alinea’s whistleblower policy

1.1 Purpose

The following Whistleblower Policy has been established to provide guidance to Alinea International employees and sub-contractors on how to deal with known or suspected improper conduct within the organization. The objectives of this Policy are to:

Create awareness of the Policy and available whistleblower protections
Act as a reference guide to potential whistleblowers wishing to make a disclosure
Define the structure of the whistleblower system, including reporting and investigation procedures, whistleblower protections, and confidentiality, among others
Improve the communication and transparency in the processes associated with whistleblowing and assure protection against derogatory consequences, namely reprisals and detrimental action
Complement the current communication channels between employees, sub-contractors and immediate managers, and hierarchical channels flowing to the President and Senior Management team
Provide guidance to all parties involved in either whistleblowing or whistleblower protection.

1.2 Scope

Alinea requires all employees and sub-contractors to observe high standards of business and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All employees and sub-contractors of Alinea are required to comply with applicable laws and regulations of Canada and the countries where we operate. Any allegations of known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources will be dealt with in accordance with this Policy, and reasonable steps will be taken to protect those who come forward with allegations. Alinea’s Whistleblower Policy covers both internal and external whistleblowing, and establishes the controls and procedures for dealing with allegations of malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is intended to encourage employees and sub-contractors to report known or suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources and to enable Alinea’s Senior Management team to address and correct inappropriate action. It is the responsibility of all Board of Directors’ members, the Senior Management team, employees and sub-contractors to report concerns about known or suspected malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. This Policy is applicable to all employees and sub-contractors of Alinea International.

1.3 Reporting Procedures

Alinea recognizes the value of transparency and accountability in its administrative and management practices and supports the making of disclosures that reveal improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. Our internal controls and operating procedures are intended to detect and prevent malpractice, fraud and violations of our code of ethics and/or laws or regulations that govern our operations. As detailed in Alinea’s Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals, employees and sub-contractors are encouraged to share complaints and/or concerns regarding ethical or legal violations with their immediate managers. If the employee or sub-contractor is not comfortable speaking with their immediate manager or is not satisfied with the response, they are encouraged to speak with the Gatineau or Calgary Office Managers, the Vice Presidents or, as required, the Chief Financial Officer. All members of the Senior Management team are required to report complaints and/or concerns about suspected ethical or legal violations in writing to Alinea’s Ethics Committee who has the responsibility to investigate all reported complaints and/or concerns. In the event that the complaint and/or concern is about the President, it should be raised by the employee or sub-contractor to their immediate manager or the Ethics Committee who will determine how the investigation will proceed. All reports will be promptly investigated and appropriate corrective measures will be taken if warranted by the investigation. Alinea’s Ethics Committee is responsible for acknowledging receipt of the suspected violation and notifying the whistleblower of the outcome of the investigation. Anyone filing a written complaint concerning suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Personal grievances or complaints related to employment are not covered under Alinea’s Whistleblowing Policy. For cases such as this, employees and sub-contractors are advised to first refer to Alineas Employee Policy and Onboarding manuals when considering a disclosure under the Whistleblowing Policy. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and which prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.

1.4 Confidentiality

Maintaining confidentiality is crucial to ensure reprisals are not made against the whistleblower. Alinea is committed to safeguarding the identity of the whistleblower and to protecting the whistleblower against detrimental action taken in reprisal for allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources. The Ethics Committee is responsible for ensuring whistleblowers are protected from direct and indirect detrimental action, and that the culture of the workplace is supportive of suspected allegations being made. Any employee who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment.

1.5 Review

Alinea is committed to implementing ‘best practice’ policies and procedures for dealing with allegations of suspected improper conduct or mismanagement of organizational resources (as defined by this Policy) and the management and protection of whistleblowers making allegation(s). This Policy will be reviewed periodically to ensure it meets the objectives of relevant legislation and remains effective for Alinea, and may be changed at the discretion of the Board of Directors at any time. For allegations of fraud, securities law, or human rights concerns, or when you are not satisfied or uncomfortable with following the Company’s open door policy, individuals should contact the Company’s Ethics Committee directly.

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Restoration and Development of the Education Sector: Strategic Planning Tasks Facing Ukrainian Communities

This year, more than three million Ukrainian children will attend school, either in person or through remote learning. However, as in the previous three academic years, this school year poses significant challenges for Ukrainian schoolchildren, as the education sector continues to face severe damage from the full-scale invasion. In addition, inequalities in access to quality education are widening, with children from more vulnerable groups at greater risk of falling behind.

Among typical challenges in the educational sector for the partner communities of the Community-Led Inclusive Recovery (CLIR) initiative are the following:

1. Limited of Access to In-Person Education

In the 19 partner communities of the CLIR initiative of the SURGe project, around 47,000 students are enrolled in schools. Of these, nearly 38% relied exclusively on remote learning during the 2023-2024 school year, especially in communities in Kharkivska, Dnipropetrovska, and Mykolaivska oblasts.

However, frequent communication challenges – such as poor mobile service, limited internet access, daily blackouts, and frequent air-raids – often disrupt remote learning. This makes it difficult to effectively teach the material leading to growing learning gaps. Students from rural areas are particularly vulnerable to these disruptions.

2. Destruction of Educational Infrastructure

According to the Ukraine Rapid Damage Needs Assessment (RDNA3), between February 2022 and December 2023, 13% of all educational infrastructure was damaged or destroyed, with losses estimated at $5.6 billion.

This issue is particularly critical for 8 of the 19 partner communities the SURGe project works with. Communities lack the resources to rebuild damaged educational facilities, and the process of securing state or donor funds for reconstruction is slow. However, the funds acquired will not be sufficient to cover the reconstruction costs for all schools. Nevertheless, children need access to education now.

For instance, in the Balakliyska and Savynska communities, most of the destroyed educational infrastructure is in rural areas, far from community centers. This makes restoration efforts difficult, with few opportunities to establish educational hubs for children.

3. Inadequate Bomb Shelters

While most communities have made efforts to establish basic bomb shelters, many of these facilities are unsuitable for children and staff due to insufficient ventilation, sewage and other facilities necessary for long-term stay in the bomb shelter.

To enable in-person or hybrid learning in 8 communities across Mykolaivska, Kharkivska and Dnipropetrovska oblasts, 34 more bomb shelters are required. An equal number is needed for kindergartens.

4. Network of Educational Institutions Not Meeting Current Needs

Educational networks require consideration of numerous factors, including demographic trends, community’s economic prospects, creation of job opportunities, ability to organize convenient transportation routes for students, project design capacity, facility conditions, and bomb shelter availability (or prospects for building). Inefficient networks not only compromise the quality of education but also place a heavy burden on the community’s budget. Therefore, there is a need to reorganize these networks.

5. Challenges in Ensuring Access to Inclusive Education

Today, the number of children requiring inclusive education is growing, especially due to the war. Сommunities need support in strengthening the capacity of inclusive resource centers to conduct comprehensive assessments of children’s needs, provide counseling services to families, create barrier-free educational spaces, retrain teachers to provide correctional and developmental services in institutions where inclusive classes and groups are open, and provide teachers’ assistants and child assistants according to their needs.

Given the above challenges, the top priority for strategic planning in all communities is restoring children’s access to quality education. This includes creating opportunities for in-person learning wherever possible by repairing educational infrastructure and constructing or upgrading bomb shelters. In cases where in-person education remains unsafe, communities must develop spaces for student-teacher interaction, such as digital learning centers or educational hubs.

The next strategic goal is to ensure the quality of education in the community. There are many interconnected factors that can affect the quality of education, and they involve complex and often difficult decisions. For example, creating a safe and motivating educational environment with limited resources requires communities to take a more rational approach to building a network of institutions.

Before the full-scale invasion, the Savynska community’s educational network consisted of five institutions and one branch, and there was a lack of educational subvention. Three schools were destroyed or damaged during the occupation and hostilities in the community, and one school did not meet safety requirements. Therefore, since June 2023, the community has suspended the activities of four institutions with their subsequent liquidation, and all students have been transferred to study at a single hub institution (which also has a branch).

“Thanks to these steps, students now have access to a motivating and competitive environment in larger classes, and our community can focus its resources and efforts on creating a functional educational environment and working with teachers to improve the quality of education,” said Oksana Suprun, Head of the Savynska Village Military Administration.

To maintain access to education in war-affected areas, the SURGe team has begun establishing Digital Learning Centers (DLCs) in communities where schools have been destroyed or looted. These centers provide children with continued access to education in the absence of functional schools.

In 2022-2023, the Project set up two primary schools in adapted premises in Bohdanivka and Hostomel (Kyivska oblast), along with five DLCs in Kyivska oblast, and one each in Zhytomyrska and Chernihivska oblasts. So far, 24 such centers have been equipped in communities affected by the war.

Key Elements of Strategic Planning in Local Education

Effective strategic planning in education begins with a thorough analysis of the community’s needs and challenges. This requires a collaborative approach that engages all stakeholders – parents, teachers, school principals, high school students in the process as being involved in the development of a community strategic document builds trust in the steps that will be taken to implement it. Here, applying effective strategic planning practices, such as the Results-Based Management methodology and Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) will help the community to align goals and objectives for the restoration and development of education with the community’s needs.

Planning should be focused on the quality of education, be rational and realistic in terms of the community’s financial capacity, prospects for attracting state funding or assistance from international partners.