Yasinya and Liubezhiv are over 500 kilometers apart (about the same distance as from Kyiv to Lviv), but distance is no barrier to finding common ground and fostering effective collaboration. Both communities boast attractive tourist destinations with stunning natural beauty (Yasinia is home to the highest ski resort, Drahobrat, while Liubezhiv features the Svalovychi open-air museum), and both aspire to become safer and more modern.

On September 5, the Liubeshiv community from Volyn and the Yasinia community from Zakarpattia agreed on inter-municipal cooperation in safety, culture, and tourism. Yasinia Mayor Andrii Deliatynchuk and Liubeshiv Mayor Oleh Kukh signed the official agreement during a visit to Zakarpattia. The USAID HOVERLA Activity provided technical support  to make this agreement happen.

It all started with Yasinia’s urgent need for its own firefighting and rescue team. Despite having a state fire and rescue post, the community's geographical location leads to frequent rainstorms, landslides, floods, and forest fires. During one of their meetings, Zakarpattia officials became interested in the model legal acts and legal support for establishing a fire brigade offered by the USAID HOVERLA Activity. They also learned about the experience of Liubeshiv, where a municipal enterprise with a fire brigade already operates successfully, addressing emergencies. However, this exchange went beyond mere experience sharing.

For six months, the communities held a series of online meetings, learning more about each other and deciding to implement a joint project called From the Carpathian Mountains to the Volynian Polissia.

As part of this project, the Yasinia community, with the guidance of its partners and experts, not only established a municipal volunteer fire brigade but also drew inspiration from Liubeshiv in creating innovative safety classes for children.

Meanwhile, Liubeshiv found Yasinia's approach to supporting youth and their initiatives useful, including the School Public Budget, the Support Program for Gifted Children and Athletes, and more. They were also interested in how Yasinia promotes cultural heritage through modern art spaces and restaurants, and how it develops craft products.

In January 2025 year, Liubeshiv residents will visit Yasinia again, having received an exclusive invitation to attend a unique traditional event – the Hutsul Assembly. Moving forward, the new partners also plan to jointly apply for international programs to attract additional resources and assist each other in developing tourism and joint promotion.

You can read about similar cooperation in the collaboration story of Polyana and Shatsk.

The USAID HOVERLA Activity supports the Ministry of Communities and Territorial Development (MCTD) efforts in establishing inter-municipal cooperation among communities, which catalyzes their comprehensive development. To date, HOVERLA has supported around 40 collaborations among municipalities, helping optimize resource use, promote cultural diversity, stimulate economic growth, address environmental issues, and facilitate the creation of large-scale projects.