“We realised that for the municipality to develop even in the difficult wartime conditions, we needed a team that would work on ideas every day, seek funding for them and support their implementation. That is why we set up a Project Office — the municipality’s brain centre,” said the municipality head, Volodymyr Drobitko.
His words are not mere rhetoric: the local senior officials are also actively developing their own administrative capabilities. This year, Volodymyr Drobitko joined the “League of Leaders”, a training programme for heads of municipalities offered by U-LEAD with Europe to help strengthen management skills and implement modern approaches in the work of local self-government bodies.
The Project Office was established in March 2024. It currently operates as a structural unit of the settlement council, the Department of Economic Development and Project and Investment Activities of Mahdalynivka Municipality Council. The department has three staff members, the head of the department and two chief specialists (one of them is fluent in English and German). Its core purpose is to coordinate project work, prepare high-quality applications and attract partners and funding for the municipality’s priority areas.
This office was made possible through the municipality’s participation in the project “Strengthening the Institutional Capacity of Project Offices in Target Municipalities of Ukraine”, which is implemented with the support of U-LEAD with Europe and the Public Movement “New Economic Policy”. In addition to training, Mahdalynivka Municipality Council received technical equipment (a laptop with a license package of 20 software products, a printer and a smartphone).
“For us, it’s not just a matter of equipment and knowledge of how to use software. Having mastered and further developed our skills in Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Acrobat, we now create our own visual materials, ranging from brochures to the municipality’s investment passport. We did all the work ourselves: we prepared the maps, assembled the layouts, took the photos and put everything together so that the document would measure up to European standards. We use both printed and digital versions of the developed materials during trips, presentations and international events. For us, this is indeed an opportunity to create a high-quality product and continue to move forward,” said Viktoriia Onyshchuk.
The final stage of the project was a study visit to Khmelnytskyi Oblast to exchange experiences.
In cooperation with experts from U-LEAD with Europe, the municipality prepared an updated regulation on the department and job descriptions, turning it into a full-fledged structural body integrated into all management processes.
“The challenges of wartime require not only strengthening the resilience of municipalities, but also developing areas that help build partnerships and resource capabilities. Project Offices that help municipalities tackle these challenges. We are proud that the Mahdalynivka municipality not only created a Project Office, but also positioned it as a driving force for development and recovery,” said Olena Tertyshna, the Head of the Regional Office of U-LEAD with Europe in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
International cooperation: the first project with Germany and partnership with Klixbühl
Among the first and most important achievements of the project office is establishing cooperation with the municipality of Klixbühl in the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. In November 2024, Mahdalynivka municipality signed the Solidarity Partnership Agreement with Klixbühl. With the participation of the Do Peremohy Charitable Foundation, a tripartite project was jointly implemented to create a Veterans’ Space in Mahdalynivka.
The Project Office team is actively seeking new international contacts, monitoring opportunities for developing new partnerships, getting to know other municipalities and gradually building new contacts for future cooperation.
Investment development: projects that shape change
According to Viktoriia Onyshchuk, the Project Office has brought together various areas of municipal activities, from social initiatives to infrastructure projects. The team is actively collaborating with international organisations, foundations and Ukrainian partners. Over the past year, they have been involved in planning and implementing a number of important initiatives, including:
- Equipping a youth space.
- Receiving equipment for emergency water supply and a modular heating boiler room from the Red Cross.
- Launch of the School Participatory Budgeting in cooperation with the Department of Education and the Council of Europe: nine winning projects were selected, receiving a total of UAH 709,534 in funding.
- Creation of a rehabilitation space for veterans and local residents in collaboration with Mahdalynivka Central Hospital.
- Implementation of the e-Town project together with the public library and Mahdalynivka Union of Prisoners-Victims of Nazism: setting up a new space in the library and holding events.
- Modernisation of Mahdalynivka Outpatient Clinic with the support of the Ukrainian Social Investment Fund and the Government of Germany.
Total investment is over UAH 25 million.
Construction of a public transport stop in the village of Pochyno-Sofiivka in cooperation with Berehyni Ridnoho Kraiu NGO as part of the project “Women, Peace and Security”. - Participation of employees of the Economic Development Department in the selection committee for micro grants for the DOVIRA project.
Structural work in the DREAM Public Investment Management System: seven sectoral portfolios have been formed, 22 areas of public investment have been identified, sectoral and expert assessments of projects have been conducted, and the Medium-Term Plan for Priority Public Investments has been approved. - Participation of the municipality in the SOMBRILLA project: the Municipal Energy Plan and the Strategy for Environmental Safety and Adjustment to Climate Change until 2030 were developed.
Developing basic documents with the help of U-LEAD with Europe experts helped the municipality to better organise its activities, strengthen management processes and take steps towards recovery and sustainable development.
“We work extensively in social areas, supporting veterans, families with children, education and safety. These are the areas where the municipality needs help the most, and we are always looking for solutions,” says Viktoriia.
This means that the municipality’s investment efforts are not only focused on large infrastructure projects, but also on a series of specific but important initiatives that are gradually changing the quality of life for residents.
Partnerships that unlock the future
The municipality of Mahdalynivka has already seen tangible progress. But perhaps the greatest change is the shift in the culture of interaction with partners. Rather than preparing individual applications, the Project Office team views development as building long-term, honest and equitable relations.
“This year we have made several trips abroad. We never miss a chance to get to know other municipalities and organisations involved in projects and grants. We write letters, seek new contacts, study different platforms and figure out who’s working the same way we are. That is how we found the municipality of Mārupe in Latvia — by simply writing to them, telling them about ourselves and our desire to grow,” said Viktoriia.
Municipal development is about ongoing cooperation with partners, built not on mere formalities, but on trust, lively communication and understanding people’s real needs. This is how the future of the municipality is shaped, step by step.
