Agora Europe Journalism Grants 2020

Hostwriter, with support from the European Cultural Foundation, supported journalists from Eastern and Southern Europe through an emergency grant program enacted in response to the Coronavirus pandemic. In addition to the emergency funding, these journalists received training in Cross-Border Journalism as both a Method and a Mindset and had the opportunity to meet virtually in teams and to support each other with local insights and feedback as they worked on stories they saw missing in current news coverage.

This dossier features the stories that resulted from the Agora Europe 2020 program.

Silvia Nortes,
Edward Szekeres

Europeans hard-pressed to stay safe - and sane - during pandemic

The resurging coronavirus leaves behind a trail of economic and public health wreckage. But its toll on mental well-being could be even more devastating.
Marta Kucharska

LGBTI activists are still fighting PiS’s ugly culture war in Poland

With the work of human rights organizations regularly obstructed, with independent media under fire, and the courts filled with PiS loyalists, Poland’s ruling party has launched an ugly culture war on the country’s LGBT+ community.
Linda Dorigo

Locked Down in Violence: Italy’s Domestic Abuse Problem

A surge of violence in the pandemic highlights Italy’s failure to protect victims of domestic abuse. Regional governments have been slow to disburse already-approved funds to the anti-violence support centers that desperately need it.
Anastasia Dashko

Donbass and COVID-19: Divided by the virus or discrimination?

People trying to cross the contentious border in Ukraine to the disputed Donbass region are used to long lines and bureaucratic hurdles. When COVID-19 arrived, the hardships increased and were followed by accusations of discrimination.
Piotr Drabik

Coronavirus Isn’t Killing Love: Couples Separated by the Pandemic

They thought it would take two weeks at most. Meanwhile, the separation and uncertainty seem to have no end. Lovers from different countries, separated by a pandemic, do not hide their anger towards politicians.
Brankica Smiljanic

A Club Where Young People Tear Down the Walls of Stereotypes

Young people are fighting engrained gender roles, gaining support and acceptance from a unique youth club in Banja Luka. For some, joining the club is akin to an act of patriotism and has introduced them to the idea of youth activism.
Irina Sedunova

Heading East: The Modern-Day Pioneers of Far East Russia

When the Russian government introduced several programs to attract people to the Far East, many accepted the invitation. But what does it take to become a modern day pioneer? We talked to participants about their struggles, strengths and hopes.
Alexenia Dimitrova

The Little White Hope of Southern Bulgaria’s Hamlets

Six times a week, Sezay drives 700-800 km in his white van to deliver necessities and outside goods to the remaining citizens of abandoned hamlets in southern Bulgaria, some of which are populated by only two or three people.
Viktoriia Pushkina

Behind Closed Doors: Facing Homophobia During a Pandemic

Ukraine’s LGBT community has come face-to-face with homophobia in the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic. Going outside with a rainbow flag can expose you to violence, but what happens when the negativity is in your own home?
Maria Dybcio

I miss you, my neighbor: The effects of lockdowns in border cities

In March, the Polish-German border was closed. Today, more than half a year later, the border cities’ inhabitants fear that the situation will repeat itself. How do they live when the world could fall apart again?
Bruno Horta

"If I stop, how do I pay the rent?": Sex work during a pandemic

Sex workers depend on each client and do not have state support. They must keep working in order to pay rent and expenses. Five LGBT sex workers from Lisbon talk about what it’s like to make a living off sex in times of masks and distancing.

Europeans hard-pressed to stay safe - and sane - during pandemic

LGBTI activists are still fighting PiS’s ugly culture war in Poland

Locked Down in Violence: Italy’s Domestic Abuse Problem

Donbass and COVID-19: Divided by the virus or discrimination?

Coronavirus Isn’t Killing Love: Couples Separated by the Pandemic

A Club Where Young People Tear Down the Walls of Stereotypes

Heading East: The Modern-Day Pioneers of Far East Russia

The Little White Hope of Southern Bulgaria’s Hamlets

Behind Closed Doors: Facing Homophobia During a Pandemic

I miss you, my neighbor: The effects of lockdowns in border cities

"If I stop, how do I pay the rent?": Sex work during a pandemic

The Agora Europe Journalism Grants program is made possible with the support of the European Cultural Foundation.