What is the planned amount of investments for 2006? What programmes and projects have already been funded?
In 2005/2006 the Foundation provided $225 thousand (including $150 thousand in this year) for implementation of the project of EERC’s Master programme which is a part of the Contemporary Education programme. This year $75 thousand more will be invested in the project. Besides we are considering a number of prospective projects for the current year (only one of them will be selected). The final decision on the amount of funding will be made when the project is approved by the Board. 15 million hryvnas were provided for the project of reconstruction of the Metropolitan’s Residence. Within the framework of the Health of the Nation programme the first stage of the four-year project "Introduction of the DOTS-PLUS Strategy in Donetsk Oblast" will be financed in May for the amount of 7.3 million hryvnas.

Why doesn’t your Foundation deal with environmental issues, which are so vital for Ukraine and the region?
In order to achieve the desired targets we focus our efforts on the selected issues. The priority issues selected by the Foundation for the next year are as follows: education, health protection and culture. This year we have focused our efforts on the problem of preventive measures and treatment of drug resistant tuberculosis, reconstruction of a monument of architecture - Metropolitan’s House in the national reserve Sophia Kievskaya and EERC Master’s Program at National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
 
 
This approach allows us to focus our efforts on the selected objectives and thus to achieve good results.
 
At the same time the companies of SCM Group pay much attention to the environmental issues. Moreover, the environmental issue is one of the key elements of the corporate social responsibility policy of the Group. For more detailed information on the environmental policy carried out by SCM please see web-site: www.scm.com.ua

The projects of the Foundation with regard to education is aimed at supporting talented young people. Could you provide scholarship for my son to study abroad?
Foundation for Development of Ukraine participates in the projects aimed at introducing system changes in the selected areas of activity and it does not provide targeted assistance.
 
We are focused on implementation of several large scale projects aimed at elimination of the existing problems, namely in Ukrainian system of education.
 
However, you should not fall into despair - there are lots of possibilities. First of all, there are organizations arranging professional training of students abroad. Here are several examples:
 
http://www.irf.kiev.ua/ua/programs/edu
www.ces.uj.edu.pl
www.rotary.org
www.ceu.hu
www.actr.org
www.gates.scholarships.cam.ac.uk
 
Secondly, taking into account that many universities are interested in such students, quite often they provide assistance to such talented students. You can try to apply directly to such educational institutions.
 
We also recommend to see "Useful Information" section at our website (http://www.fdu.org.ua/rus/korisno/education/), which contains some good references in regard to education, including education abroad.

Are you ready to cooperate with other charity Foundations/organizations?
Yes, we are ready.
 
The Foundation attracts partners for implementation of the projects. At present we have the following partners: World Health Organization (WHO), Economics education and research consortium at National University Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Sophia Kievskaya Reserve.
 
In addition, we are ready to finance socially important projects in cooperation with other Foundations and organizations as we realize that:
 
1.      joint efforts usually allow to achieve better results;
2.      joint activity allows to avoid duplication (implementation of similar programs) and thus to implement a wide variety of projects and to provide more effective use of the Foundations.
 
At the same time the Foundation does not cooperate with the organizations whose main activity is connected with politics or religion as well as with the initiative groups and public associations functioning without the state registration.

Please tell if the Foundation provide support to schools. My school needs computer class. The informatics is taught without any technical and computer devices. Please advise us who should we turn to in order to solve this problem.
One of the Foundation's principles of selecting projects is the unique character of a project - that is, we aim at avoiding duplication of programs of other foundations and refuse from supporting ineffective state programs and substituting by our activities the functions of the State.
The Government of Ukraine has the 2006-2010 development strategy for Ukraine's education which contemplates complete material and computer support to the education system until 2008 and implementation of Intel international academician program aimed at training informatics teachers. The cooperation of the State and the World Bank is envisaged to solve this problem. To expedite the computerization process in your school we recommend you to turn to the district and city board of education. Presently, the schools file the applications for equipment and training aids to earmark the same in the State budget. Probably, you should turn directly to such organizations which are legally bond to provide educational facilities.
If you have any ideas of projects and proposals addressing the support to the secondary education which may result in system changes we will be glad to consider them.

Could you provide any feasible assistance to the district administration in repairing the building of district out-patient hospital?
Hospital repair and support of medical infrastructure as a whole should be funded by the State. Foundation for Development of Ukraine can not and should not substitute the activities of the State. We are building our relationship with the State on the terms of partnership and joint participation. For instance, by supporting a program for treatment of the drug-resistant tuberculosis, we provide funding for the medicines and equipment purchase, staff training, and the State, in its turn, provides funding for premises repair, remuneration of doctors.     

We recommend you to refer to Ukrainian Fund of Social Investments with a micro-project for repair of the building of the district out-patient hospital. Ukrainian Fund of Social Investments is a nonprofit organization established by virtue of Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to implement the joint project of the Government of Ukraine and the World Bank. The core objectives of the Fund are the improvement of living conditions for poor and unprotected population groups, enhancement of potential of the community and unprotected population groups to solve local social problems. See the procedure of submitting the micro-project with Ukrainian Fund of Social Investments at the website www.usif.kiev.ua or learn the information by calling: 8-044-417-26-33, 417-10-57.

Will you hold mass supporting actions involving volunteers?
We realize the significant role of volunteers in the society, and being SCM corporate foundation, we seek to provide the employees with the opportunity to contribute to the socially valuable activities on a volunteer basis. For example, SCM managers conducted lectures in the summer school for economics teachers from Western Europe and CIS countries. In future we plan to create programs for participation of employees as volunteers. Involvement of volunteers other than SCM employees has not been considered so far. Yet, such involvement is not ruled out.

In the sphere of higher education you are realizing the project ? Support to Master's Degree Program in Economics of the Economic Education and Research Consortium attached to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. What is the way of your influence on the development, reorganization of secondary and specialized secondary education?
Our Foundation may not reorganize the system of secondary and specialized education. This is what the State has to do. Our role is to create better practices which may in future influence the system as a whole. Within the Program "Contemporary Education" the Foundation conducted the studies of priority pending matters in education. Nowadays the acutest problem is the professional staff training by the system of higher and secondary education. In this connection we are thrashing over idea of conference which will be a platform for exchange of best practices developed by Ukraine's educational establishments and businesses, for real changes in the sphere of specialized secondary and higher education, and will promote the development of relationship between various interested parties.

Is the Foundation ready to support sport activities, thus promoting a healthy lifestyle? Will the Foundation support young promising sportsmen?
The Foundation do not support sport activities and promising sportsmen for a number of reasons:
1.      SCM company is already providing support to sport activities. Please see the details at  www.scm.com.ua
2.      Young promising sportsmen may seek the support from sport clubs interested in development of young talented people.
 
It also should be noted that the companies within SCM Group provide active support to sport institutions and activities in the cities they are located.

Will the Foundation be able to assist in producing a book of children's fairy-tales by Donetsk young author?
Producing the children's book may become a successful commercial project, that is why we recommend you to turn to the relevant organizations to get assistance and consultations.  
You may also turn to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism which from time to time holds tenders within the program "Financial support to cultural fiction literature publishing houses" (www.mincult.gov.ua)
Although the project of support and development of talented writers would be interesting, it should address the creation of favorable conditions for writers rather than simply support to certain authors.

The program for reconstruction of Sofia Kyivska is among the Foundation's projects. Do you plant to realize similar programs, for instance, for reconstruction of Sviatogorsk Monastery which is of no less value?
The support to Sviatogorsk Monastery is not provided for in the 2007 project portfolio. Reconstruction of architectural monuments and preservation of cultural heritage as a whole is our important but not the only objective. The involvement of many people in the process of preservation of cultural heritage is of high value for us. To make people realize the responsibility for their cultural heritage is much more significant task than simple funding of reconstruction. In case of Foundation's participation in reconstruction of the Metropolitan's Residence of the National Reserve "Sofia Kyivska" the important step was the establishment of the Advisory Board. The goal of future activities of the Board is to see the national reserve move from the strategy of survival to the strategy of development and to create the community of partial people around the Reserve.

How will the Foundation provide support to young talented people?
The Foundation provides support to young talented people within the program "Contemporary Education". To support certain person means to pass over the others, that is why for us it is important to influence on changes which will give chances to many sportsmen rather than one sportsman. One of the vivid examples is the support provided to the EERC Master's Degree Program attached to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. This support covers both students and teachers; special attention is paid to those who continue study and work in Ukraine after their study tours and training abroad.

Will the Foundation provide support to the veterans' health (medical equipment for hospitals, etc.)?
The purchase of medical equipment for the laboratories of Donetsk Oblast is planned within the project "Treatment, diagnostics and detection of the drug-resistant tuberculosis in Donetsk Oblast". The Foundation has had no separate program for support to the veterans' health so far. We may purchase medical equipment within future projects, and such purchases has always been a part of a project.