Community development in Ukraine

Abstract

Nataliya Drozd is the Head of Board of NGO “Dobrochyn” Center at the “Dobrochyn” Center, Ukraine. She has over 15 years of experience in civil society sector. As a project coordinator, trainer, expert and consultant, she had participated in design and implementation of activities related to the development of local self-government, civil society sector including community development and human rights. Possess the skills of lecturing, organizing and conducting educational events, monitoring and advocacy campaigns. She is also co-author and author of 15 brochures and analytical reports on local governance, community development and human rights. She is a Member of Alumni Association of the Ukrainian School of Political Studies. In 2014, Russian forces seized Crimea, and then began supporting the separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine, making military incursions into Ukrainian territory. In response, volunteers began forming battalions that fought back against the militants, after which the Ukrainian government created an anti-terrorist operation that attempted to take control and to suppress the terrorists in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine. As the armed conflict in Ukraine entered its third year during 2016, not only had local communities to respond quickly to new challenges, but also to try to provide durable solutions. Peaceful and sustainable local development can only be reached through an ongoing dialogue in, and between, communities at all levels. It is crucial to develop a shared vision for communities’ full participation in local governance.