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Community Development Support Program in Russia

News, April 2008.

Successful Community Development in Karelia

On April 11-13 the final conference of the project "Valaam-Our Common Home," implemented by the Fund for Sustainable Development under the USAID-funded Community Development Support Project, was held on Valaam Island in the Sortavala Region of the Republic of Karelia.

The project aimed to introduce sustainable development principles and mechanisms into local governance as a means to address social, economic and environmental problems on Valaam Island.

Project highlights include: the establishment of an Environmental Education Center to educate schoolchildren on agriculture and produce seedlings to increase forest vegetation on the island; the launch of activities at the local forest station to develop eco-tourism, including the creation of clean camping sites and ecological paths; and the creation of a new Folk Crafts Center to promote tourism and small business development by providing island citizens with training in traditional arts and pottery. At the conference, local government officials, businessmen, religious and community leaders collectively developed an Action Plan to further improve the island's economic and social conditions.

The local municipality also committed RUR 150,000 ($6000), from savings generated by an energy efficiency project implemented by the program in Sortavala, to finance future activities.