The coordinator of the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) paid a visit to Mykolaiv.
On Friday, October 13th, a meeting was held in the office of the charitable organization ‘Shchedryk’ in Mykolaiv with Alister Short, the coordinator of the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster for the United Nations World Food Programme in Ukraine (WFP).
Alister Short is an expert with more than 20 years of experience in various humanitarian projects and missions around the world.
Currently, his experience and cluster’s strategy are being implemented in the Mykolaiv region, particularly in communities located near the conflict zones. The cluster aims to provide residents with means of livelihood, including the creation of employment projects.
“Significant efforts are currently focused on negotiations with donors to increase funding, with a focus on providing seeds, seedlings, poultry, and livestock. Donors support projects implemented in urban environments, such as training, job creation, and assistance with employment. We aim to transition from providing food aid to livelihood projects because this support ensures sustainability,” said Alister Short during the meeting.
Also present at the meeting was a representative from the WFP UN Logistics Cluster, Carolina Greda.
“To support all organizations providing humanitarian assistance, we work in three main directions: coordination, information management, and providing services to cluster partners. Our cluster has been actively working in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. We can assist NGOs working in the south with warehouse facilities. It’s important for us to hear your feedback so that we can better tailor and plan the services we can provide to partners. We are always open to meetings,” the representative said.
Sergey Kolesnik, the President of the ‘Shchedryk’ Foundation, added that one of the developed projects is related to the World Food Programme, while another focuses on establishing a single aid center. Separate negotiations are also underway with ‘Save the Children’ donors.
Alexander Mosin, co-founder of the charitable foundation, explained that the creation of a single protection center will enable them to receive assistance requests from Mykolaiv residents and redirect them to specialized experts and organizations for swift problem resolution.
Currently, ‘Shchedryk’ is successfully implementing a project for training in broiler chicken farming, which is being carried out in the Snihurivska and Shyrokivska communities. During the training period, a total of 620 sets were distributed, each containing 24 chicks, a 40-day supply of compound feed, and vitamins. The project’s goal is to raise chickens for personal use or for sale, ultimately creating one’s own business.
It’s worth noting that representatives from approximately 20 other civic organizations attended the event, presenting their activities and sharing their experiences with each other.
