The Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Chernihiv Oblast hosted the event “Cooperation between Local Self-Government Bodies and NGOs in Project Activities” to facilitate the exchange of experiences among NGOs and municipalities’ heads and officials.
“Operating under scarce resources, each municipality is looking for opportunities to engage them in the implementation of initiatives and development. Our practice shows that cooperation between local self-government bodies and NGOs has a synergistic effect. That is why exchanging practices between teams is a great opportunity to expand your toolkit and have a look at your options,” noted Iryna Kudryk, Head of this Regional Office.
Liudmyla Chabak, Adviser on Decentralisation and Local Self-Government, introduced the participants to the basics of interaction between local self-government and NGOs and spoke about the methods and tools of cooperation in project activities.
Nataliia Prymakova, Head of DIM NGO, and Serhii Skorokhod, Head of the Department of International Cooperation and Economic Development of the Mena City Council, presented the project history of the municipality over two years:
“The first project in 2022 was implemented in cooperation with Building Ukraine Together. We arranged a bomb shelter at a local school. Then we attracted 15,000 hryvnias.”
He also stated the following:
“This was us only just beginning to write history. Look what we have achieved next.”
Step by step, DIM started to gain traction and implement big projects, both independently and jointly with partners. In 2022–2024, Mena’s Good Initiatives NGO in cooperation with the Mena City Council managed to implement more than 18 joint projects worth more than UAH 10 million. Among them, is Digital Shield — a project to install a solar hybrid power plant on the roof of a school in Mena; the ESTEAM-space project for youth — Ko_Laba, the First Youth Space in the Chernihiv Oblast; a project to renovate the hospital building “Strengthening the Capacity of the Mena Primary Care Centre”, etc.
Cultural initiatives that combine the preservation of historical heritage with innovative approaches hold a special place among the achievements of the Pryluky municipality. According to Chief Officer of the Investment Activities Department of the Pryluky City Council, Olena Kanavets, and a representative of Artistic Colours NGO, a number of cultural initiatives were implemented in cooperation with local NGOs and with the support of the Ukrainian Foundation and other donors, such as the February Project, dedicated to the conservation of the deadly history of the Russo-Ukrainian war; the Estates of Creativity and Goodness project, UNEXPECTED (NE ZHDALY) — Power of the Voice and the Word.
Olena Kanavets emphasised that NGOs of the Pryluky municipality are actively involved in writing projects and are seeking opportunities for cooperation:
“Although grant applications used to be initiated by the city council, now the first steps are taken by cultural institutions together with the public”.
Presenting the experience of cooperation between the Snovsk City Council and Lampa NGO, Iryna Mundurs said:
“We were not born with knowledge of project activities, but life taught us how to write projects and attract donor support. By the way, I took my first steps in project management at U-LEAD seminars and training sessions.”
Lampa is a clear case of an activity that not only helps to overcome modern challenges, but also paves the way for sustainable development.
Over four years, the NGO has implemented 15 projects worth over USD 1 million in total, covering various areas, including humanitarian response, work with youth and the creation of educational and inclusive spaces. The municipality has a reputation as a reliable partner for donors and is strengthening its cooperation with colleagues. The project “Safe Studies: Bomb Shelters for Children and Educators of the Chernihiv Oblast” is a testament to this, setting up bomb shelters in 25 educational institutions in the of Snovsk, Koriukivka, Kholmy, Semenivka, Sosnytsia, and Novhorod-Siverskyi.
“The most important thing in project work is the team, the constant self-improvement of each participant, communication and networking, the ability to adapt to changes and work efficiently, sometimes having only a few days to write an application,” said Iryna Mundurs.
Together with Iryna Yermolenko, Communication Manager at Lampa, she answered many questions from the meeting participants.
Iryna Krylo, Deputy Head of Ladan-START NGO, shared her insights on participating in the event:
“One of our main goals is to actively engage the municipality’s youth and women. We want them to feel that they matter, to have opportunities for development. At this event, we talked about practices in implementing projects for change in the municipality. We will consider the ways we can apply it in our municipality.”
