Info Session on the Blaho for Communities Platform

The info session organized by Mayors’ Club Ukraine on October 9, 2025, was dedicated to the presentation of the innovative digital platform Blaho for Communities — a digital solution designed to ensure transparent support for the recovery of Ukrainian communities by international donors.

Blaho for Communities is a digital ecosystem developed by the Epicentr company in partnership with the Norwegian IT company Itera. It was created to support the recovery of small towns and rural areas of Ukraine affected by the war.

The platform operates as a digital marketplace that directly connects donors and beneficiaries. Local authorities can submit recovery projects — ranging from the repair of schools and hospitals to infrastructure development and agricultural initiatives. Each approved project is converted into digital Blaho support certificates, which can be purchased by Ukrainian and international donors — from individuals to businesses and international organizations.

Donors gain the opportunity to directly fund verified projects with full transparency and digital tracking of results. Funds are directed straight to the projects through the Epicentr network, which includes more than 7,500 products and suppliers across Ukraine, minimizing administrative costs.

The platform’s main mission is to provide communities with an effective tool for attracting aid, allowing donors to directly support specific initiatives and clearly see the results of their contributions. Unlike traditional aid models, where part of the funds is spent on administrative expenses, Blaho ensures that every contribution goes directly to the project itself, guaranteeing maximum efficiency, transparency, and accountability.

The creation of the platform was first announced in July 2025 during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. Testing took place in the summer of 2025 with real requests from communities, including projects in the Khmelnytskyi region aimed at restoring social infrastructure in rural areas. The platform was officially launched in October 2025 and became available to the general public.

On July 31, 2025, during the Ukrainian Investment Congress, Mayors’ Club Ukraine and Epicentr signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. This partnership opened new opportunities for members of the Mayors’ Club, enabling fast and transparent implementation of reconstruction, social, and infrastructure projects with donor support.

At the time of the launch, projects from various regions of Ukraine — including Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Sumy, Kyiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions — were already being processed. These projects include the construction of protective structures, the creation of resilience centers for internally displaced persons, the restoration of critical infrastructure, and the support of local populations.

The platform was showcased at Oslo Innovation Week in October 2025, where Epicentr and Itera demonstrated how digital tools and international partnerships can support community recovery and create real social impact.

The info session of Mayors’ Club Ukraine became an important step in promoting the platform among Ukrainian mayors and community representatives, providing them with a practical tool to attract international support for the recovery and development of their territories.