Environmentalists plan to continue the project to protect the small rivers of the Vitebsk region

The "Interaction" Foundation, which is the leading partner of the "Small Rivers - Big Problems" project in three districts of the Vitebsk region, is seeking funding for its continuation. This was announced today by the project manager Irina Ivanova at a meeting of the public coordination environmental council under the Vitebsk Regional Committee for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

"The project ended in 2015, but it left an active legacy in the pilot districts – Gluboksky, Postavsky, and Sharkovshchinsky. These are environmental clubs established at schools, and children who continue to monitor the condition of the rivers in the Disna basin using 15 purchased compact chemical laboratories. The research results are uploaded to the reka-disna.org resource created by the project and are further transmitted to the district inspectorates of natural resources and environmental protection. But for all this not to go to waste, the children need motivation. Interactive events, multi-day tent camps and expeditions, and festivals are needed," explained Irina Ivanova.

In her opinion, the logical continuation of the project could be the Festival of Small Rivers. Such an event was held during the project in the Sharkovshchinsky district and gathered more than 1.5 thousand people. "Everyone is waiting for the next festival. This means it really works; in terms of popularizing environmental issues, it is the best form of education," is convinced Irina Ivanova. She is supported in this by specialists from the regional committee for natural resources, citing the "Cranes and Cranberries of the Miory Region" festival as an example, which also began with an EU-funded project. For its initiative, the "Interaction" Foundation is seeking partners from the business sector and among environmental and public organizations. The main assistants will be local district executive committees, and the option of targeted support from the regional budget is being considered. The possibility of preparing a new project for a grant competition is not excluded.

The project "Small Rivers - Big Problems" was implemented on the initiative of the international environmental association "Nature and Us" with the support of the "Interaction" foundation, which helped win a European grant of 330 thousand euros. Almost half of these funds were allocated to the improvement of historical parks and the purchase of equipment for maintaining order. The rest went to environmental events - cleaning of riverbanks and the creation of passports for small rivers - Berezovka, Mnyuta, Myadelka, and Yanka. About 400 people participated in the project, most of them schoolchildren. In addition, each of the three districts received a plan for further action - a green strategy. The local foundation for promoting international dialogue and cooperation "Interaction" is a non-governmental organization located in Minsk. It specializes in the development and implementation of EU-funded projects in Belarus and neighboring countries.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA.