In order to raise awareness of the public about the decentralisation reform, demonstrate the best practices of AHs and encourage citizens to amalgamate, the village of Krasnopillya, Berezanka Rayon of the Mykolayiv Oblast, was visited by the participants of the all-Ukrainian information campaign "I Am Hromada!".

The event was organised by the Mykolayiv Local Government Development Centre, established with the support of the U-LEAD with Europe Programme and MinRegion.

"Our goal is to inform people about decentralisation as the most successful reform in Ukraine. Despite its obvious advantages, it still encounters some resistance on the ground, both from the authorities and a certain category of people who have their financial and land interests. Unfortunately, a lot of information is not reported to ordinary citizens. Therefore, our goal is to share experiences, find common points of contact, so that people understand the essence and benefits of this reform. In general, we will visit 39 settlements all over Ukraine, including two – in the Mykolayiv Oblast,” noted Tetyana Voronina, expert on strategic communications of the “I Am Hromada!” project.

According to Valentyn Boyko, director of the Mykolayiv LGDC, the project carries out a very important mission.

"So far, our hromada has not amalgamated with anyone, although we received proposals from the Berezanska AH two years ago. Therefore, we hope that the “I Am Hromada!" campaign, that has visited us, will help to make our mind,” says Inna Kretsu, Krasnopillya village head.

To help Krasnopillya residents make a balamced decision, the leaders of the neighbouring hromadas – Volodymyr Panych, head of the Koblivska AH, and Iryna Kompaniyenko, deputy head of the Berezanska AH – came to visit them. According to the guests, they are ready to adjoin surrounding villages, since they have already felt the benefits of decentralisation.

Guests from the Piskivska AH of the Kyiv Oblast shared their vision of amalgamation benefits, in particular, regarding the educational sector.

The full version is available in Ukrainian – please click HERE