Charity event for 8 March

Members of the “Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Centre” charitable organisation have organised and held a charity event to raise funds for the needs of the staff and convicts of the Chernihiv Women's Colony. The initiative of the charitable organisation was supported by members of the city's civic and charitable organisations, government and local self-government officials, deputies of various levels — including Member of Parliament of Ukraine H. V. Mankovskyi — and the residents of the city of Chernihiv. In the course of the event, about 10,000 (ten thousand) hryvnias were raised. With these funds, “LG Electronics” and “PHILIPS” televisions, as well as three “MOTOROLA” radio stations, were purchased.

On 6 March 2010, representatives of the “Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Centre” charitable organisation congratulated the staff and convict women of the Chernihiv Penal Colony No. 44 on International Women’s Day and handed over the radio stations and televisions to the management.

In addition, a festive concert was prepared and held for the convicted women, jointly with the Chernihiv City Centre for Social Services for Children, Families, and Youth, the Department for Family and Youth Affairs of the Chernihiv City Council, and the Chernihiv City Supervisory Commission. Performing before the convicts were participants of the KVN team “7*Ya” (S. Miliayev, A. Shyrokyi), soloists of the “Alliance” Youth Culture Centre (S. Makashov, Ye. Matsak, T. Shcherbyna, and others), and members of the “Nika” Sports Dance Club — Dasha and Illia Bronsky.

The convicted women very warmly welcomed the artists who came to congratulate them on the spring holiday.

The social role of the penitentiary system's institutions is not limited only to the execution of sentences. Penal institutions must have a clearly defined social task: the moral revival of people. Carrying out this process without including civil society institutions is impossible. Therefore, the “Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Centre” charitable organisation would like the territorial community and as many institutions and organisations as possible to take care of the problems of resocialising offenders, to cooperate with institutions for the execution of sentences, and for the latter, in turn, to do everything in their power to ensure that convicts return to society as full-fledged citizens.

Valentyna Badyra, Director of the “Chernihiv Women’s Human Rights Centre” charitable organisation