Location: Võru County
Municipalities of Action Area: Antsla, Rõuge and Võru municipality
Number of local action group members: 52
Population of the region: 21 099
Territory: 2 295,2 km²
Office contact information: Räpina 12 – 207, 65606, Võru, Estonia
e-mail: info@voruleader.ee
web page: voruleader.ee
Contact person:
Ms Kerli Kanger, LAG manager
e-mail: kerli@voruleader.ee; +372 53 451 330
Chairman of the Board:
Mr Kalmer Puusepp
e-mail: kalmer.puusepp@voruvald.ee
Võru County located at the Estonian South – East and is one of the smallest counties, which is also the furthest from the capital Tallinn. The LAG consists of 3three rural municipalities from which one are bordered with Latvia in the South. Võru County is amazingly versatile, has untouched wild nature and bilingual- in addition to Estonian, Võru dialect is used quite a lot. Making cottage cheese, going to smoke sauna and playing Teppo’s accordion (named after August Teppo, the developer of the most common accordion type in Estonia) are part of everyday culture.
LAG Võrumaa Partnership Assembly was established in 2002 and received its legal status in the beginning of 2006. Status of local action group for period 2014-2020 was received on 1 of March 2016.
Leader strategy main priorities and supported measures:
MAIN GOALS
The main goal of Võrumaa Partnership Assembly is to develop our area and help to create better living and working conditions, maintain local cultural heritage and traditions.
PERIOD 2008-2013
LEADER strategy 2008 – 2013 was completed in 2015.
During period was implemented 289 projects in total sum of 3.3 mln euros.
Our Priorities of the Local Development Strategy for the period 2014-2020 are:
- Village and culture
Submeasure: The development of village communities
Submeasure: Preserve local cultural heritage through joint cooperation activities - Entrepreneurship
The development of entrepreneurship environment
The development of small industrial enterprises - Cooperation (encouraging international and local cooperation)
2014–2020 STRATEGY IN NUMBERS
The total budget of Võrumaa Partnership Assembly is. 3.70 mln euros
Budget of the measures (for projects) – 2 963 903 euros
Our main activities and cooperation
UMA MEKK TRADEMARK
Võrumaa Partnership Assembly owns a trademark named UMA MEKK. UMA MEKK is a trademark for food that has sprung up from soil and has been grown and made with care and love by the people of Old Võrumaa. Its aim is to develop an environment for local small entrepreneurs, to exchange experiences, acknowledge and to guide them to start cooperating and working commonly. For today there are 254 different food products that have UMA MEKK trademark. More information about the project: umamekk.ee
COOPERATION PROJECTS:
National Geographic project
Six countries in South Estonia have opened the route “Living on the edge” for visitors, inviting local people as well as quests to learn about the rich cultural heritage, wonderful nature and innovative organizations of the region. In collaboration with the communities, we have selected 27 paces worth discovering, and these places are now represented worth discovering, and these places are now represented by the yellow National Geographic windows. Looking through the yellow window you can get a firsthand experience of life in an extraordinary place, near both the Russian and Latvian borders, and on the border of the European Union. Life in the context of different languages, cultures, ideas and worldviews is full of surprises and discoveries. We have made an exciting selection of places in Southern Estonia for visitors interested in culture and history. Our LAG owns five NG windows. More information about the project: visitsouthestonia.com
Woman the hunter
Transnational cooperation pre-study project with Finland Karelian Hills Leader. The aim of the project was to highlight the good and sustainable hunting practices and culture. Per- study project involved three actions: Participation in hunter’s reunion event, study trips to Slovakia and Finland and seminar.
In 2017 we hope to start two year transnational cooperation project with Finland, Slovakia and Germany. Themes of the international project are following: wild food, nature-or/and game conservation action and education.
Transnational cooperation project with Finland LAG Living Kainuu Leader and Slovakia LAG Podhoran “Woman the Hunter on Wheels and Wings“.
The reason for the project was related that hunting communities are going through turmoil. The traditional hunting associations are ageing; land ownership is shifting into cities and the public image of the hunting needs improving. Engaging new members and interested parties into hobbies like hunting and outdoor activities is challenging.
The main objective for the project was to create a partner network, in order to develop ethical and sustainable hunting activities regionally, nationally and internationally from the huntress’s point of view. The project also aimed at strengthening huntresses’ activities regionally, nationally and internationally by arranging peer-to-peer workshops and study tours. Cultural aspects of hunting and outdoor activities, and related food culture from all partner areas will be introduced during study tours to Estonia and Slovakia, in a get-together event and in the Base Camp Hossa (the project´s main event in Finland). The participants got familiar with the hunting and outdooring destinations and the product/services offering in all partner areas.
The communicational objective of the project was to promote the diversity of the hunting and outdooring from the huntress´s point of view and in that way partially to affect the vitality of the hunting and outdooring culture also in future. New opportunities and conditions for cooperation were created for various parties to enable them to carry on the concrete cooperation also after the project closure.
Mainly the project content was to provide by the huntresses and women-only hunting associations in Slovakia, Estonia and in Kainuu, in partnering areas. Other content production was carried out with other interest groups, projects and cooperation parties. The results and new contents will be disseminated by the partners, interest groups and other parties’ involved nationally and internationally.
One of the outcomes of the project is e-wild cookbook that contains recipes from three different partner countries. It’s objective was to increase conspicuousness of wild food, to emphasize the full-scale utilization of game, and also to bring forth sustainable hunting ideology. The book introduces new methods and cultural aspects of cooking from otherwise familiar wild food ingredients
To get information of our region please visit links to Võru County information:
Visit Võru
Võrumaa Tourist Information Centre
South Estonia
All cooperation ideas and project proposals are welcome.
