Patience and perseverance pay off
Beloozersk translates loosely in English to White Lake, but Victar's project aims at improving the town's solid waste management and disposal system, in addition to that of regional centre Bereza, another small town in Brest Oblast.
Back in 2005, when TCAS was announced, Victar was elected a member of the Beloozersk Local Council of Deputies while running as an independent candidate. Contrary to what many observers might think, running for and winning local office as an independent is not an impossibility in Belarus, as Victar cheerfully explains: "People know each other around here, and if they know you're good they'll vote for you." Running for national office as an independent isn't as easy, he realises, having been advised by security officers after a previous attempt not to try it again - though, of course, it was "friendly" advice.
In late spring 2006, a training session took place in Minsk at which TCAS consultants from the REC and Netherlands-based Royal Haskoning met with municipality representatives interested in filing EU proposals for funding. It was at this session when I first met Victar, a young man possessing a boundless and almost childish optimism. Fascinated with his newly acquired knowledge of EU environmental commitments and policies, he exclaimed afterwards that his new "dream" was to get a TCAS project going in Beloozersk.
The dream appeared to have come true just four months later, when the proposal from the Municipality of Beloozersk and Eco Project (a Minsk-based NGO), received the only TCAS grant to be awarded in Belarus. Delirious with happiness, Victar the project architect pledged at the award ceremony that he would be leaving the Beloozersk local council following the expiration of his mandate in order to devote himself full-time to the project. "[That way] there is so much more freedom and opportunity to do a good job," he says.
But the project work itself was not the stuff of fairy tales. The pitching of his proposal to Brussels bureaucrats was child's play compared to the red tape he had to deal with in his home country. "It took a year to [satisfy] all the administrative requirements in Belarus before we could start activities," Victar recalls. According to Belarusian law, any project drawing foreign funding requires approval from the Council of Ministers. This, he explains, is to ensure that such projects are aligned with national interests and priorities. But the red tape wasn't all. Once granted, the operating permit needed to officially published, which took another two months. In the meantime, state-owned firm Belresurs, having originally committed to co-fund the project, withdrew, launching Victar on an urgent fundraising mission. The local municipality required another half a year of convincing to contract Victar as project manager.
Fourteen long months came and went before the newly-inaugurated project manager's dream had a chance to actually materialise. During this time, however, the TCAS programme term expired, and there was a real chance that the project would never happen after all. Victar's energy and optimism began to wane, but his persisted paid off when the transfer was made just two weeks before the New Year. Victar's project could finally get underway. "As a result [of the delays], we're doing the workshop now, and not last year as planned," he grins. "Our work proves that if you have an idea in the field of environment, it's possible to find support, both within Belarus and abroad."
