This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Vakulove Territorial Community
Dnipropetrovsk
Population:
The Vakulove rural territorial community is situated on the territory of the Kryvyi Rih district, Dnipropetrovsk region.
Its population was 3,100 thousand people as at 1 January 2023.
Men: 1,479
Women: 1,621
The community consists of 18 population centres with Vakulove village being its administrative centre.
History
The Vakulove (Zhovtneve) community was established in November 2015.
Up to 1930, Zhovtneve village was named Chemerynsk village – after the Belarusian revolutionary Chemerynski, who died during the Civil War. In February 1931, the village became the administrative centre of the Stalindorf Jewish National District, which actually existed until August 1941, and received the corresponding name – Stalindorf. In the 1930s, up to 9,000 Jews lived in the district. The village was named Zhovtneve in 1961 and renamed Vakulove in May 2016.
The field experimental meteorological station operated in Zhovtneve and served as a base of the national team of the USSR aircraft record model builders. Both high school students and students of a special boarding school for children with mental and physical disabilities continue to practice aircraft model building in an aircraft modelling laboratory. Among the priorities is the creation of unique aircraft models, including unmanned aerial vehicles that can be used for civilian and military needs.
There are 111 objects of cultural heritage (archaeology) of local significance on the territory of the Vakulove community – kurgans of the 2nd millennium BC. The total area of the sights is 19.3159 hectares.
Economy and Welfare
The agriculture is one of the key sectors of the community’s economy.
There are 11 agricultural societies, 29 farms, and 28 private enterprises, which operate on the territory of the Vakulove community.
The main focus of the agricultural societies is the cultivation of grain, leguminous and technical (sunflower) crops. The grown products are sold by wholesale. There are no agricultural processing enterprises and irrigation systems in the community.
To ensure temporary employment of population in the Vakulove community, a public works programme is realized to involve unemployed people (mainly landscaping works: upgrading green areas, felling trees, cleaning the territory, etc.) together with the district employment centre.
Almost all preschool and school-age children of the Vakulove community are involved in the preschool and general education process. 5 school buses operate each day transporting students from the surrounding villages.
All schools are equipped with computer classrooms and have access to the Internet. There are an interactive whiteboard, a multimedia projector and an anti-scoliosis room for 20 students in the Vakulove gymnasium.
The following clubs operate on a permanent basis: an aircraft modelling club, wood carving club, fruit and vegetable carving club, environmental and naturalistic club, and sports club in the Vakulove gymnasium; a linguistics (English) club, tourism club, local history club, sports club, art and aesthetics club, and “Skilled Hands” (knitting, making items of newspaper, quelling, bead embroidery) club in the Zhovte Lyceum.
Medical services for community residents are provided in a modern local clinic.
Team of the Municipal Non-Profit Enterprise “Outpatient Clinic of General Practice and Family Medicine” of the Vakulove Village Council /Photo by the community.
2 football fields, 3 sports halls, 5 sports grounds, and 5 children’s playgrounds were equipped for the community residents.
A specialized multi-functional complex was purchased to hold public cultural and mass events on the community’s territory (a mobile mountable stage, an acoustic system, a projection screen and a multimedia projector, a set of LED spotlights.)
Community and War
Every day more and more internally displaced persons are arriving in the Vakulove territorial community. Currently, 112 internally displaced persons (49 families) who need financial support live in the community and up to 100 families would like to move to the community.
It all started with preparations of houses for IDPs to stay in. Residents of the villages gathered to put things right and clean the houses. They also cleaned up the territory of villages and children’s playgrounds. The children and young people were also involved and worked together side by side. They were looking forward to greeting families from the Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kharkiv regions. Now they are all friends and anticipate the start of school classes.
In a difficult time for Ukraine, people had one common wish: to give a hand to those in need. The circumstances dictate what help should be given. Everyone now has their own front, which brings us closer to the victory. Alongside with adults and children, they weave camouflage nets, camouflage suits for scouts, bake cookies, pies, make souvenir amulets for soldiers.
People of the Community
Back in 2006, Artur Shevtsov was elected chairman of the Sofiika District Council. In 2015, he was elected head of the Vakulove Territorial Community, which was Ukraine’s first to register its Charter. In 2019, he was re-elected.
As a patriot true to his commitment and electors, he joined the ranks of “Dnipro-1” battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
The head of the community works on infrastructure development of the community’s settlements. 80 km of water supply networks, 50 km of street lighting, children’s and sports grounds have already been constructed. The reconstructed fountain square became a crown jewel of the central house.
The head of the community and a modern leader, he created a powerful team of like-minded people. He constantly works on self-improvement. The aim of the chairman’s work is to show that a small community within a depressed territory can create an effective administrative management system in conditions of decentralization. One of the priority tasks that Shevtsov outlines in his work is the provision of quality social services to all residents of the community and the development of youth and children’s space. As a result, the Vakulove community received the status of “Child and Youth Friendly Community” Initiative from UNICEF.
For his high professionalism, he was elected the board member and the Chairman of the “Rural Development” platform of the All-Ukrainian Association of United Territorial Communities.
In addition, in November 2018, with the assistance of Village Head Artur Shevtsov, the Vakulove Village Council was the only council one in the Dnipropetrovsk region to be included in the “Child and Youth Friendly Community” Initiative. Thanks to this, local authorities were able to implement protection mechanisms for the interests of children and youth, and the community managed able to receive powerful public and investment support.
Every year, the community holds the Vakulove Talent Festival-Contest for gifted children, youth and residents. In 2021, more than 50 performers and bands took part in the competition.
The education department of the Vakulove Village Council purchased “KM MEDIA ED Profi” didactic multimedia content for the primary grades of general secondary education institutions and for grades 1-3 of the New Ukrainian School.
Based on this, the department filled out an application for participation in the competition “Overcoming Digital Educational Inequality in Ukraine” and won a certificate for 355,000 UAH to equip five classrooms of the elementary school, two mathematics classrooms, two classrooms of the elementary school for the Inclusive Resource Centre, and for one preschool education institution with modern electronic educational resources.
Development Strategy
In 2017, the sustainable development strategy of the Vakulove community for the period until 2025 was approved.
The strategy was developed with the support of DESPRO — the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Supporting Decentralization in Ukraine”, which is financed by the Swiss Confederation through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and implemented by the Swiss Development Resource and Consultancy Centre (Skat).
The construction of a small group building for 10 orphans and children deprived of parental care, who will return to us as part of the deinstitutionalization reform, has begun in the Vakulove community. The construction and commissioning are planned to be completed in 2023.
Not only this project will provide orphans an opportunity to be brought up and live in family-like environment, but will also create additional jobs for young people of the community.
Today, the community works on the implementation of the “Fazenda-Vakulove Balka” project. The project involves the creation of a multifunctional enterprise – a demonstration dairy farm with an educational hub.
Also, an area of 21, 0000 hectares on the territory of Vakulove rural territorial community has been allocated for construction of a solar power plant.
List of Sources
- The sustainable development strategy of the Vakulove community until 2025 was approved by decision No. 319-13/VII of 23 May 2017 of the Vakulove Village Council of the Kryvyi Rih District, Dnipropetrovsk Region;
- Photo from personal sources.