The Sphere Women's Association NGO

Coverage: Kharkiv region

Type: NGO/NPO/Social Enterprise

Description:

The Kharkiv Women Association Sphere NGO is a Ukrainian public lesbian-feministic organization founded in 2006 by an initiative group of women. In 2008, it was registered in the register of non-profit organizations and in 2017 it successfully passed the re-registration in accordance with the current legislation of Ukraine. The organization unites women regardless of age, marital status, origin, sexual orientation, religious, political and other beliefs. 
 
To achieve the main goal, different educational, mobilization, and entertainment events are conducted (for instance, film screenings, workshops, info sessions, discussions, public actions, etc.). The members have the necessary expertise in issues of non-discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. They participate in various national and international conferences, discussions, round tables, national and international LGBT+ and feminist events.

Aims and objectives: 

Our Mission: 
Creating opportunities for women in various spheres of public life and professional activities in Ukraine and the world by promoting the development of women’s potential in general and strengthening the influence of every woman and women’s communities in society.

Priority directions of work:
promoting the idea of equal rights and opportunities for women in all spheres of public life; implementation of educational activities in the field of human rights, gender equality, diversity of sexual, gender and other identities; promoting the integration of homosexual and bisexual women and communities into society; creation of conditions for social, economic, professional, creative, age, cultural, sporting and personal development of each woman and women’s communities.

The main focus: LB women, women in general, vulnerable groups of women, LGBT+ people.

The main goal: to strengthen potential and capacities of vulnerable groups of people (especially women) in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lugansk region; countermeasure mitigations and discrimination tasks; to confront hate speech at every turn; to develop media literacy about human rights; to increase activist self-awareness.

Main activities:

The Sphere NGO members have conducted 5 (five) LGBTIQ+ public actions, about 100 (one hundred) different human rights activities (discussions, lectures, workshops, etc.), information media campaigns (for example, the information campaign #KharkivForAll devoted to the International Coming Out Day 11.10.2017, the information campaign #SupportKharkivPride2019). 

Also, they have initiated short and long term projects. With the Heinrich Boell Foundation's support the annual project Woman's Solidarity Week devoted to the 8th of March was implemented in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. In 2015—2016 in cooperation with the UPO Gay Alliance Ukraine, the WA Sphere NGO provided different activities at the community center for LGBT+ QueerHome in Kharkiv (about 20 per month). At present, the community center PrideHub has been successfully operating in Kharkiv. 

The Sphere NGO has built stable partnership relations with more than 20 partner organizations that implement their projects in order to promote gender equality. Besides, the lady president and the lady vice-president are included in the work of the Organizing Committee of KyivPride — the largest Ukrainian LGBT+ project. 

In September 2019 the Sphere NGO members together with the Kharkiv LGBTIQ+ community conducted the first KharkivPride campaign, a few educational events (more than 100 people attended each one), and the KharkivPride March on the 15th of September (2500—3000 participants).