| Centres for Migrant Advice (CMAs) fortify their Capacity and Work to Build Sustainability Consultants and coordinators of five Centres for Migrant Advice (CMAs) gathered in Kyiv for a comprehensive, three-day training to bolster the work of CMAs and ensure their sustainability on April 20-22, 2008. They were joined by two more NGOs in the process of joining the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) CMA network, which will soon encompass 7 (Ternopil, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Vinnytsya and Uzhhorod – Zarkarpattya) regions of Ukraine. The training was held under the Capacity Building in Migration Management Programme: Ukraine project with funding from the European Union. IOM CMAs have been operating in Ukraine since September 2005 and focus their primary efforts on addressing migrants’ needs. The Centres familiarize individuals interested in going abroad with the current realities of travelling outside of Ukraine and the implications of irregular entry and residence in foreign countries. CMAs prepare clients to manage any unpleasant surprises that may arise during their travel abroad and seek to provide necessary information on personal safety to migrants. The first day of training was focused on the psychological aspects of consulting, detailing how one should deal with particularly difficult clients (abusive, aggressive, perhaps suffering from mental disorders), providing psychological support while consulting on sensitive topics, making callers feel more comfortable and open to perceiving new information, and preventing professional burn-out. Throughout the course of the training, participants met with representatives of several embassies in Kyiv (U.S., Sweden, and Spain) to discuss current visa and immigration regulations as well as existing fraudulent schemes that beguile Ukrainians with alarming frequency. In addition to meetings with diplomatic officials, training participants were treated to talks by NGO and private sector actors. A representative from the Czech Caritas office gave a presentation on the pilot program for employment in the Czech Republic that has been operating in Ukraine since September 2007. Likewise, an employee of the money transfer giant Western Union examined current fraudulent schemes in the sphere of money transfers and general principles of using the banking system for remittances. Participants engaged in lively discussion with representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on heading off fraud and scams in the migration sphere and the agency of Ukrainian consulates and embassies abroad. Alongside discussions centered on general strategy for cooperation, CMAs thoroughly talked over possibilities for further work with representatives of the MFA Call-Centre and the Open Ukraine Foundation. On the final day of the training, the Ternopil CMA unveiled a much-lauded unified database tasked with tracking queries to representatives of other CMAs. The database, developed by an IT specialist from the Ternopil CMA, significantly simplifies the procedure of registering queries and enables CMA staff to search for the number and nature of queries received by any Centre or consultant within any chosen period of time. The training concluded with a session on writing successful grant proposals and maintaining effective relations with donors. Participants found the session particularly useful and agreed to arrange a full six-day course on fundraising issues to increase CMAs’ sustainability within the NGO sector. | 
