After completing ICT training for government officials in January, Senior Officer of Zaporizhya, Ukraine’s Family Issues and Adoption Department Irina Voloshko is using new skills to streamline her workplace. Earlier, the city administration asked staff at the IREX-implemented Internet Access and Training Program (IATP) to train eight government officials as part of its e-Government initiative in Ukraine.
Once she incorporated ICT skills into her work, Voloshko’s department began working more efficiently, quickly compiling and sending reports to the main office in Kyiv. Thanks to Irina’s efforts, the department accelerated adoption procedures, especially in cases involving adoptions by foreign nationals. The process used to take six to twelve months; now it is between three and five. Paper letters were replaced with email, facilitating communication with potential parents. The office has a more productive relationship with prospective adopters from abroad who speak different languages because of online language resources that allow them to translate correspondence and documentation.
Currently, Irina is planning to develop a more advanced project with IATP. She commented, “I am eager to create a website or a blog of the department’s activities to share information about our services among our clients.” She hopes to use the blog to better promote department services and convey adoption procedures and regulations to families interested in adopting a child. Powered by a sense of purpose and guided by IATP training, Irina aims to significantly streamline her work while improving the lives of orphans in Zaporizhya.
IATP operates 46 centers in eight Eurasian countries. These centers offer free internet access along with computer and internet skills courses. The centers also work closely with public, private, and civil society entities to offer educational events, technical resources, and targeted training to local residents. In time, IATP centers graduate, achieving financial self-sufficiency and independent management while continuing to offer free services in line with IATP development goals.
