The Recovery and Development Consultants program is a training initiative of ISAR Ednannia, implemented with the support of the European Union. It trains specialists who help communities recover and develop, establish partnerships between authorities and citizens, launch local change projects and attract funding. Participants are people from NGOs, local governments and business initiatives who are already working at the local level and want to do it more systematically.
How It All Began
Anatoliy Dziubenko, co-founder of the "iHELP" charitable foundation, explains that in the first days of the full-scale invasion he decided to help a local volunteer initiative that was preparing and delivering food to shelters, kindergartens, and a maternity hospital.
Over time, the team realized they needed to organize and establish a charitable foundation so that aid wouldn't be provided haphazardly. That's how the "iHELP" Foundation came into being on April 1, 2022.
"At first we worked in Kyiv region, but after its de-occupation we redirected our efforts eastward — to Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Lysychansk. Many of the foundation's staff are originally from Kherson region. I myself lived between two cities — Kyiv and Kherson. So after Kherson's de-occupation, we headed there with a large humanitarian convoy — a truck and vans loaded with food," Anatoliy says.
For the Children of Kherson Region: From Gifts to a Cinema
In 2022, the foundation launched the charitable campaign "For the Children of Kherson Region from the Children of Kyiv," which continues to this day.
"When we first arrived in Kherson region, we saw that after the occupation many children were very frightened. Some were even afraid to leave their yards. So we reached out to Kyiv educational institutions we cooperated with, and together we collected over 2,500 New Year's gifts and delivered them to children in Kherson region. Since then, this campaign has continued: we keep supporting the educational process, providing school supplies, and supporting children," Anatoliy says.
Another initiative of the foundation is the "Cinema World" (Kinosvit) mobile cinema for children, as the team decided to focus more on developing the educational process.
"We realized that many children from Kherson and Mykolaiv regions, especially from remote communities, had never in their lives been to a cinema. So thanks to benefactors, we purchased a popcorn machine, quality speakers, a cotton candy machine, a projector with a screen, and we try to recreate the atmosphere of a real cinema under these conditions. Screenings usually take place in shelters. At the start of each film, we tell the children about the country where it was made, so they learn something new."
Together with partners, the "iHELP" Foundation also launched the "Social Taxi" initiative, which helps people with disabilities from Kherson and Mykolaiv regions get to hospitals or government institutions to process necessary documents.
From Volunteering to Systematic Work
In August 2025, the "iHELP" Foundation joined ISAR Ednannia's "Recovery and Development Consultants" program.
Anatoliy explains that for a while the foundation operated on the team's own funds as well as donations. Later they realized that to work effectively they needed to scale their projects, find partners, and develop. So when ISAR Ednannia announced the competition for the "Recovery and Development Consultants" program, Anatoliy submitted an application.
"We understand that today all frontline communities have the opportunity to attract donors and partners to improve life in their communities. The problem is that we often lack understanding of exactly how to do this and what's needed for it," Anatoliy shares.
He also adds that his team strives to develop in the humanitarian sector as professionals and to work in accordance with international standards.
"This training became a new stage for us in understanding humanitarian sector standards. For me, first and foremost, it was important to understand how different organizations interact with one another. And also what exactly donors expect from us," Anatoliy adds.
Anatoliy shared that during the training, theory was combined with practice, which was very interesting. One stage of the program is a training-of-trainers, which he has already completed and is now preparing to conduct his own training.
Life After the Training
Anatoliy says the "Recovery and Development Consultants" program helped his organization better prepare to attract resources and understand how to work with international partners.
According to him, during the training he also learned how to work with grant applications, reporting, and official communication. After the program, the team applied for the "Social Taxi" project in order to implement it in Mykolaiv region as well, using the knowledge gained during the training.
"Later we wrote a grant application for the 'Cinema World' children's cinema and received 240,000 hryvnias for its implementation. We try to create a real cinema atmosphere for children — with a big screen, good sound, and a projector. When we launched the project, we hadn't seen anything like it in the civil society sector. And now other organizations have started adopting such initiatives. That's great, because our main goal is for as many children and young people as possible to get acquainted with the art of cinema," Anatoliy says.
He adds that the team is now working to make their projects sustainable, so they can continue operating even without the foundation's involvement. In particular, they are analyzing the effectiveness of "Social Taxi," engaging local business in its development, seeking international partners, and have already submitted a funding application to the Canadian government.
"Don't Doubt Your Actions"
Anatoliy advises other organizations still considering whether to participate in the "Recovery and Development Consultants" program to fill out an application:
"Don't doubt your actions. If you have a goal and a mission, ask yourself: does this program bring you closer to achieving your organizational goals? If so — don't hesitate, apply. This program is, first and foremost, experience, opportunities, and new connections. And the best capital there can be is people."
