Life Gets Brighter in Alchevsk

Renovated street lamps on Gagarina Street, where two schools and a kindergarten are located. (Photo: Serhiy Zuyev) Poor street lighting is a common problem in many Ukrainian cities, and Alchevsk is not an exception.  It is especially felt in the fall and winter.  Elderly people tend not to go out on the street in the late hours unless it is urgent.  Parents have to leave work earlier to pick up their kids who stay late at school or take additional classes.  “I live on a main street, but even here, in the heart of the city, there were almost no working street lamps.  If I needed to go to buy something in a store in the evening, I would wait until the next day,” says Lidiya Pikalova, an Alchevsk resident. Improving street lighting had been a top priority for Alchevsk citizens.  The undertaking had to be much broader than merely replacing bulbs; it also had to include repairing street lamps and power cables.  Despite the complexity of the issue, several proactive community members took the initiative upon themselves.  By attending public budget hearings organized by the city government and the Municipal Budget Reform Project (MBR), the citizens had an opportunity to provide a list of streets and buildings that lacked adequate lighting.  Although budget programs were already in place, the citizens were able to influence implementation. Thanks to an open dialogue between the city government and the community, street lamps were fixed near schools, kindergartens and a maternity house.  As a result, street lighting was improved on seven streets.  Now, Alchevsk is lit with 5,449 energy-efficient sodium lamps, each saving $1.05 per hour and resulting in $13,000 in annual savings, a significant amount for a city with a population of 116,000. The development and implementation of the street lighting program has been the result of cooperation between the city of Alchevsk, the MBR Project and the Industrial Union of Donbass.  Using Program Performance Budgeting, the city was also able to resolve other issues as well.  It allocated UAH 85,822 to give economically vulnerable citizens a free subscription to a local newspaper, Ogni, which covers the life and needs of the local community and how issues of economic development and social security are managed.  In addition, with PPB implementation, city authorities helped to realize the dreams of teachers and students of School #15 by allocating UAH 105,750 to open tennis and basketball sports classes under a program called Physical Education – Health of the Citizens of Alchevsk.  Now young athletes can balance studies and sports and will not have to choose one over another. The new PPB approach to budgeting has made increased government-community cooperation possible.  ”I believe that the citizens have experienced real interaction with the government, as well as felt part of the decision-making process,” says Lidiya Pikalova.  ”With new street lighting, now I can visit my friends for a cup of coffee even in the evenings,” she adds with a smile.

<< Back to the list of success stories