On April 30, 2025, the experience exchange forum "Recovery Together: Project Management for Sustainable Community Development" was organized by the Public Union ”Recovery and Development Agency" with the support of the “Friedrich Naumann Foundation - For Freedom in Ukraine”.

The event brought together representatives of local governments, Public Unions, independent project managers, and local community leaders to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the development of Ukrainian communities in the context of recovery.

Denys Marchuk, Deputy Chairman of the Ukrainian Agri Council (UAC), shared the experience of implementing successful projects of the Save Ukraine Charitable Foundation (SaveUA), which was founded by the UAC and united farmers from the three largest agricultural associations - UAC, the Association of Milk Producers, and the Association of Pig Breeders.

He also emphasized the importance of involving business in socially important initiatives:

"Nowadays, businesses are actively using various grant instruments and are looking for ways to help not only their own development but also the country as a whole. Thanks to our Save Ukraine Foundation, we have not only supported the agricultural sector but have also implemented projects with social content. 590,000 units of medical supplies have been donated to 70 medical institutions. We have sent 870 tons of heating briquettes to Ukrainians in the frontline areas. Over the three years of war, we have fed 2 million affected Ukrainians by providing more than 370,000 food packages. We have also provided 33 special vehicles for the State Emergency Service. Once again this confirms how much the role of farmers in the context of social work has increased."

Denys Marchuk also mentioned the cases implemented at the beginning of the full-scale invasion:

"Ukrainians in the affected areas lacked food, and agricultural producers lost sales routes due to the Russian blockade of sea routes. We found a solution to help the population and support business in a very difficult period - the Chairman of the UAC signed a contract with the world-famous chef Jose Andres and his World Central Kitchen Foundation. With his support, we opened one of the largest humanitarian headquarters in Ukraine in Uman, where we packed and delivered 29,000 food packages a week to IDPs and Ukrainians in the frontline and de-occupied territories. All these sets consisted of goods produced exclusively by Ukrainian manufacturers."

According to Denys Marchuk, our experience proves that the effectiveness of projects increases when they meet the real needs of communities.