Support for the development of communities within the framework of the decentralization reform in Luhansk by strengthening and connecting with municipalities and implementing a collective WASH project

Description

The main goal of the project was to improve democratic development, community participation in development and WASH infrastructure in connection with the ongoing conflict, decentralization and the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, he aimed to create two community-initiative groups composed of 2 ATC piles at the contact line. The project planned to implement a key community WASH intervention that would ensure access to clean water and strengthen resilience against COVID-19. 14 meetings would be arranged for the purpose of solving at least 14 initiatives between the management and members of the KIS. At the same time, 900 inhabitants would improve their political, media and WASH literacy and at the same time understand social, political processes and water management conditions, such as user rights, tariffs, licenses. Last but not least, a participatory designed WASH intervention would cover the critical needs of 500 people and would be a practical implementation of the acquired capacities in the matter of joint decision-making and initiative-taking by community members in cooperation with the leadership of municipalities. The project was supposed to strengthen the capacities of communities for their gradual self-sufficiency, while KIS would determine and advocate for topics that meet the needs of their communities. Trainings for the wider public would ensure the overall building of a socially inclusive society that would be able to define and advocate for its own problems. KIS would be mediators of the implementation of initiatives at the local level and ensure their mobilization, which would result in the resilience of society, the assumption of responsibility and the ability to make decisions - key elements for the development of regions. Due to the escalation of the armed conflict, the outbreak of war and the subsequent occupation of the Luhansk region by the Russian Federation, these events affected the last and key phase of implementation, which did not take place.