Arbuzynka Terrirorial Community

History

The territory of the Arbuzynka Community is rich and unique, steeped in history. Ancient burial mounds, scattered across the landscape as grassy hillocks, are silent witnesses to the distant past. 

During the time of Kievan Rus’ (10th-13th centuries), the border between Rus’ and the Khazar Khaganate ran along the Southern Buh and Syniukha rivers, and the Arbuzynka area was part of the Khazars’ territory. From the 14th to the 14th century, the territory was part of the so-called “Wild Field,” and the Chumatsky Way, along which Cossacks, chumaks, and runaway serfs headed south, passed through this area. 

A river called “Arbuzynka” flows through the centre of the village. According to local legend, in the times of the Cossacks, a Cossack named Harbuz lived in this region. This is how the river got its name, which in turn gave the village its name. Indeed, as late as the 1950s, Arbuzynka was still known by this name. According to another legend, there was once a large market in the area where pumpkins were sold, possibly explaining the name.

Economy and Welfare

The community is home to 132 legal entities, 209 individual entrepreneurs, and 36 institutions. The largest share of production is in agriculture. In the agricultural sector, crop production constitutes the major part. The main budget-forming agricultural enterprises involved in the cultivation of cereals and livestock breeding include “Vira,” “Polianka,” “Larine,” “Agrofirma ‘Visla,’” and “Agronomiia.”

There are 80 active trade points providing commercial services, including 60 stores, 5 pharmacies, and 5 post offices.

Services such as tailoring and clothing repairs, shoe repairs, funeral services, and utilities (water supply, sewage, waste collection) are also available.

In the field of education, significant efforts are made, with the largest portion of the community’s budget allocated to this sector. The community has 5 general secondary schools, 5 preschool educational institutions, and 2 extracurricular institutions (a children’s music school and a schoolchildren’s creative house).

Special attention is given to children with special educational and physical needs, who receive psychological, pedagogical, and corrective services at the social rehabilitation centre for disabled children. Specialists of various profiles work with these children to help them integrate into society. All activities are conducted with an individual approach to each child. 

In each settlement of the community, social and educational services for elderly people are provided through the “University of the Third Age,” with 409 participants.

The Community and the War

One of the key issues is supporting those who have been forced to leave their permanent residence. 

As of 1 December 2024, 671 people are registered in the community. A reception and distribution point for humanitarian aid has been established for IDPs, pensioners, people with disabilities, large families, and relatives of military personnel, as well as those facing difficult life circumstances.

The Arbuzynka Community collaborates with international and national organizations to provide humanitarian aid to its population.

Through the participation of the Arbuzynka Town Council in the USAID project “Improving the Effectiveness of Local Government Work and Accountability” (“Hoverla”), the council received 5 generators, which will ensure the provision of water to the population during power outages.

A Glory Alley has been created in the Arbuzynka Community to honour the memory of fallen participants of the Anti-Terrorist Operation in Eastern Ukraine, the Joint Forces Operation, and the Russian Federation’s military aggression against Ukraine.

Community People

Arbuzynka Town Head, Yevhenii Travianko, was first elected to the position of town head in 2014. Since then, he has been re-elected twice. He has served as the continuous town head since the establishment of the Arbuzynka amalgamated territorial community.

Thanks to his direct involvement and cooperation with international donors, in 2023, the shelter and protective windows covered with shrapnel-proof film were renovated in the “Prolisok” kindergarten in Arbuzynka.

As part of a joint project between UNICEF and the European Union, construction of a dual-purpose protective facility at Arbuzynka Lyceum No. 2, named after Taras Shevchenko, began. In 2024, reconstruction of the dining hall at Arbuzynka Lyceum No. 2 commenced. 

Charitable fairs are regularly held to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Development Strategy

The effectiveness of the Arbuzynka Community’s activities lies in strategic planning.

The main tasks of the local authorities are:

• repairing and maintaining municipal roads in proper condition;
• creating favourable conditions for economic development within the community;
• improving living conditions for residents of the community;
• ensuring the provision of high-quality services to residents;
• purchasing a specialised vehicle for transporting food products to educational institutions;
• implementing innovative energy-saving measures based on renewable energy sources (solar energy);
• purchasing specialised equipment for maintaining the municipal infrastructure of the Arbuzynka Community;
• purchasing a garbage truck for collecting and removing household waste from the settlements of the community;
• collective gardening;
• major renovation of the park in the town of Arbuzynka.

Sources

• Official website of the Arbuzynka Town Council [email protected]; archive photos of the Arbuzynka Community; Internet.