Community Space “DobroSpace”: Tetiana’s Story — How Care Becomes Systemic Support

Photo: NGO Institute for Partnership and Sustainable Development

“Does your heart tell you to act? Wonderful! Believe in your idea, but plan wisely. Find like-minded people — it’s easier together. Don’t be afraid to ask for support. And most importantly — do it with love,” advises Tetiana Cherniuk, founder of the charitable foundation Country of Goodwill and alumna of the WOMEN’S POWER program, who transformed her own experiences and anxieties into a platform supporting hundreds of people.

She is 29 years old. When Russia’s full-scale invasion began, Tetiana’s life changed forever: her father went to the frontlines. This personal challenge became a catalyst for action:

“Seeing your father go to war while leaving a two-year-old son at home is painful and frightening. But that’s when I realized: we cannot just sit and wait. We must help those around us.”

From Volunteering to a Sustainable Community Space

At first, it was just a group of caring people. Together, they collected humanitarian aid, supported internally displaced persons (IDPs), and helped at checkpoints. But it quickly became clear — the community needed not only basic necessities but also a space for interaction, emotional support, and personal growth. That’s how the idea of a community space was born. With the support of the WOMEN’S POWER program and other partners, Tetiana and her team launched DobroSpace — a place that became a catalyst for new initiatives in the Berezanska community.

The 2024–25 WOMEN’S POWER program is implemented by the Institute for Partnership and Sustainable Development with technical support from UN Women in Ukraine and funding from the UN Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).

Support from the program allowed the team to equip the space and purchase materials for workshops. But the greatest achievement was the emergence of a community.

“This is not just a room — it’s a place where people feel needed. Where trust, initiatives, and faith in the future are born,” Tetiana says.

Photo: NGO Institute for Partnership and Sustainable Development

The Heart of Community Life

At DobroSpace, a support group for young mothers, a board games club for youth, and a volunteer group helping older adults independently organized. The space also became a permanent meeting place for the Berezanska Youth Council and the local Women’s Club. Joint events happen at least twice a month — women and girls plan projects, discuss pressing challenges, and learn from each other.

For Tetiana, the most valuable part of this initiative is human reciprocity:

“At DobroSpace, people find not only support but new friends and like-minded individuals. It’s a place where you don’t feel alone.”

Community Spaces — A Tool for Cohesion

According to UN Women research in Ukraine, about 70% of community spaces created or supported after 2022 became entry points for volunteering, mutual aid, and education. They often provide services that traditional institutions cannot fully deliver: psychological support, informal education, and IDP integration. In many communities, women’s initiatives were at the forefront of creating such spaces, and DobroSpace is a vivid example.

“I dream that DobroSpace becomes a place people want to return to. Where everyone feels they are not alone, and together we can achieve anything,” Tetiana says.

Feedback on the WOMEN’S POWER Program

“Investing in the training and professional development of women leaders and activists is not a luxury — it’s a necessity,” Tetiana emphasizes. Programs like WOMEN’S POWER provide the knowledge, tools, and confidence that truly change communities.

Founded in 2022, the WOMEN’S POWER program has united over 220 local women’s organizations, authorities, and businesses for joint responses to challenges. It has implemented 124 initiatives that met critical needs of more than 100,000 people across Ukraine. The network aims to foster effective interaction between civil society, authorities, and business, address humanitarian challenges, build leadership skills and cohesion among women leaders and their teams, and increase resilience in the civilian population.

“Women in communities, authorities, and businesses are united in the struggle for independence, freedom, truth, and dignity. Ukrainian women are a reliable humanitarian backbone and the foundation for Ukraine’s recovery,” says Daria Mustafina, founder of the program and director of the Institute for Partnership and Sustainable Development.

The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.