The conflict in eastern Ukraine has hardened psychological barriers among citizens and compounded physical divisions. Estimates put the number of conflict-related deaths at 13,300, including at least 3,367 civilians, while 33,500 people are estimated to have been injured and more than 1.45 million people have been internally-displaced (OHCHR estimation, July 2020). Over half a million people live in the “grey zone” near the contact line between government-controlled areas and the non-government-controlled territories, and those who were combatants or families of combatants are affected the most.

Since 2015 SeeD has been working with the UN system and USAID/OTI in Ukraine to assess societal trends and identifying the immediate needs of the Ukrainian society. Specific focus has been placed on the impact of conflict on citizens, their relationships with each other and their perception of the future of the country. Since 2015, SeeD’s efforts, partnerships and programmes in the country have been growing. Currently, SeeD has five inter-connected programmes in Ukraine, all of which are underpinned by the SCORE Index, calibrated and analysed for different partner and stakeholder needs, focusing on different socio-political and economic challenges. SCORE findings help identify entry points with the highest likelihood of impact for positive social change and ensure that interventions are well-tailored to the needs of different groups. Using the SCORE index and working in close collaboration with different peace and development partners, and national stakeholders, SeeD’s efforts help improve evidence-based policy making and programming in Ukraine.

SCORE for Eastern Ukraine efforts, initiated in 2016 are implemented in close partnership with Chemonics’ run and USAID funded Democratic Governance East Activity (DG-East), and also supported by the UN Recovery and Peacebuilding Programme. SCORE for Eastern Ukraine has a specific and granular focus on Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, including the non-government controlled areas, and investigates intergroup relations, political and civic orientations, support and scepticism towards reforms, migration tendencies as well as citizens’ satisfaction with and confidence in authorities. You can find more about the methodology here and our findings here.

SCORE National efforts, initiated in 2015, are implemented in close partnership with the same partners as SCORE Eastern Ukraine, as well as USAID/OTI funded Ukraine Confidence-Building Initiative (UCBI). Starting in 2016, SCORE National is repeated every other year to provide a big-picture and hold the pulse of the country as a whole. It allows us to monitor the trends and investigate to what extent the nation-wide dynamics are different compared to regional dynamics. You can find more about the methodology here and our findings here.

Resilience in Azov Sea Area (RASA) project, was launched in July 2020, is funded by the EU and implemented in partnership with ACTED and IMPACT. It specifically focuses on the three oblasts that have a coastline to the Azov Sea, namely Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson; and investigates the extent to which the conflict has socio-political and economic impact on the region, especially given their reliance on the trade networks and proximity to the Kerch Strait. RASA is particularly focused on identifying and improving the resilience capacities of the region, and addressing the vulnerability factors. View the project factsheet here.

SCORE Adolescent efforts are first of their kind and calibrate the methodology to adolescents aged 12 – 19 in close partnership with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine. When first launched in 2017, SCORE Adolescent project was focusing only on adolescents exposed to conflict in Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts but in 2018, the scope was expanded to include 215 education institutions in 9 oblasts across Ukraine. SCORE Adolescent studies investigate a wide range of civic, educational and psycho-social indicators ranging from positive experiences in the family and school context (e.g. parental involvement, teacher and peer support) to experiences of adversity (e.g. bullying, domestic violence); from different developmental outcomes (e.g. aggression, depression) to life skills and civic assets (e.g. creativity, problem solving, active citizenship). You can find more about the methodology here and our findings here.

Covid Preparedness for Schools project, running between August – December 2020, is implemented together with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education and Science in Ukraine. It was designed to provide school headmasters and local education authorities with an automated assessment tool with a set of thematic recommendations based on advice and best practices from the WHO, UNICEF, as well as national and local regulations. Covid-19 Preparedness for Schools aims to inform and improve Covid-19 related decision-making and planning process for schools and help monitor the resilience and safety of educational institutions.

Transforming Communications Activity (TCA) is SeeD’s latest USAID funded project in partnership with Chemonics. Launched in September 2020, TCA aims to increase the resilience of Ukraine’s democracy through innovative communications initiatives that engage Ukrainians in a conversation about the country’s democratic transformation and European integration. The program is focused on data-driven communications and increasing the quality and quantity of strategic communications on reform dividends. TCA project will utilise the SCORE data sets and design new innovative methodologies to produce tailored media and information consumption analyses, to test the effectiveness of communication messages and identify entry points for fostering critical and constructive dialogue.

Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU) initiative funded by FCDO UK, implemented by Chemonics as the managing agent and SeeD as consortium partner, launched in December 2021. The project aims at strengthening Ukraine’s resilience to instability and conflict and preparing Ukraine for a smooth social, economic and political transition integral to the political settlement of the conflict. Focusing on prevention of new conflicts, promotion of stability in oblasts of Eastern and Southern Ukraine, and political reintegration of NGCA, PFRU’s sub-projects and activities are implemented within four complementary and mutually reinforcing workstreams: public services, community resilience and dialogue, economic opportunities and strategic communications. Employing evidence-based programming to inform the targeting of interventions, the project utilizes and expands, particularly, a Political Legitimacy Index (PLI) developed based on the SCORE data.

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