Bohdan rural municipality is one of the most highland in Zakarpattia Oblast. It comprises several settlements of Rakhiv District, located in the highlands of the Carpathians. Despite complex logistics, limited resources and a shortage of experts, the municipality assembled a team, that relying on strong established partnerships, is eager for step by step transformations.
This year the municipality marks its fifth anniversary. Over the past year, it made a breakthrough in development due to cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe.
“We are the most remote municipality, hidden at the foot of the mountains, but our people also deserve to grow. When you see that you have a logo, strategy, partnerships, you feel like a full-fledged actor rather than a newbie. Most importantly, though, we started doing all this amidst the full-scale invasion,” says the head of the municipality, Stepan Milchevych.
Where it all started
The first step towards change was training under the programme “Building a Network of Authorised Local Self-Government Officials to Support the Rural Development of Municipalities”. Mykola Haviuk, deputy head of the village for executive bodies, and Nataliia Martysh, a project manager at the time, represented the municipality during the training. Later, Ms Martysh took another course, “Steps for Specialists: Project Cycle Management.”
“This training was what really jump-started things for us. At that time, we were just learning about project management and had no idea where to start. But we received comprehensive explanations and support. And we moved forward, step by step,” Nataliia recalls.
According to Stepan Milchevych, the “soft support” has been crucial, as U-LEAD with Europe does not impose ready-made solutions but accompanies and advises, helps avoid common pitfalls while allowing the municipality’s team freedom in implementation.
What has been changed?
In less than a year, with the support of U-LEAD with Europe, Bohdan municipality has:
- created a fully functional project and investment department;
developed a visual style of the municipality: the brand book is already in the final stage of development, pending approval, and the logo is used in public communication; - almost completed developing its investment passport (despite the challenge of a limited number of free land plots);
- began developing their Municipal Development Strategy: several meetings have already been held;
- received a series of consultations from the Regional Office on tourism development, international cooperation and project writing;
- launched a youth programme "My Municipality Is My Future", to allow schoolchildren explore their home villages.
“Systemic work with Bohdan municipality shows a clear trend towards development and strengthening of institutional capacity. We see how, through the implementation of modern management approaches, public participation and effective partnerships, the municipality grows stronger and more confident in its own strengths.
Mountain municipalities have limited opportunities for economic development due to geographical, landscape and resource constraints. Nevertheless, competition is now growing between municipalities for recognition, human and investment resources, as well as for the effective use of their own capacities. The experience of Bohdan municipality can teach us good practices that can be scaled up and applied to support other highland areas. U-LEAD with Europe prioritises municipalities like this one in our activities,” said Pavlo Lohvinov, Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in the Zakarpattia Oblast.
People see their future locally
With the support of the Programme, the municipality’s team created a visual style as well as launched purposeful efforts to strengthen local identity. This encompasses cultural activities, tourism and a dialogue about the future within the community.
“Having conducted a survey as part of designing the Municipal Development Strategy, we were pleased to see that 70% of residents want to stay and live in the municipality and associate their future with it. This is a powerful signal for us,” says the head of the municipality.
Together with Oleksandr Koval, expert on tourism in Zakarpattia Oblast, the municipality also began promoting local destinations and strengthening the internal image of the area. Several consultations were held, leading to a tourism development plan being devised. According to Nataliia Martysh, even the first steps — such as branding the municipality — have inspired tangible action.
“We can already see changes thanks to changing approaches to promotion. For instance, we recently filmed a video about Mykola Baraniuk, a metal caster in our municipality. His primary job is with the Animal Husbandry Support and Development Centre, and his hobby is casting bells. He is the only one doing that here. And this video of ours has received 40,000 views in two days. Thanks to things like that, more people learn about our municipality, and this is worth a lot,” she says.
Youth and Education: My Municipality Is My Future
Another initiative, born in cooperation with U-LEAD with Europe, is an educational programme for high school students "My Municipality Is My Future". The idea is simple: to help children get to know their village better and feel responsible for its development.
The team selected the most motivated 10 and 11 graders from different schools and assigned them to research groups. Developed with the input of Oleksandr Koval, the programme enabled schoolchildren to explore the architecture, nature, history, cuisine and other highlights of their villages. In the future, this knowledge will be the foundation for updated promotional materials for the municipality, and the programme participants themselves will become its ambassadors.
“We realised that we still have something to discover for ourselves in our own municipality. And this is doubly true for children. In addition to being educational, this project forms a connection with the place where you live,” says Nataliia Martysh.
The programme is to continue after the summer holidays.
Study visits and new partnerships
Another benefit of cooperation is getting to know other municipalities through study visits. Thanks to U-LEAD with Europe, the head of the municipality joined a visit to Ternopil Oblast as part of an experience exchange. Cooperation with one of the municipalities began there — and in August, children from different parts of Ukraine will come to Bohdan as part of a social project on health and sports.
“We will host four children’s groups. We’ve involved our coaches, the youth centre, the children’s and youth sports school and attracted sponsors. Naturally, we used to partner up independently, but if it weren’t for that visit with U-LEAD with Europe, we wouldn’t ever learn about this opportunity,” says Stepan Milchevych.
For a municipality that only five years ago embarked on the path of independent development, connections like that mean more than just sharing experiences. They signal their inclusion in a wider community where every municipality, even the most remote one, matters, giving the feeling that you are seen, heard and supported.
