“We never proceed from simply hearing that funding is available somewhere and then inventing a project for it.”<\/p>\n
This is one of the principles by which Zhytomyr works with international funding.<\/p>\n
As explained by Olha Kruhliak, Lead Specialist at the City Development Agency of the Zhytomyr City Council, the city acts in reverse: it first forms a portfolio of projects needed by the community, and only then searches for opportunities to fund them.<\/p>\n
That is precisely why participation in ANEW-LIFE allowed Zhytomyr to focus not on random ideas tailored to a specific donor, but on already established priorities and to consider various models for their implementation.<\/p>\n
Out of the ten projects considered under ANEW-LIFE, two made it to the shortlist. One of them is a 3 MW solar power plant with a 9 MWh energy storage system for the water utility company.<\/p>\n
This is an approach where international funding becomes a tool for executing the community’s strategy, rather than defining the strategy itself.<\/p>\n