The representatives of non-governmental organizations cooperating with partners from Eastern Europe and Central Asia under the PAFF “Region in Transition” (RITA) Program met in Łódź on May 25-26, 2018.
The objective of the two-day meeting of Ambassadors of Transition in the Region was to share experience and inform the participants about the international cooperation, as well as integrate the environment of Polish organization which operate abroad. The meeting was attended by 35 representatives of NGOs which implement projects co-financed by “RITA” Program in such countries as Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia, and Russia.
The meeting started with presentation given by Anna Kertyczak, Vice President of the Education for Democracy Foundation, the manager of the “RITA” Program, and Katarzyna Świątkiewicz, the Polish-American Freedom Foundation Program Officer. They informed the guests about achievements and current offer of the “RITA” Program and other PAFF initiatives.
Next, Jan Jakub Wygnański shared his opinions on the social organizations role and responsibilities in today’s world. There were also workshops for the participants of the meeting where they shared their experiences from cooperation with their partners in the countries of the Region. They also discussed such topics as challenges facing “RITA” program and Polish NGOs implementing projects in Polish neighbor countries beyond eastern border. The first day ended with the presentation on Grupa Zagranica – the federation of Polish NGOs involved in international development cooperation, democracy support, humanitarian aid and global education. The presentation was given by Magdalena Trojanek.
On the second day of the meeting, the participants discussed the issues of Polish NGOs cooperation with partners abroad, promotion, fundraising and digital security. The work was in thematic groups related to countries, where the Polish NGOs run their activities.
The “Region in Transition” (RITA) Program, launched by PAFF in 2000 and managed by the Education for Democracy Foundation is addressed to non-governmental organizations and educational institutions willing to share Polish experiences of social and economic transformation with partners from countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. So far 991 projects have been co-financed under open grant competitions.
