Initiator: participant of Dialogue in Action, head of the New Life Foundation Natalia Mezentseva

Where:  Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk region

Result: establishing cooperation and obtaining due recognition of Natalia's efforts from the local authorities. And later, Natalia's desire to help the needy was also embodied in a social enterprise for sewing clothes and other textiles. It is this small production that has helped many residents of the House of Mercy get full-fledged jobs and return to life in the community

Details of cooperation: Natalia Mezentseva, together with the Protestant community of the city, created a system of comprehensive assistance to people who find themselves in difficult life circumstances. Especially women who have suffered domestic violence, have been on the street or released from prison and have not been able to return to a full life. The work of the foundation was carried out at different levels: from providing essential items to resocialization through the House of Mercy. There, its residents, along with their children, received medical, psychological and legal support. Additionally, they could take retraining courses; over a period of six months, their curators helped them find new housing, jobs, and developed the resilience to live independently in society.

Over time, there was a need to scale this activity in the conditions when the foundation received a new premises from the city authorities. The authorities, in turn, needed the support of the fund, since the efforts of the local social service were insufficient to meet the needs of the population. The process of building effective communication was facilitated by our team.

Thanks to this, Natalia Mezentseva and her Foundation managed not only to establish cooperation but also to develop a social enterprise that helped many residents of the House of Mercy to get a full-fledged job and return to life in the community. Currently, the Foundation continues to actively help the population: it provides shelter, organizes evacuations, searches for new housing and provides humanitarian assistance to those in need.