Your Strategic Partner in Eastern Europe
We provide developmental, humanitarian, governmental, and civil society stakeholders with evidence-based research and participatory facilitation to enable action-oriented decisions and enhance program impact.
Who we are
Open Space Works Ukraine (OSWU) is a women-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.
Our 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
Our Approach
Locally led focus
Empowering local leadership is central to our mission. We amplify the voices and expertise of local organizations and communities, ensuring every project is grounded in local priorities
Collaborative partnership
We work with our partners, not just for them – engaging jointly in project design, implementation, and evaluation to ensure shared ownership and success.
Transparency and adaptability
We practice open communication, honesty, and flexibility, welcoming feedback and adjusting to evolving needs and contexts throughout a project’s lifecycle
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
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).