Sustainable Perspectives for Rural Areas in Russia and Ukraine

Nowadays, rural areas in Russia and Ukraine are experiencing a structural and demographic change. Besides the distress that these changes cause to people in the regions, there are opportunities to strengthen the affected rural areas and improve the quality of life for the local population.

This project enables citizens in the regions to recognize these opportunities and to develop sustainable perspectives for their rural communities. Local actors are encouraged to identify the connections between global ecological, economic, and technological developments as well as local possibilities for action to create future-compatible solutions for their own region. Various offline and online events such as workshops, stakeholder engagement trainings and a study trip facilitate participatory engagement of local community actors. Thereby, the participants gain the necessary knowledge and skills to use existing resources sustainably for the benefit of the community. A further aim is to empower the project's stakeholders to represent their interests (e.g. development perspectives, social security, healthy environment) in public and in front of their political decision makers, in order to gain their support.

Project duration:

April 2020 - December 2020

Covid-19 update: Due to the pandemic situation, organizational changes of individual project measures may occur.

The DRA has withdrawn all measures and cooperation in Russia on the 26th of May. Find out more HERE.

Project phases

  • Analysis and Awareness Raising phase

Analysis and examination of ecological, social and economic resources and the situation in the rural regions of Ukraine and Russia by experts in exchange with the local communities.

Selection of the participating locations by the partners and experts in the regions.

  • Qualification phase

Dialogue and training trip of 24 representatives of rural communities from Ukraine and Russia to Berlin and the surrounding area. Capacity building training to win over local stakeholders for the implementation of development and change processes and to actively involve them in these processes.

  • Development phase - Hubs of Ideas

Three workshops (Hubs of Ideas) with representatives of the participating rural communities of the respective regions to jointly develop ideas and roadmaps for possible development paths.

  • Implementation phase

First steps towards implementing ideas and roadmaps. Presentation of the results at a central location in the respective regions with representatives of other municipalities, political decision makers and media representatives.

 

The project is supported by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Brot für die Welt.