Content:
  1. I was worried that I didn't have enough experience and wouldn't be able to compete.
  2. I wanted to do something of my own.
  3. Where to look for opportunities

When life is divided into "before" and "after," a person seeks support. For internally displaced Ukrainians, work often becomes that support—something that restores a sense of stability and allows them to plan for the future again. But starting over in a new city is not easy, especially when you don't have a network of contacts or even an idea of where to begin.

There is often a lack of understanding of "how it works": where to find funding, how to register as a sole proprietor, how to evaluate a business idea, or how to define your niche. Answers to these questions were sought during training sessions in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Vinnytsia, and Khmelnytskyi regions, which took place with the assistance of the "All-Ukrainian Coalition for Legal Aid" within the framework of the IDP entrepreneurship support project under the "Uniting for Action" program, with the support of IREX and the US Department of State.

I was worried that I didn't have enough experience and wouldn't be able to compete.

Khrystyna moved to Vinnytsia from Kherson. Before the war, she worked as an administrator — the job didn't offer growth or a stable income. After moving, she had to start everything from scratch: a new city, no acquaintances, and no idea what to do next.

The impetus came unexpectedly — when she was helping a relative manage the pages of an online store. "I enjoyed creating posts and visuals. I suddenly realized: this is really something I connect with," Khrystyna recalls. That's how the idea to try her hand at SMM came about.

The only thing holding her back was self-doubt. "I was worried that I didn't have enough experience and wouldn't be able to compete. It felt like I was entering the profession 'through the back door'," she says.

Khrystyna learned about the training from social media and applied, despite her doubts. During the training, she systematically worked on her idea for the first time: together with her mentor, she conducted a SWOT analysis, dealt with taxes and work formats, and drew up her first business plan. A month after the training, she officially registered as a sole proprietor.

Today, Khrystyna works with her first clients, manages commercial accounts, and develops her personal brand. "The main thing that has changed is the feeling of 'I can.' The training was the point where fear turned into action," she says.

I wanted to do something of my own.

Alina is an internally displaced person from Kharkiv, a PhD in Philology, and an English teacher. Before the war, she had a family English studio, and after moving, she worked online almost without days off.

"At some point, I realized I was simply burning out. I wanted to create something of my own—something accessible, modern, and open to different people," she recalls.

Alina learned about the training from acquaintances. She had long thought about her own educational project but didn't know how to structure and launch it properly. The training gave her a systematic understanding of how a sole proprietorship works, market and niche analysis, and working with a mentor on a business model. In addition, she was able to test her idea in a group and get support from like-minded people.

In October, she officially registered as a sole proprietor and launched her own educational project teaching English to children, adults, and seniors. "Now is the best time to make a dream come true. There are many people around who are ready to support you. The main thing is to start and move forward with small steps," says Alina.

Where to look for opportunities

Programs, scholarships, and educational initiatives for IDPs can be found at:

  • on the official pages of the IREX "Uniting for Action" program;

  • on the pages of the State Employment Service.