When the City Plunges into Darkness, We Become the Light: ALLIANCE.GLOBAL Dnipro
30.09.2024
In conditions of constant threat and uncertainty, Dnipro has transformed into a crucial transit point for LGBTIQ+ people from frontline territories.
Every day, the ALLIANCE.GLOBAL team selflessly fights for the rights and safety of their beneficiaries, flexibly adapting their activities to new challenges and community needs.
Dmytro Ponomarenko, the regional coordinator of ALLIANCE.GLOBAL in Dnipro, describes the radical changes in the organisation’s work. His words reflect the massive transformation the organisation has undergone during the full-scale war:
“Before the full-scale invasion, our office mainly focused on HIV testing and community events. When the invasion began, new directions emerged: psychological and humanitarian support, provision of financial aid. We quickly reoriented ourselves to meet the urgent needs of our LGBTIQ+ beneficiaries.”
These changes vividly reflect the new realities faced by the LGBTIQ+ community. Dnipro has become a refuge for many seeking safer regions. Dmytro adds:
“People started coming to us from Donetsk, Kharkiv regions, Zaporizhzhia. We’ve become a sort of safe haven for many LGBTIQ+ individuals who were forced to leave their homes due to the war.”
Mykhailo Serediuk, a social worker at the community hub for LGBTIQ+ confirms these words, sharing his own experience of professional role transformation:
“Before the full-scale invasion, I worked on an HIV, hepatitis, and syphilis testing project. Now I work on a equal-to-equal counselling project. I’ve become a reference point and helper when a person needs any kind of assistance.”
Mykhailo describes his new role in detail, which requires versatility and a deep understanding of community needs:
“If someone comes to me with, say, complaints of loneliness, I can offer group psychological sessions or book an individual consultation with a psychologist. If someone is interested in HIV testing or obtaining STI protection, I redirect them to the appropriate social worker. In case of legal issues, we have a network of paralegals. My role is to be the connecting link between all these services and our beneficiaries.”
Mykyta Tykhyi, a social worker conducting events for LGBTIQ+ people and in HIV prevention programmes, complements the picture, outlining the broad spectrum of his duties:
“I help with the resocialisation of the community, particularly LGBTIQ+ IDPs (internally displaced persons), conducting events, supporting the regional coordinator Dmytro, involved in the HIV prevention project among MSM (men who have sex with men), redirecting clients to the AIDS centre. These are the main directions of my work, but new tasks and challenges arise every day.”
One of the key areas of ALLIANCE.GLOBAL’s work has become shelters – “safe spaces” for LGBTIQ+ people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances due to the war. Anastasiia Hrushetska, the coordinator of the organisation’s shelter work, talks about the history and geography of this initiative:
“The first shelter opened in Kyiv in 2019 for the gay community and transgender people who experienced rejection or domestic or sexual violence. After the full-scale invasion, we opened new shelters in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Chernivtsi, and Lviv, responding to the growing need for safe spaces for LGBTIQ+ individuals.”
The safety of shelter residents is the top priority. Anastasiia emphasises the importance of confidentiality:
“First and foremost, we care about safety. People receiving this service must be in a completely protected place. We don’t disclose addresses, we meet people at locations as far away from the shelters as possible. Safety is our number one priority.”
Maksym Kalin, the administrator of the ALLIANCE.GLOBAL shelter in Dnipro, adds, revealing the complexities of working in wartime conditions:
“Everyone provides their written consent to the rules of residence, and we ensure their compliance. As for the work, it’s indeed challenging. We spend a lot of personal resources. We have to interact with people in various psycho-emotional states, overcome unpredictable situations. For example, helping with evacuation from combat zones, searching for safe corridors, negotiating with carriers. All this is to minimise risks for our beneficiaries and save them from the consequences of war.”
But ALLIANCE.GLOBAL’s work is not limited to providing shelter. The organisation actively develops partnerships with local businesses and other organisations. Mykhailo Serediuk talks about these initiatives:
“We signed a memorandum with the director of a grocery store. We have an LGBTIQ+-friendly private clinic, a barbershop. We cooperate with individual specialists: massage therapists, hairdressers, make-up artists, designers. This cooperation is beneficial not only materially but also psychologically. In these establishments, our beneficiaries can feel genuine, not hide.”
Dmytro Ponomarenko adds, outlining the prospects for expanding the network of partnerships:
“We’re currently negotiating with a local barbershop and an LGBTIQ+-friendly café about discounts for our clients after signing a memorandum. This will help create a wider network of safe spaces for our community.”
Volunteers play an important role in the organisation’s work. Dmytro notes, emphasising the strength of LGBTIQ+ people:
“In our community in Dnipro, many beneficiaries help each other. When they see that the organisation can’t help with something, they offer their services for free. Even when the shelter is already quite full, people offer shelter in their homes. During blackouts, they brought LED lamps, devices that can work from a power bank to share with others. This is true solidarity in action.”
However, challenges remain. Dmytro explains:
“The biggest challenges in working with LGBTIQ+ communities today are related to frequent power outages. Without access to electricity, it’s difficult to provide necessary technical support, and online meetings or other digital tools become practically inaccessible.”
He adds, revealing another important aspect:
“Another significant challenge is mobilisation measures. Many beneficiaries feel anxious and avoid leaving home, fearing forced mobilisation or other consequences. This significantly affects participation in events and access to the services we provide. We constantly look for new ways to stay in touch with community representatives even outside our safe spaces.”
Vladyslav Fomin, PR consultant for ALLIANCE.GLOBAL and the National LGBTI Consortium, talks about the evolution of the organisation’s communication strategies:
“Before the full-scale invasion, our activities focused on advocating for legislative changes, supporting key bill 5488 (regarding hate-motivated crimes) and civil partnerships among same-sex couples, ensuring access to medical and social services for LGBTIQ+ communities, excluding HIV from the list of restrictions for blood donation, countering discrimination in media and advertising. However, the war forced us to rethink priorities. We promptly reoriented our communication efforts to support humanitarian initiatives, but, of course, we continue to engage in national advocacy in parallel, as human rights issues are always relevant, especially during a large-scale war.”
Vladyslav also notes, emphasising the importance of innovative approaches in communication:
“The safety of our beneficiaries remains our top priority. We’ve developed innovative approaches that, if necessary, allow us to create content understandable only to LGBTIQ+ communities. This is especially important in situations where our beneficiaries may view information in public places or near uninformed relatives. For example, in advertising our safe spaces.”
He emphasises the importance of authenticity in communication with partners and donors:
“We understand that behind every partner organisation are people who once started their journey in activism. Some of them were social workers, some project managers. They understand our specifics. Therefore, we collect and tell real stories of our beneficiaries, provide clear data about our activities, demonstrate specific results, and share our plans for the future. This allows us to build trusting and transparent relationships with all stakeholders.”
The HR department plays an important role in ensuring the effective work of the organisation. Olena Luhova, HR consultant at ALLIANCE.GLOBAL, who joined the team a year ago, talks about transformations in personnel management:
“Over the year of my work at ALLIANCE.GLOBAL, significant changes have occurred in HR processes. We’ve implemented important internal policies and regulations, standardised procedures for selection and integration of service providers.”
Olena notes that this is her first experience working in the public sector, which she considers invaluable. She emphasises the uniqueness of the challenges faced by the HR department of an organisation working with LGBTIQ+ communities in wartime conditions.
“We strive to maintain the unity of colleagues from different regions, prevent burnout due to war stress and the specifics of working in the public sector,” Olena explains.
The HR department pays special attention to the psychological support of employees. Olena talks about the practices they implement:
“We practice sincere communication and mutual care. I encourage colleagues to use free consultations with our psychologists to support mental health.”
In wartime, according to Olena, crisis management skills and flexibility in service provision have become critically important. ALLIANCE.GLOBAL constantly adapts its staff training and development programmes, focusing on stress resilience, mental health, and human rights.
To increase team effectiveness, Olena introduced regular monthly meetings:
“Everyone can voice problems and share experiences. This helps us better understand what can be improved and how to solve emerging problems.”
Olena summarises her vision of team effectiveness: “It’s the ability to do the job with available resources within the allocated time while maintaining a healthy atmosphere. We strive to achieve this balance in every region of our activity.”
Despite numerous challenges, the ALLIANCE.GLOBAL team continues its tireless work, adapting to new realities. Mykhailo Serediuk summarises:
“Working at ALLIANCE.GLOBAL is my biggest, most successful project. I really feel that we’re doing important work, changing people’s lives for the better.”
Mykyta Tykhyi adds enthusiastically:
“I really enjoy the work. Each day brings new challenges, but also new opportunities to help our community.”
The work of ALLIANCE.GLOBAL Dnipro is a mission of rescue and support. In wartime conditions, the organisation has become a “zone of unconditional safety” for LGBTIQ+ communities, adapting its activities to new challenges and needs. Each region has its own specifics, unique challenges, and sufficiently independent teams. As a rapidly developing organisation, we put a lot of effort into understanding the local context.
Vladyslav, the organisation’s PR consultant, adds:
“We are grateful to our partners who trust our expertise and support our boldest initiatives. We learn from each other, and the most important lesson of all is that even one life saved in the moment saves dozens of lives in the perspective of time.”
Despite numerous challenges and dangers, ALLIANCE.GLOBAL remains steadfast in its commitment to support LGBTIQ+ communities in various regions of Ukraine, including in frontline areas. The organisation pays special attention to Dnipro, which has become an important centre of help and support.
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