On June 1, 2020, the staff of the International Institute of Education, Culture and Diaspora Relations, Lviv Polytechnic National University, met with President of the Ukrainian Association in the Republic of South Africa (RSA).
Dzvinka Kachur, President of the Ukrainian Association in South Africa, Iryna Kliuchkovska, Director of IECDR, Oksana Piatkovska, Deputy Director of IECDR, Yurii Marusyk, Research Fellow of IECDR, and Viktoriia Hoisan, IECDR sociologist, took part in the meeting.
The main purpose of the discussion was to identify further steps for the implementation of the research project of the Ukrainian community in South Africa due to the reduction of its funding. Previously, the project was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; it envisaged the implementation of the research «Ukrainians of the Republic of South Africa: Identity, Society, Future» and three roundtable discussions: two in South Africa with the participation of IECDR and one at Lviv Polytechnic («Ukrainians of Africa: Horizons of Common Growth») with the participation of representatives from South Africa, as well as publication of its results. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reduced funding for this project by 96%.
Despite the new challenges of this year, both parties are most interested in the success of the started research and continue to work together to implement the planned project. The IECDR team and Dzvinka Kachur also agreed on further working meetings and open events online.
