The project "East at Your Fingertips" has officially launched. It is a platform for preserving the local identity of Donetsk Oblast in the context of forced displacement of the population.
The project is being implemented by the Kramatorsk District State Administration with the participation of the MyRazom IDP Support Center in Poltava.
The first meeting of the project's initiative group took place simultaneously in Poltava and Dnipro, where branches of the MyRazom IDP Support Center operate. Representatives of the communities of the Kramatorsk district joined the discussion, as well as experts in the field of local history, museum affairs, and culture from the Pokrovsk and Bakhmut districts, who participated online.
During the meeting, the initiative group began work on compiling materials for the memorabilia collection "Donetsk Region: Faces of Time" – a series of 20 information cards and postcards with stories and photographs of little-known but remarkable personalities, in particular women from the Donetsk Region.
The project "East at Your Fingertips" aims to preserve the cultural code of Donetsk region, its traditions, stories, and folklore. Its goal is to create an offline platform that will become a space for memory and a place for internally displaced persons, especially women, who want to maintain ties with their native land.
The platform will combine activities to collect and systematise materials on the cultural heritage of Donetsk region, restore family histories and traditions, organise educational and creative events, and create an online resource to promote these initiatives among displaced communities.
According to the members of the initiative group, the project has not only cultural but also social significance—it will help displaced persons maintain a sense of belonging, overcome the consequences of forced displacement, and find inspiration and support in the community.
“East at Your Fingertips” is a step towards preserving the shared heritage, memory and strength of Donetsk Oblast, as well as an important stage in laying the foundations for the future revival of the region after de-occupation.
The event was held as part of the SMARTA NGO project "Ambassadors of Peaceful Change" with technical support from UN Women in Ukraine and funding from the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). However, this does not mean that the views and content expressed during the event are officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations.
The UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is a flexible and responsive funding instrument that supports high-quality activities to enhance the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.
Based on materials from the Kramatorsk District State Administration