Restoring people by restoring the land in Kharkiv region, Ukraine

Happy People's Garden: Restoring people by restoring the land

Organisation: Happy People of Ukraine NGO

Location: Verkhnii Byshkyn, Kharkiv Region, Ukraine

1. Project Summary

In the village of Verkhnii Byshkyn, we are creating the Happy People's Garden — a peaceful rural learning space located in an area that has remained relatively calm despite the ongoing war, offering children and young people a rare opportunity to spend time outdoors, away from the constant disruption of air raid alarms and urban stressors, reconnect with nature, build practical skills and become active contributors to ecological regeneration. 

Through a combination of a children's woodworking workshop, a community nursery, a food forest and hands-on permaculture education, participants gain practical skills while restoring their local environment and strengthening community resilience.

Rather than simply learning about nature, children and young people actively shape the space around them. They grow trees, propagate plants, build habitats for pollinators and help create a thriving ecosystem that benefits the entire community.

The project also brings together local residents and internally displaced families through shared learning, gardening and restoration activities, strengthening social connections and fostering a sense of belonging.

Following a social enterprise model, part of the nursery stock will be donated to schools and public spaces for community greening, while another part will be sold to generate income for the long-term sustainability and growth of the initiative.

In this way, the project combines ecological restoration, practical education, community integration and local economic resilience.

2.Our inspiration 

This project is deeply connected to the personal journey of its founders. Several years ago, we chose to leave city life in search of a different way of living — one that would offer a closer relationship with nature, stronger community connections and more meaningful opportunities for children to grow and learn.

We were concerned by how many children spend their formative years disconnected from the natural world, with limited opportunities to take responsibility, contribute to their communities and experience the confidence that comes from creating something tangible. We felt that there were too few places where children could gradually grow into adulthood through real experiences, meaningful work and connection with people and nature.

Happy People's Garden is our attempt to create such a place. We want children to experience that they are capable of nurturing life, caring for ecosystems, working together with others and contributing to something larger than themselves. We believe these experiences can help cultivate confidence, responsibility, resilience and hope for the future.

3. The Problem

Children, young people and internally displaced families in the Kharkiv region continue to experience significant psychological stress as a result of the war. Many have lost access to safe outdoor learning environments, meaningful community participation and opportunities to reconnect with nature.

In addition, the region is increasingly affected by drought, water scarcity and climate change. Irregular rainfall patterns, prolonged summer dry periods, hot drying winds and temperature extremes create growing challenges for local food production and ecosystem health. Climate zones have gradually shifted northwards in recent years, making the area increasingly vulnerable to conditions previously associated with the southern steppe regions of Ukraine. As a result, practical skills in water conservation, regenerative land management and permaculture are becoming increasingly important for community resilience, food security and long-term adaptation to climate change. 

At the same time, local communities face growing challenges related to ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, insufficient greening of public spaces and limited economic opportunities in rural areas.

There is a need for a practical, community-based learning environment where children and young people can experience the benefits of working with nature, witness the results of their efforts and develop skills that contribute to both environmental and social regeneration.

There is also a need for initiatives that can gradually become financially self-sustaining rather than relying entirely on external funding, while creating opportunities for local residents and internally displaced people to participate in community life and recovery.

4. Our Solution

We are creating an integrated outdoor learning and regeneration hub based on the principles of permaculture, circular economy and community participation.

The project will actively involve children, young people, local residents and internally displaced families in the creation and stewardship of the space, strengthening social cohesion through shared learning and practical action.

A Solid Foundation (We are not starting from scratch)

Our space already functions as an active living laboratory. The Garden currently uses a variety of working permaculture systems, including a biological grey and black water purification system, solar panels, living fences (hedgerows), companion planting, a chicken tractor, insect hotels, an apiary, a waste sorting station, a small plant nursery and a welcoming community space for gatherings and learning.

These systems allow children and visitors to experience regenerative practices in everyday life rather than simply learning about them in theory. This grant will help us strengthen and expand these existing initiatives while engaging more children, young people and community members in hands-on learning and ecological restoration.

Nursery and Food Forest: Growing Regeneration

The project will establish a community nursery and food forest where children learn to grow trees, shrubs and perennial plants while restoring local biodiversity.

Together with experienced mentors, children will learn traditional and regenerative horticultural skills, including grafting fruit trees, plant propagation and nursery management. They will help produce planting material that will serve two purposes:

1. supporting the greening of local schools, community spaces and public areas;

In addition to supporting schools and community spaces, part of the nursery stock will be used for ecological restoration activities along the Vilkhova River. Native trees and shrubs will be planted to improve biodiversity, strengthen riverbank ecosystems, increase habitat connectivity and contribute to the long-term health of the local watershed. 

2. Generating income through the sale of selected nursery stock to sustain and expand the project.

Through this process, participants gain practical skills, environmental awareness and an understanding of how regenerative enterprises can support community wellbeing.

Within three years, we aim to develop the nursery into a self-sustaining community enterprise capable of producing several thousand trees and shrubs annually while supporting local greening initiatives and ecological restoration efforts.

Permaculture Infrastructure: A Living Classroom

The project will upgrade an existing greenhouse and establish a rainwater harvesting system to create a year-round learning environment.

Children and young people will learn how natural systems function through hands-on experience with water conservation, soil building, plant cultivation and closed-loop ecological design. The site will serve as a living demonstration of regenerative land management practices that can be replicated elsewhere in the region.

The Good Workshop: Building for Nature

Within the children's woodworking workshop, participants will create infrastructure that directly supports the garden ecosystem.

They will build bee hotels, pollinator habitats, nesting structures and components for a local apiary while learning about biodiversity, ecosystem services and the essential role of pollinators in food production and ecological health.

5. Community Impact

The project generates environmental, social and economic benefits for the wider community.

For children and young people, working with soil, plants, and natural materials provides a therapeutic and empowering experience that helps reduce stress, build resilience and restore a sense of agency.

For internally displaced families and local residents, the project creates opportunities for meaningful participation, social connection and community integration through shared practical activities.

For the environment, the project contributes to biodiversity enhancement, ecological restoration, water conservation and increased tree cover through the establishment of the nursery and food forest.

For the local economy, the nursery introduces a social enterprise model that creates a pathway towards long-term financial sustainability. Revenue generated through plant sales will be reinvested into educational activities, ecological restoration and further development of the community space.

The garden is not being created in isolation. We work closely with local authorities and community leaders and have signed a memorandum of cooperation that supports long-term collaboration around education, ecological restoration and community development. We believe meaningful change happens when local residents, civil society and public institutions work together toward a shared vision for the future. 

Expected outcomes during the first year

• Engage 50–80 children and young people in hands-on environmental education and regeneration activities.
• Involve 20–30 internally displaced people and local residents in community gardening, nursery development and ecological restoration activities.
• Deliver 15–20 workshops and practical learning sessions focused on permaculture, propagation, woodworking and ecosystem restoration.
• Generate more than 1,000 hours of hands-on learning and stewardship activities led by participants and volunteers.
• Establish a nursery capable of producing approximately 1,000 trees and shrubs annually, including fruit trees, berry bushes, native species and pollinator-supporting plants. Distributing at least 300 of those plants to local schools, community spaces and public greening initiatives every year.
• Establish a demonstration food forest containing 50–100 trees and shrubs.
• Create 10–20 pollinator habitats and bee hotels in the Good Workshop.
• Implement 3–5 permaculture demonstration systems, including rainwater harvesting, composting, mulching and biodiversity-supporting planting schemes.
• Harvest and utilise approximately 10,000–20,000 litres of rainwater annually through the site's water conservation system.
• Develop a community-based social enterprise model where part of the nursery stock is sold to generate income for future educational and ecological activities.

Through these activities, children, young people, internally displaced people and local residents become active contributors to ecological regeneration while gaining practical skills, confidence, stronger social connections and a deeper relationship with nature.

The project contributes to the ecological and social recovery of a region deeply affected by war by helping people reconnect with nature while actively participating in the restoration of their community.

6. Use of Funds

We are seeking $6,000 to strengthen the infrastructure of the Happy People's Garden and establish the foundations for a long-term regenerative learning and social enterprise project.

$2,300 – Greenhouse Upgrade and Water Conservation System

Replacement of the existing greenhouse covering with durable polycarbonate panels and installation of rainwater harvesting infrastructure, including water storage tanks, pipes and irrigation components. This will create a year-round learning environment and improve water efficiency.

$1,700 – Nursery Materials, Plants and Seeds

Purchase of seeds, propagation materials, nursery containers, rooting substrates and a selection of fruit trees and shrubs to establish a mother orchard and nursery production system.

$2,000 – Workshop Materials and Children's Equipment

Purchase of timber, environmentally friendly paints, protective equipment and child-safe tools required for building pollinator habitats, apiary components and other garden infrastructure.

Additional impact if more funding becomes available

If additional funding becomes available beyond our core budget, we will be able to further strengthen the educational and regenerative impact of the project through several practical improvements.

Child-safe beekeeping equipment (+$500)

Protective suits and apiary tools would allow children to safely visit the apiary, observe pollinator ecosystems up close and learn how bees contribute to food production and biodiversity. This funding would provide approximately 20 child-sized beekeeping sets, enabling group learning activities and regular educational visits to the apiary.

Solar-powered irrigation system (+$500)

A solar-powered pump and drip irrigation system would help us use harvested rainwater more efficiently, improving the resilience of the nursery and food forest during increasingly frequent dry periods.

Mobile solar electric fencing (+$500)

A mobile solar-powered fencing system would protect young nursery plants from animal damage while also serving as a practical demonstration of regenerative land stewardship and rotational grazing practices.