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Bereza Territorial Community
Sumy
Population:
The Bereza territorial community is located in the Shostka district, Sumy region.
The total area of the territory: 465 square km.
Population: 4,761 people
Women: 2,115
Men: 1,938
Children: 708
People of retirement age: 1,312
Internally displaced persons: 720
The Bereza community includes 21 population centers and has its administrative center in the village of Bereza.
History
The Bereza territorial community was formed in 2015 and became the first community in the Sumy region.
In the past, the territory of the community was closely connected with the history of the city of Hlukhiv. In the 18th century, it was the capital of the Hetman’s Left-Bank Ukraine and the residence of Hetmans Ivan Skoropadskyi, Pavlo Polubotko, Danylo Apostol, Kyrylo Razumovskyi, and the seat of the first Little Russian Collegium, the board of the Hetman Government and the second Little Russian Collegium. Hlukhiv played the role of the administrative, Orthodox and cultural center of the Hetmanship.
Many talented Ukrainians were born and raised here.
The Bereza territorial community impresses with its picturesque nature, because more than 30% of its territory is covered by forests. A real pride is the Upper Esman landscape reserve of local importance, which is spread between the villages of Slout and Zemlianka. The main areas are mainly occupied by pine forests, decorated with a soft green carpet of moss and lichens. In some places, there are small massifs of medieval oaks, among which you can find a natural monument – the 400-year-old oak-patriarch.
Economy and Welfare
The main wealth of the Bereza community is fertile land and hardworking people. That is why the economy is represented by the agro-industrial sector. Before the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, agricultural enterprises specializing in the cultivation of cereals were successfully operating on the territory of the community. Small farms are also active.
The Bereza community has a developed social infrastructure and high-level health care, education, physical culture, sports, and recreation services.
Children of school and preschool age receive a decent education in 4 educational complexes. A modern football field with artificial turf was built in the base school.
High-quality primary medical care is provided to community residents at the Bereza Primary Health Care Center. In 2020, a new dispensary was built in Bereza. The staff includes qualified specialists: two family doctors, a pediatrician, medical staff, and a laboratory technician. The facility is equipped with modern furniture and necessary medical equipment.
Utility enterprises work in the community for the comfort of residents. Shevchenkivske utility enterprise supplies drinking water to the residents of the villages. It operates almost 77 kilometers of water supply networks and 22 wells.
The community population centers are provided with centralized waste removal services by the utility company “Hospodar – 1”. For this purpose, waste containers and a garbage truck were purchased. In addition, the community started implementing a system of separate collection of solid household waste – separate collection points for resource-valuable waste (glass, plastic, paper) were installed on the initiative of eco-activists. One such point was arranged in cooperation with the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Supporting Decentralization in Ukraine” DESPRO.
In the community, a local fire department was created using the funds from the village budget. It consists of 5 fire brigades. However, a modern fire engine is absolutely necessary for more effective work and timely arrival at the place of fire, since the distance from the location of rescuers to the most distant village is almost 30 km.
The Center for Culture and Leisure provides cultural leisure services to community residents. There are various hobby groups and clubs in cultural institutions. They also hold numerous thematic events. Village libraries are also developing. Parks, squares, recreation areas have been arranged and playgrounds with outdoor exercise machines have been opened In the villages.
Community and War
The Bereza community is located 15 kilometers from the border with the aggressor country and was one of the first to meet the russian invaders on the morning of February 24, 2022. For more than a month, the population centers of the community were isolated, it was extremely difficult to deliver medicine, food, etc. But the leadership of the community managed to establish logistics and provide the population with everything they needed. Many courageous villagers stood up to defend the Motherland. Unfortunately, the community lost some of its best sons in this cruel and merciless war.
During the entire time of the full-scale invasion, the Bereza community became a refuge for residents of neighboring border communities who suffered from constant enemy shelling and were forced to leave their homes due to the war. The community is always open to those who need shelter and seek to find hope for a better future.
The Bereza Village Council and community residents are actively involved in helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine: they weave camouflage nets, make trench candles, and hold charity events to raise funds to support the military.
Recently, an educational and leisure children’s space, “LEISURE DRIVE” was opened on the basis of the Bereza Center for Culture and Leisure. This became possible thanks to cooperation with the Rokada Charitable Foundation. The location is intended for emotional recovery, overcoming stress loads in the conditions of military operations, multifaceted development of children, their socialization, formation of communication skills, support of mental health of children and adults. A complex of various activities contributes to the establishment and improvement of friendly relations between residents and families of internally displaced persons who have found shelter in the community.
People of the Community
Nadiya Artemenko has held the post of the community head since 2015.
On the initiative and with assistance of community leaders, many projects were implemented which were aimed at the development of the fields of education, health care, culture, utilities, etc. The road infrastructure was significantly improved, modern repairs were made in educational institutions, and school buses were purchased to transport students from remote villages.
The Bereza community was the first in the Sumy region to receive a special vehicle for the transportation of persons with disabilities who suffered damage to the musculoskeletal system. It is operated by the transportation service of the Social Services Center.
Significant support in solving the issue of modernization of the drinking water supply system was received from the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Supporting Decentralization in Ukraine” DESPRO. Thanks to the establishment of communications with the Foundation of Managerial Initiatives of the Republic of Poland within the framework of the “Ukrainian Administration of the Future” project, Polish experts assisted in the preparation of the Development Strategy of the Bereza Territorial Community for 2017-2025.
The community also received the official status of a candidate of the UNICEF Child and Youth Friendly Community Initiative and participated in the “Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment through Decentralization Reform” Project of the Ministry for Communities, Territories and Infrastructure Development of Ukraine and UN Women.
Development Strategy
The community hopes for a return to pre-war strategic plans as soon as possible. It has the following priorities:
- Improvement of the ecological condition of the community. For several years, community population centers have been working to minimize pollution of the territory: they have installed containers for separate waste, equipped separate collection points for resource-valuable waste (glass, plastic, paper) as plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose. They bought a hydraulic press for plastic waste, which will allow the community to independently process solid household waste, which can also become an additional source of the community’s own income.
- Improving the quality of drinking water supply. In the remote villages of the community, it is necessary to modernize the water supply system in order to provide the population with drinking water of appropriate quality without interruption.
Social protection of the rural population. Due to hostilities on the border with the russian federation, people are actively leaving the community. In combination with a negative demographic situation, this problem causes an increase in the average age of the population. The Bereza community is already actively working on the implementation of social support programs. Working groups on providing the population with humanitarian aid have been created and are actively working in the population centers of the community. The community does not plan to stop and is looking for opportunities to expand social support programs, increase their funding, modernize social infrastructure, improve the qualifications of social workers, provide informational and psychological support, stimulate volunteer programs and support the integration and retraining of veterans and displaced persons. These measures will contribute to more effective social protection and increase the quality of life of community residents.
- Development of tourism. The Bereza community has all the resources for the development of this industry. The community is located within the boundaries of the Upper Esman landscape reserve of local importance. This picturesque area is a real find for green tourism and relaxation in the bosom of nature. An additional advantage in attracting tourists is the rich historical past, living Cossack and artistic traditions of the area, associated with outstanding personalities who lived here. This is a reliable basis for creating thematic locations and holding relevant events.
The Bereza community is open to international cooperation and strives to develop partnership relations with European communities. The main directions for joint projects include the development and modernization of infrastructure, improvement of the environmental condition, and the introduction of innovations in the field of social protection of the rural population, health care, and education. The community is ready to exchange experiences, organize joint cultural and educational projects.
List of Sources
- Interview with community representatives
- Official website of the Bereza Village Council – berezivska-gromada.gov.ua
- Facebook page of Bereza Village Council – facebook.com