The explosive growth of the civil society sector provides an important pathway for women into the political arena and other spheres as well. Women’s involvement in voluntary organizations creates parallel points of power which can counterbalance women’s often limited participation in public policy making. This project recruited women leaders of nongovernmental organizations in the Transcarpathian Oblast of Ukraine, providing intensive leadership training to a core group of women. The project supported them in becoming catalysts for social change in both the public and private sectors. The project spanned a year with an intensive month spent in the U.S. and several follow-on components in Ukraine. The project strengthened the network of NGO’s in western Ukraine and included a diverse group of organizations including: social service, cultural preservation, womens, environmental, disability advocacy, humanitarian and educational organizations.