.png)
A joint meeting of representatives from the military administration, the village council, businesses, and active residents was held in the Chornobaivka community. The goal is to discuss the problems that hinder community development and determine steps to restore a healthy business environment.
During the meeting, several obstacles to the work of farmers and private entrepreneurs were voiced, which directly affect the community itself, especially when the community loses revenue due to the military personnel's income tax.
Among the most discussed problems:
- mobilization of employees of enterprises and farms, which leads to a catastrophic shortage of personnel,
- rising prices for products and utilities while the incomes and solvency of the population are falling,
- uncertainty of the future of the community and the Kherson region as a whole,
- lack of business lending, as well as insurance in the 50 km zone close to the frontline,
- lack of state support and financing of business losses, etc.
Of course, the most significant problem affecting the community's recovery is the worsening of the security situation. Due to shelling and drone attacks, fires often occur in the fields, and businesses lose equipment, machinery, and people.
Some of the voiced problems were immediately addressed by the representatives of the authorities present at the meeting to find solutions.
“Not everything can be solved at the local level, certain problems require amendments to the legislation or approval at a higher level, says Andrii Mykytin, deputy head of the Chornobaivka village council, but we have identified those obstacles that can be overcome at our local level, and we will work in this direction.”
As the village council employees noted, they heard some of the problems for the first time, and such meetings, where different community representatives gather at one table and a frank dialogue is conducted, contribute to openness and a quick response to the challenges that the Chornobaivka community faces in the conditions of a full-scale war.
“The format of such a dialogue itself is essential and effective: such meetings require skillful facilitation so that the meeting and discussion proceed in a constructive direction, says Yurii Antoshchuk, head of the Union Foundation. – The participants not only talked about the problems, but also about their vision of the future of the Chornobaivka community, focusing on what can really be solved quickly and at the local level.
Several more meetings of a similar format are planned to expand the topics for discussion and explore potential solutions.
The village council employees agreed that it is essential to address at least some of the issues discussed at the next meeting to demonstrate that the authorities are listening to community residents and that such meetings are not a formality.
The meeting was held by the Kherson Regional Charity Foundation "Union" within the program "United by (in)security" within the framework of the Impulse Project implemented by the International Renaissance Foundation and the East Europe Foundation with funding from Norway (Norad) and Sweden (Sida).
