Your Strategic Partner in Eastern Europe
We provide development, humanitarian, governmental, and civil society stakeholders with research-based evidence and participatory facilitation to make action-oriented decisions and improve their programs.
Who we are
Open Space Works Ukraine (OSWU) is a female-led social enterprise – ethically driven and purpose-oriented – that combines research and participatory facilitation.
We operate with a clear social mission to advance inclusive and community-driven approaches in humanitarian and development practice and derive resources into scaling to strengthen local leadership and knowledge generation in Eastern Europe.
What we do
Qualitative Research
We conduct in-depth studies for humanitarian and development sectors to understand behaviours, attitudes, and experiences.
Stakeholders' Facilitation
We employ participatory methodologies such as Open Space Technology and Future Search Methods to facilitate meaningful group interactions and collaborative decision-making
Organisational Development
Our services are designed to strengthen an organization's capabilities and skills, enabling it to achieve its goals while adapting to evolving markets and technologies. We provide a comprehensive suite of services including: Organisational Development, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Skill Development, Change Management, Needs Assessment.
Development Networking
We host informal gatherings for professionals working in the humanitarian and development fields. These gatherings offer a relaxed and open environment for individuals from these sectors to connect, share insights, and collaborate on initiatives aimed at fostering social and economic development and providing humanitarian aid in Ukraine.
Domains of Expertise
We bring expertise in a range of key thematic areas
Humanitarian Research
We specialise in conducting in-depth perception studies on humanitarian aid, particularly cash assistance, and analysing humanitarian narratives to better understand affected populations' and key stakeholders’ perspectives and needs.
Resilience and Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus
Our team focuses on assessing community resilience and facilitating the integration of humanitarian aid with development and peace-building efforts to address crises comprehensively
Livelihood and Economic Diversification
We are dedicated to exploring diversified livelihood strategies through feasibility studies and fostering entrepreneurship to spur economic growth
Civil Society Development
Our team aims to empower civil society organisations for greater advocacy, policy dialogue, and service delivery, driving social change
Civic-Military Cooperation and Veteran Policy
We are facilitating stakeholder dialogues for veteran reintegration and enhancing civilian-military collaboration to bolster community resilience
Public Institutions Reform
We specialise in organisational assessments and capacity building for public institutions to enhance governance and efficiency
Our Partners & Clients
Our latest Researches
Our approach
We prioritise strategic partnerships, guided by our core values, aiming for flexibility to meet partners' needs. Our approach fosters openness, honesty, and adaptability, welcoming feedback and adjustments throughout projects. We actively engage partners in the design, implementation, and evaluation phases, drawing on their insights for decision-making.
Central to our mission is empowering local leadership. We leverage our platform to amplify the voices and expertise of local and national organisations, supporting their growth and priorities within their communities through engaging them in our projects.
We invest our time and resources into the development, humanitarian, and civil society sectors, where they are most needed and most valuable. We do this through independent research, events, mentoring, supporting local partners, and promoting ethical business practices.
Core Team
Maryana Zaviyska
Co-Founder | Research Lead | Methodologist |
Open Space / Future Search Facilitator
Taras Tymchuk
Co-Founder | Project Lead | CFO |Open Space / Future Search Facilitator
Sasha Tselishcheva
Co-Founder | Research Lead & Evaluation Lead | Open Space / Future Search Facilitator
Olga Kuno
PhD | Analyst | Reporter
Tania Danyliv
RBM & Logframe Specialist | Evaluator
Oleg Ovcharenko
Interviewer | Facilitator
Natalka Harasivka
Analyst |
Project Manager
Svitlana Zueva
Program Assistance | Data Collection
Oleksandr Latushkin
Procurements | Events | Logistics
Yuliya Pushchenko
Communications Manager | SMM
Affiliations & Membership
Open Space Works Ukraine ia a member of a Humanitarian Observatory for Central and Eastern Europe, based in Poland. Hosted by Migration Consortium and the University of Warsaw is a member of the international network initiated by The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre and International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA).