Rural Resilience Boost
Location:
Opishnia hromada, Poltava Oblast
Period:
2026
Type:
Resilience strategies for small hromadas
Opishnia hromada
Rural Resilience Boost is a project designed to help rural and small-town hromadas build resilience by managing risks in key sectors of the hromada’s life. A hromada is a community of residents of one or more cities, towns, or villages with a shared administrative center who can resolve local affairs.
Opishnia hromada
The purpose of the project
Наталія Макарук
Володимир Крижанівський Андрій Орлов
Олена Пітірімова
Юлія Попова
Вадим Денисенко
Микола Костриця
Анна Уварова
Марія Коробко
Євгенія Кулеба
Ігор Крицак
Юлія Брикульська
As a small hromada with a population of around 8,500 located in the Poltava region in Eastern part of Ukraine, Opishnia lacks the resources of larger regional centres that are developing their own risk response facilities. However, it has the potential to serve as a model for small hromadas to build effective risk management systems that will strengthen the resilience of key sectors.
We chose the Opishnia hromada because its rich cultural heritage — pottery traditions, festivals, artist residencies, proximity to nature and unique local cuisine — enables it to use culture as a driving force for strengthening resilience. Protecting and activating these assets can counter youth outmigration, economic instability and identity issues during wartime.
Objectives
Develop a scalable resilience methodology that includes risk profiling and mitigation measures. Together with project partners and stakeholders, strengthen the principles of democracy based on fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Pilot the implementation of the resilience methodology in the Opishnia hromada, showcasing and promoting its application to other small hromadas across Ukraine.
Emphasise how the cultural sector helps hromadas to withstand and adapt to both unexpected shocks and gradual disturbances.
Establish multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral partnerships to share knowledge and distribute responsibilities, to mitigate the impact of existing and identified risks. Strengthen existing human capital capacity of Opishnia hromada.
Develop a scalable resilience methodology that includes risk profiling and mitigation measures. Together with project partners and stakeholders, strengthen the principles of democracy based on fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Pilot the implementation of the resilience methodology in the Opishnia hromada, showcasing and promoting its application to other small hromadas across Ukraine.
Emphasise how the cultural sector helps hromadas to withstand and adapt to both unexpected shocks and gradual disturbances.
Establish multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral partnerships to share knowledge and distribute responsibilities, to mitigate the impact of existing and identified risks. Strengthen existing human capital capacity of Opishnia hromada.
Three levels of research
Implemented partnership projects for the hromada's recovery
Future pilot projects
Project activities
Project team
Наталія Макарук
Володимир Крижанівський Андрій Орлов
Олена Пітірімова
Юлія Попова
Вадим Денисенко
Микола Костриця
Анна Уварова
Марія Коробко
Євгенія Кулеба
Ігор Крицак
Юлія Брикульська
Lead Researcher
Liva Dudareva
Project Coordinator
Marharyta Borysova
Urban Planner, Project Manager
Anastasiia Popovych
Designer
Margo Garyazha
Communications Manager
Maryna Olinishevska
Project Manager
Anastasiia Mahera
Partners
