Tomashivka Territorial Community

History 

In the old days, part of the territory of the Community belonged to the church: first to the Kyiv Orthodox metropolitans, then to the Kyiv metropolitans, but to the Catholic ones. In the late 18th century, after the partition of Poland, Catherine II confiscated these lands and gave them to Prince Oleksiy Dolgoruky. He, in turn, sold them to nobleman Jan Nepomucki Chojecki, a member of the Polish Parliament. It was around at that moment that the history of the lands of the Tomashivka Community really began. In general, for more than 100 years, the Chojeckis built several manors on the banks of the Irpin River and a Roman Catholic church in the village of Didivshchyna. But the central structure of their ensemble – the palace – was built in the village of Tomashivka, which eventually became a monastery. The elegant building in the Art Nouveau style was built according to the project of architect Valerian Kulykivskyi.

The territory with the Chojecki estate is a modern landlord’s palace dating back to the early 20th century. It has sculptures of lions, temples and chapels, alleys and flower beds, fortress walls and towers, cages with birds and frescoes with Biblical motifs.

The Community also has a hydrological reserve of local importance: the Konchaky Area, one of the sites of the nature reserves in the Kyiv Region. The site has hydrological value, as it is located in the floodplain of the Irpin River. Medicinal plants grow in the territory of the reserve, as well as the broad-leaved marsh orchid listed in the Red Book of Ukraine.

Economy and Welfare

The economic development of the Community is ensured by two large industrial enterprises in the mining industry, as there are mineral deposits in the territory of the Community

In the Community, there are enterprises engaged in the cultivation of agricultural products, Ukrainskyi Sad Company growing premium-class apples, and Rodynnyi Dobrobut Cooperative – an organic farm where sixteen types of different plants are grown.

There are also woodworking enterprises operating in the territory of the Community.

The Community is interested in the development of sports: active parks function across its territory and new sports grounds are built.

A Digital Education Centre for schoolchildren works in the territory of the Community. Classes and workshops are held there for free because children are our future.

Special attention in the Community is paid to the development of education, culture, youth, sports and organization of quality leisure activities for children and youth. The branches of the Centre for Cultural Services of the Tomashivka Village Council organize the Skilful Hands groups, the Fun Palette drawing group, as well as classes of table tennis, volleyball, wrestling and modern sports dances held by professional coaches.

Community and War

After the start of the full-scale war, the Tomashivka Community received about three thousand people who had been forced to leave their homes. Currently, almost 2,000 internally displaced persons have been registered in the Community, including almost 400 children.

To meet the needs of internally displaced persons and all those who needed help, volunteer centres worked in all the localities across the Community, where they collected and distributed aid – clothes, shoes, food and basic necessities. Active aid was also provided by nongovernmental organizations, volunteers, entrepreneurs and residents of the Community, as well as employees of the executive bodies of the Village Council and the Starosta-headed districts.

At the cultural and educational institutions, the staff from various fields, youth, children and pro-active residents are busy weaving camouflage nets, making trench candles and various goodies for soldiers who defend our country in hot spots.

As a result of russian military aggression, three bridges were destroyed in the Tomashivka Community; residential buildings, communal premises and a private enterprise were damaged.

People of the Community

In 2019, Olena Pashun was elected as the head of the Tomashivka Rural Community; before that she worked as the head of the Village Council of the villages of Tomashivka and Yaroshivka for almost ten years. 

Under Olena Pashun’s leadership, road surfaces were restored, street lighting was installed, and a kindergarten was opened in these villages. 

She actively works to attract investments in the Community economy and social services, and after 22 February 2022, she began to actively develop the social services field. After all, the Community runs a stationary department for permanent or temporary residence of elderly residents and persons with disabilities, and a shelter was organized last year for persons suffering from domestic violence thanks to the support of international partners and nongovernmental organizations. 

Currently, the leadership of the Village Council is studying the possibilities for the Community to receive new families who lost their homes due to military aggression, and the staff of the Village Council is actively working on projects for the development of social housing across the Community. The Head of the Community actively participates in events related to internally displaced persons as the creation of comfortable places for living and employment of internally displaced persons remains a priority for the Community.

Development Strategy 

The Development Strategy of the Tomashivka Community until 2027 is an important tool for the transformation of the Community. Representatives of all the administrative units of the Community, counsellors, representatives of local enterprises, representatives of small and medium-sized businesses, culture and science workers, public activists participated in the development of the document.

The Community continues to cooperate with charitable foundations and nongovernmental organizations to ensure the well-being of the Community residents.

Memorandums of Understanding have been signed with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and a social hotel was set up, where more than fifteen people from the Kherson Region now live, in close cooperation with the Polish Humanitarian Action Fund and the International Organization for Migration. 

Agreements have also been concluded with the international company “Save the Children” and the Nongovernmental Organization “Istok”, with the Nongovernmental Organization “Our Revival – Donbas Ukraine” and with charitable foundations.

They work on projects in the field of tourist infrastructure, support small and medium-sized businesses, farms, energy modernization of social infrastructure facilities, and the introduction of energy-saving technologies.

List of Sources

• O. Vasyliuk, Oleksii Vasyliuk – Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=25604326
• https://pryroda.in.ua/kyiv-region/zakaznyky/urochysche-konchaky/
• Ukrainskyi Sad Company https://www.ugarden.com.ua/about/
• Rodynnyi Dobrobut Cooperative https://www.facebook.com/RodinniyDobrobut/
• https://www.facebook.com/Mustafanayyem/posts
• https://www.facebook.com/groups/482430002142953/permalink/1803912783327995 
• Tomashivka Community website https://tg.gov.ua/  
• Tomashivka Community Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063576721653
• Tomashivka Community Telegram Channel https://t.me/tomashivka
• Tomashivka Community Instagram https://instagram.com/tomashivska_tg 
• DIGITAL EDUCATION CENTRE OF THE TOMASHIVKA COMMUNITY https://t.me/dlccenters