For a community to become a comfortable place for all its residents, it is crucial to engage local populations in decision-making and setting development priorities. The Irshava community in the Zakarpattia Oblast uses a range of tools to promote transparency and build trust between the authorities and the residents. To involve residents in solving local issues, the city council uses public engagement tools such as appeals, petitions, development project proposals, participation in discussions, and voting. Often, the community uses electronic communications to reach a wide number of residents quickly.
Vira Hlushko, head of the NGO Irshava Rays, recalls how in 2019, her petition to the city council spurred the creation of recreational areas with tables, benches, and trash cans along the banks of the Irshavka River. Additionally, thanks to her participation in the public budget, two schools received sports equipment.
Vira Hlushko
"In 2019, I was working as a teacher and saw that the children lacked sports equipment. To better understand the need, I surveyed the teachers and submitted my project for a grant. It was selected for funding and we bought volleyballs and footballs for one school and Swedish walls for the other."
Sport equipment for Irshava school
Last year, the community implemented a joint project with the International Organization for Migration to install public transport stops. Residents designed the project and played a key role in decision-making. A dialogue session gathered about 40 participants from various social categories and public organizations, who selected a project proposed for donor funding.
New bus stop
"These dialogue sessions engaged most of the residents. It was great to realize that our voice matters, we make decisions, and it’s not just a formality. We had two ideas: the creation of bus stops and the procurement of equipment for the cultural center. The people's decision was taken as the basis. Thanks to the online survey, over 600 respondents identified the locations for installing seven bus stops."
After the bus stops were installed, an online survey was conducted to assess the impact and improvement of residents’ lives. 96% of respondents positively evaluated the changes in the community.
Vira Hlushko says that in recent years residents have participated more actively in community life. "People got used to surveys and questionnaires—we conducted many of them, also in cooperation with the USAID HOVERLA Activity team. People began to trust the authorities more. The community leadership is also open—if people come with ideas, they don't dismiss them."
Becoming enthusiastic about project writing, Vira Hlushko transitioned her classroom work to project management. Since 2021, she has been working in the Department of Economic Development and Investment of the City Council:
"I write projects but I don't pursue any of them until I study people's opinions."
During the project "Budget Participation from A to Z"
As a partner of the USAID HOVERLA Activity, the Irshava community was selected for the "Budget Participation from A to Z" program. Together with the NGO For Transparent Local Budgets, the community is working on creating the infrastructure for a comprehensive and inclusive participatory budgeting system and increasing citizen involvement in the budget process.
As part of the project, the Irshava community engaged local designers and artists to develop designs for the Citizen Budget visualization. An active resident's idea—a sundial—formed the basis of the Citizen Budget design.
"We were thrilled to develop the Citizen Budget — this is something we really needed! Before I started working for the city council, I had many questions about why certain things were not done in the community. This booklet will help people understand where the community budget comes from, how it is formed, what it can or cannot be spent on, who funds it, what each resident can do to contribute, and what is needed for the community to have good kindergartens, roads, and sidewalks. This book will explain all of this. It’s about raising people's awareness. The main thing is to distribute it as widely as possible," summarizes Vira Hlushko.
The Irshava community was recognized by the USAID HOVERLA Activity for Best Practice in Public Engagement in the Formation and Implementation of Local Policies by using a wide range of tools to engage residents in local governance.
