-2, Church Mrs. Petrenko Is there a problem of ownership at all? • Another type of ownership – “ownership over people” • Money is not a first issue for this type of “ownership over people” oriented projects Mainly look at ownership from • Practicing her/his a point of financial contribution faith and do not toward the projects by the EE care for so called churches and NGO’s. “ownership” (interviews with first-hand • donors) Good and effective project – any project done by the right people, which help person to get a new identity and get new belonging, for no money at all or for very reasonable money Church is a best agent for helping to get new identity and Mrs. Petrenko’s real problems may be hardly solved by the help from the West. Her real problems are the need for new identity and the need for being included into a new group where she’ll get all possible support via

5. Perspectives and recommendations - Look for the right people with the right projects aimed for identity and belonging - Get rid of projects which are not aimed for identity and belonging (except rare situations when the emergency relief help is needed) - Make the processes and procedures easier – if not you’ll loose good and blessed projects and people, or you may move right people from front-line work to bureaucracy - Make the administrative cost cheaper both in WE and EE

5. Perspectives and recommendations - Get the chain of mediators shorter – get closer to final recipients and listen to the front-liners, not to bureaucrats - Make the project’s cost reasonable - Do not invent problems where there are no problems - Remember there are problems which are beyond your control and ability to change things, or to work-out good solutions - Enjoy being in the ministry of God and weary not - and let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not, Galatians 6: 9