Solutions for Ukraine: international cooperation, demining Bakhmut, cleaning up Chornobayivka
As part of the International Republican Institute's (IRI) "School of Project Management for Local Self–Government" program, which was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), local officials were able to develop projects to demine Bakhmut and address the garbage issue in Chornobayivka.
Rubryka writes about this.
What is the problem?
As of February 24, 2022, Russia's large–scale aggression against Ukraine persists. Despite the objectives announced by the Kremlin at the beginning of the invasion not having been realized, the forces of the Russian Federation are conducting primary combat operations in the Donbas and shelling the civilian population daily. Furthermore, Russian troops are engaging in bombing and shelling of residential areas, destroying civilian infrastructure and hospitals.
What is the solution?
During three months, 30 local employees – from Kherson to Lviv – acquired the skills necessary for successfully planning and implementing projects in communities. And based on the training results, they developed projects to rebuild their communities and received recommendations for financial support.
"Local communities are now learning very quickly, finding creative solutions, demonstrating maximum inclusion and readiness to start working on the reconstruction of the country right now," Michael Druckman, director of IRI in Ukraine, begins. "And we will continue to support them in this."
How does it work?
- Demining of Bakhmut
When fierce battles are still going on for Bakhmut, representatives of the Bakhmut City Council are already thinking about the future of demining the city. Iryna Hotsulenko, Head of the Department of Territorial Development of the Department of Economic Development of the Bakhmut City Council, works with local and international organizations on safe and practical approaches to territory demining projects.
"Warsaw is a city that was rebuilt very quickly. One of the reasons is that the population did not expect actions from the authorities. There was an active local community and the same community here in Bakhmut. Our residents are ready to return to the city as soon as the Russian troops leave and to help rebuild it and implement social projects," says the project's author.
Iryna, who hails from the Odesa region, has been residing in Bakhmut for an extended period and considers it close to her place of birth.
An immense amount of money is essential for implementing the Bakhmut demining project; preliminary calculations estimate that 1 square kilometer of the affected area of hostilities would cost around 3 million dollars for demining. Having studied at the "School of Project Management for Local Self–Government," the participant states that she has now obtained the required expertise and connections to submit a successful application for international funding and execute future community reconstruction initiatives.
- Solving the problem with garbage in Chornobayivka
Following the stay of Russian troops in Chornobayivka, the settlement has been inundated with waste and debris. The village community cannot manage this waste, and the proposed solution is constructing a sorting station. Zorie Hanieva, an employee of the Chornobayiv settlement council, developed this project. The proposed station will be used for sorting and composting solid household waste.
"Now we need sorting to process all this garbage. We will use what we can re-compost for the community's needs. For example, we will process the fragments of construction material into crushed stone and use them for paths. And we will sell the rest and get funds for investments to the community," the project's author explains.
According to the project plan, it is assumed that the construction of the sorting station will pay off in 10-12 years. Neighboring communities of the Kherson region are also planning to join it.
"Our task is to build a network of reconstruction managers at the local level throughout the country. This is a pilot project, but international organizations, such as the International Republican Institute and other USAID projects, are thinking about how to continue working in this direction," John Bush, head of the domestic political department of the US Embassy in Ukraine, said during the final conference "Project Management School for Local Self-Government" in Kyiv.
