In two years since amalgamation, Halytsynivska Rural AH of Mykolaiv Oblast has increased its budget by almost 13 times. Hromada has turned total budget of UAH 10 million into UAH 139 million, and started working with its reverse. Hromada's Chairman Ivan Nazar told in the Ukraine Crisis Media Centre and DOBRE's project 'Hromada Representatives' about today's life of Halytsynivska AH.

'Thanks to the reform, we have started solving issues on our own. It is great that the key part of the income went to hromada, so, we can now independently determine our priorities, including education, medicine, roads, and lighting. Hromada is free to solve its own issues. Previously, things were different, we had to wait for some order to allow us do something. Today, the Government has provides us with all the necessary means, we only have to use them properly, and be confident in doing it,' Ivan Nazar said.

According to Hromada's Chairman, a 'new budget' is not easy to obtain:

'UAH 139 million are not just money for nothing. It involves painstaking activities of hromada workers, MPs, and work with taxes. People understand now that they pay taxes not for some vague purposes, but to their hromada. People's attitude to the village and hromada has changed. There is no more 'it is state-owned, so it is not ours' attitude. Now, people understand that it is under their own management.'