Stepove Territorial Community

Mykolaiv
Population:

The Stepove rural territorial community is located in the Mykolaiv district, Mykolaiv region.

The total area: 77,594.8123 ha
Population: 9,544 people
Men: 3,850
Women: 4,539
Children: 1,155
People of retirement age: 2,122
Internally displaced persons: 869

The rural territorial community includes sixteen population centers and has its administrative center in the village of Stepove.

History

The Stepove rural territorial community was created in November 2019.

The village of Stepove is a former German settlement of Karlsruhe formed in 1811. Later it was called the village of Kalestrovo. The settlement was part of the German Berezan colonist district as part of the Odesa district of the Kherson province.

There are architectural monuments on the territory of the community. The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is one of the oldest of them.

The first Catholic church was built in Stepove in 1820-30s. It was made of limestone and straw. The new Church of Saints Peter and Paul in the neo-Gothic style appeared in 1881-1885. In 1934, the top of the belfry and the tower were demolished by the communists, but during the occupation period the tower on the temple was still restored. During the Second World War, when the Soviet troops attacked, almost all the bell towers were destroyed from the air.

Today, the Church of Saints Peter and Paul requires renovation.

Church of Saints Peter and Paul
Church of Saints Peter and Paul Source

18 kilometers from Stepove, in the village of Novoselivka, another Roman Catholic church has been preserved – the Church of Anthony of Padua, built in 1893. Today it is an abandoned, dilapidated building, which in the Soviet period served as a collective farm storeroom.

 Church of Anthony of Padua
Church of Anthony of Padua

Economy and Welfare

The community is rich in forests, chornozems and minerals. Also, there is a deposit of sawn limestone and a quarry of local materials – sand, gravel, clay.

In the community, there is an industrial company, V TERMO – BUD, which is engaged in the production of sandwich panels (for walls, roofs).

V TERMO - BUD Industrial Company
V TERMO - BUD Industrial Company

Agriculture is the main branch of the community in terms of production and population employment.

The main areas of agriculture are the cultivation of grain and industrial crops. Some agricultural enterprises are engaged in breeding and keeping livestock.

Agricultural Sector, the village of Pishchanyi Brid
Agricultural Sector, the village of Pishchanyi Brid Source

There are 10 institutions of general secondary education operating in the community: 6 lyceums, 2 gymnasiums and 2 primary schools. About 1,000 pupils study there. School buses provide transportation of children to schools.

Educational institution
Educational institution

There are also 9 preschool education institutions, attended by about 300 children and employing 30 teachers.

Day for Protection of Children in the community
Day for Protection of Children in the community Source

Medical care in the community is provided by three outpatient clinics and 8 health centers.

Outpatient clinic
Outpatient clinic

Community and War 

The community met the full-scale invasion cohesively and without panic. They immediately created a territorial defense force of men from the local population who patrolled the streets of the community and protected the peace of the citizens.

   Residents of the community constantly help the armed forces of Ukraine. During the entire period of martial law, nets are woven and funds are collected for the purchase of the necessary equipment and machinery for military personnel.

Weaving camouflage nets for the military
Weaving camouflage nets for the military

Internally displaced persons living in the community are constantly provided with humanitarian aid.

 As of today, there are destructions in the community due to rocket fire, namely: 7 private houses and 1 farm were damaged in the village of Kubryaky; 14 infrastructure assets and 57 residential private buildings were damaged in the village of Stepove.

The destroyed cultural center
The destroyed cultural center
A destroyed catering establishment
A destroyed catering establishment

The Red Cross organization provided residents of the village of Stepove with humanitarian aid consisting of construction materials and basic necessities.

Arrangement of a shelter in the lyceum
Arrangement of a shelter in the lyceum Source

People of the Community

The Stepove rural territorial community is managed by Viktor Fediuk, Secretary of the Village Council.

Viktor Fediuk (in a white T-shirt) with the team
Viktor Fediuk (in a white T-shirt) with the team

To date, two school buses have been purchased for the organization of the educational process.

Community school buses
Community school buses

The workers of the outpatient clinic were given a car, which was purchased thanks to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and with the support of individual donors from the Kingdom of the Netherlands. This will make it possible to introduce a universally progressive model of home visits to improve the provision of medical and social care.

A car for health workers
A car for health workers

Also, the community received diesel generators as humanitarian aid for uninterrupted operation of communal enterprises that provide services of centralized water drainage to the population.

Generators
Generators

Development Strategy

At the moment, the community is collecting information, surveying residents’ wishes and filling out tables for the preparation of the development strategy of the Stepove territorial community for 2024-2027.

Recently, the second meeting of the working group took place, where they considered the youth questionnaire, worked in groups, wrote the strengths and weaknesses of the community, analyzed the indicators

The first meeting of the working group on the preparation of the Development Strategy
The first meeting of the working group on the preparation of the Development Strategy

List of Sources

  • Website of the Stepove Village Council
If you want to contact an Ukrainian community or have additional questions regarding the project please contact us: [email protected]