On April 11 Ukraine and the European Commissioner (Brussels) Mar Till, Project Manager of the EU in Ukraine Prestavnymtstva Miroslav Didukh and manager of the EU Dominique Pappenhaym visited the Kagarlitsky community. During the visit, the practical results of the CBA Project, the application of different aspects of the CBA methodology related to community development, and the realization of community initiatives were reviewed.

In April 2011 Ukraine joined the European Energy Saving Week. A series of activities were organized in Kyiv, Lviv, Poltava and Kovel on 11-15 April. These activities were devoted to discussing and popularizing energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

The main theme of the Week was energy efficiency and renewable energy sources; however, the majority of events were dedicated to the European energy market and ‘smart’ power grids. In Ukraine, the key event of the week, organized by the EU and partners, brought together government representatives, environmental organizations, business environments and the international community to increase awarenes, and enhance the dialogue on sustainable energy.

Experience of the Community Based Approach to Local Development Project in introducing energy saving technologies in rural communities was presented at the conference ‘Energy Efficiency: Experience of Ukrainian and European Cities’ on 14 April.

On 15 April the Project was presented to the public at an open media event.

European Energy Saving Week has been held since 2005 and is considered to be one of the main events in the sphere of sustainable energy in Europe. It is aimed at demonstrating the advantages of energy conservation and energy saving technologies, and the economic benefits that they result in to officials, business and the general audience.

On 05 April 2011 Speaker of Verkhovna Rada, AR Crimea, Mr. Volodymyr Konstantynov, met with CBA Project Manager, Mr. Jaysingh Sah to discuss the status of implementation of pilot community initiatives from ARC and perspectives of future cooperation during the second phase of the project.

First Vice-Speaker ARC Mr. Konstantyn Bakharev and First Deputy Head, Association of Self-Governance Bodies in ARC and Sevastopol, Mrs. Radmila Golosova also attended the meeting.

Mr. Konstantynov emphasized the importance of the continuation of CBA activities and underlined that the problems of water supply, quality of fresh water, and utilization of domestic waste are pressing, especially in rural territories of ARC. He also said that the CBA is valued as both a financial resource and for its realization of community initiatives by local communities and authorities.

Furthermore, representatives from the CBA central office visited a field meeting, held by the Association of Self-Governance Bodies in ARC in Dobre village, Symferopolsky rayon, and learned about the work of two vegetable and cattle-breeding cooperatives.

The Vvenyhorod community resource centre, Cherkasy region, and the community from Kozatske village applied for and won the ‘Eurobus’ Project.

‘Eurobus’ is an annual project organized within the framework of Days of Europe in Ukraine. In May 2011 a tour ‘Eurobus’ will be organized in our country for the fourth time, during which 12 citizens of the European Union and 3 Ukrainians will travel around Ukraine. Some of the places that they will visit are the Zvenyhorodka town and Kozatske village.

Other than that, participants will visit Chortkiv – Zvenyhorodka – Kozatske – Bashtanka – Dnipryany – Armyansk – Pochetne – Sofiivka – Yuvileine – Bilozerske – Svyatohorivka – Hannivka – Krolevets. During ‘Eurobus’ visits, the participants will prepare initiatives to improve living conditions in these settlements.

In May 2011 an international team of the ‘Eurobus’ Project is going to visit Ukraine for the fourth time. Within the framework of the Project ‘Eurobus 4: youth from Europe to Ukrainian communities’ 12 young people from the European Union and 3 Ukrainians are going to travel by bus around Ukraine and hold training sessions for the local youth.

Several settlements have been selected on competitive terms to participate in the Project, including the Svyatohorivka urban village, Dobropilsky rayon. The Hannivka village is recommended to jointly celebrate Days of Europe.

The European Youths are going to present Days of Europe in each settlement they visit: they will meet with senior pupils and discuss the European integration of Ukraine, disseminate information about the EU and the opportunities it provides. Together the local youth and the international project team plans to conduct joint activities in the format of a fair.

On 03 March 2011 the local community discussed the development of perspectives of the Yepifanivka village in CBA Oblast Community Resource Centre. CO Head Lyubov Malykhina presented the activities of local community organizations beyond international assistance projects. As of today rayon authorities support active communities and invite them to disseminate their experience in other settlements. Thus, Mrs. Malykhina was invited to present her experiences at a seminar for village heads regarding the social-economic development of local communities. Furthermore, in the beginning of March she visited the communities of Krasnorechinska, Baranykivska, Bulhakivska, Makiivska village councils and shared her experience with the realized and planned projects of the Yepifanivka community’s mobilization and self-organization with local citizens. She explained that CBA methodology is unified and can be used beyond participation in assistance projects. Even after the repair of the LHP within the framework of the CBA Project, the local community has replaced 3 front doors in a local school, with the total cost of UAH 12,580. As of today the local community encourages citizens to exercise in the local gym and holds fundraising activities though the use of special fundraising boxes.

Currently, CO ‘Pan Yepifan’ has financed the examination of all social utilities in the village and has prepared the respective cost estimate and project documents to be realized. They include:

-             organize a park zone in the village centre, total cost of UAH 52,000;

-             repair of the roof at a local school, total cost of UAH 245, 000 and outside heat insulation, total cost of UAH 121,000;

-             renovate a school basement to be children’s museum, indoor kindergarten, and pet room for the students, total cost of UAH 21,000;

-             renovate Community Development Centre, total cost of UAH 93,000.

As of today local community is preparing a street lighting project, with the utilization of solar energy. The project regarding the repair of the bridge crossing the Borova river has already been submitted and will be financed through the rayon budget.

Moreover, the Yepifanivka community has been nominated to be visited by winners of all-Ukrainian competition among senior pupils ‘Do you know Europe? Help Europe learn about you!’ from Severodonetsk lyceum (http://euro-konkurs.org.ua/).

The team of winners from Severodonetsk lyceum is going to visit the Yepifanivka community on 05 April 2011. Activists from CO ‘Pan Yepifan’ will organize a series of interesting events for the guests.

It is important to note that within the framework of the CBA Project CO ‘Pan Yepifan’ was acquainted with CO ‘Agency of Sustainable Development of Luhansk Region’ and has become its official partner since 2009. Currently the two communities are waiting for financial support from the IRF to realize a joint project regarding the modernization of the educational process for 5-year old children in kindergartens and secondary comprehensive schools of the Luhansk region.

Moreover, a rural picture competition will be organized in the Yepifanivka village within the oblast picture competition ‘Format: European Values’, organized by CO ‘Agency of Sustainable Development of Luhansk Region’.

On 16 March 2011 Kirovohrad Region Development Programme for 2011-2015 was presented in the Malovyskivsky rayon. On that very day ‘Energy saving measures in kindergarten, Paliivka village’ community project was officially inaugurated in the Paliivka village.

The building has not been used since 1998, but the local community, with the assistance from sponsors, managed to repair the building in several stages.

In 2007 the local community partially replaced the old windows with energy saving ones, total cost of UAH 21,250; inner maintenance works, total cost of UAH 696.

In 2008 local citizens repaired the roof, total cost of UAH 34,500; inner maintenance works, total cost of UAH 6,337.

In 2009 they performed maintenance works, total cost of UAH 691.

On 12 March 2011 villagers created community organization “Future of Paliivka’ within the framework of the CBA Project that realized its energy saving project in the local kindergarten.

Within the period of two years, the local community has collected UAH 10,046, village council allocated UAH 10,045, oblast and rayon budgets – UAH 66,727 to realize the community initiative. The CBA Project’s share was UAH 80,000. The total cost of the project was UAH 166,818.

Local villagers and their children, CBA coordinators, rayon leaders and guests—Head of Kirovohrad Oblast Council Mr. M. Kovalchuk, Deputy Head of OSA Mr. V. Serpokrylov, Head of Oblast Education Department E. Leschenko—all attended the official inauguration of the kindergarten ‘Kolobok’, Paliivka village.

On 16 March 2011 members of the working group, Cherkasy OSA, made a rating of CBA pilot rayons. Factors to estimate activity of rayons are as follows:

- efficiency of LDF and RCRC;

- rayon coordinator’s activity and interest in cooperation with CBA;

- level of rayon authority’s finance responsibility to realize local initiatives;

- level of general support of CO development process by rayon leaders.

Special attention was paid to the use of CBA instruments and mechanisms of community mobilization in the work of rayon executive/ self-governance bodies. Members of the working group analyzed all factors and concluded that 6 pilot rayons had high performance of the Project realization, namely Shpolyansky, Zvenyhorodsky, Talnivsky, Kanivsky, Umansky, Kamyansky rayons, while Horodschensky and Chyhyrynsky rayons have medium rate. A special minutes with the result of rayons rating was signed.

The Zvenyhorodska rayon state administration, with the assistance of CBA oblast implementation unit, has prepared and adopted ‘Development Programme of Rural Territories’. This formed the basis for approved participation in the CBA Project instruments and mechanisms to activate and develop rural communities. Namely, a rayon competition of projects has been announced among community organizations.

Created in the framework of the CBA, Rayon Community Resource Centre will play a special role. It will hold a competition in line with the European transparency and visibility principles.

After CBA coordinator from Cherkasy OSA participated in the OCC open meeting on 27 December 2010, oblast leaders launched an active learning and introduction of CBA experience in development of rural communities into the activities of state executive bodies/self-governance bodies.

With this aim several study visits have been organized by rayon specialists to Zvenyhorodsky and Shpolyansky rayons to study experience of RCRCs, LDFs, and COs. The head of the RC and experts from the Cherkasy RSA visited the Oblast Community Resource Centre and subscribed for its mailing. Furthermore, CBA coordinators organized a seminar for village heads to give more detail regarding the Project achievements in Cherkasy region and in Ukraine.

As a result, the Cherkasy Rayon Community Resource Centre on development of rural communities has been establised and a focal point has been assigned. A series of trainings for village heads and community activists has been launched to discuss the problems of CO registration, municipal fundraising, reparation of application to receive financial support from donors, and ‘bottom-up’ planning process etc.

In general, open OCC meetings resulted in regular visits of Cherkasy OIU by both CBA partner rayons and non-pilot rayons for advice in realization of social mobilization methodology. Cherkasy OIU has launched an electronic news mailing system regarding the best examples of developing rural territories, as well as the information regarding methodologies to attract additional resources for MP realization.