A three-day training "Leading Women in Local Self-Government" by the DESPRO Project is over. That is a pilot event in a series prepared by the Project, which events are dedicated to the involvement of women in public and political processes at all levels of organization of power. 

A woman at a managerial position in a large city is no wonder anymore and is seen as normal state of things. A chairwoman of a village, Rayon or city council is still, more likely, an exception from the rules. According to the data of the Ministry of Regional Development, as of 2018, women comprise only 13% of managers in the ATCs. 

Though women often play an active role in the community, they are not engaged adequately in the process of taking major decisions and resource governance. For the most part, it is caused by preconceived notions regarding possible roles of a woman, in particular, managerial capacity of women, which notions still prevail in the Ukrainian society. 

That is why the training programme included two main emphases:

• to disprove myths and preconceived notions regarding the "gender", "gender equality" in the exercising by women and men of managerial functions, in particular in the activities of local self-government (Olha Dancheva, Ella Lamakh, Liudmyla Nestryliai);

• to create conditions for learning by the women participants of basic management competences: leadership, team-building, communications within a community (Olena Dobrorodnieva). 

In addition to training modules, the participants had the opportunity of having real-life communication relationship and sharing of experience with Anzhela Maliuha, the Chairwoman of the Secretariat of the Committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on State Construction, Regional Policy and Local Self-government, Vielina Zaiats, the Chairwoman of the Dunayevetska Amalgamated Territorial Community. 

Through a number of such events, the DESPRO Project will facilitate the involvement of women in the local self-government, their professional improvement, in particular, in obtaining skills of a manager and sharing best community management practices.