500 Transcarpathians and IDPs are learning new professions

This year, with the support of World Vision International, the Dorcas Ukraine team is actively implementing a project to train IDPs and affected people in Transcarpathia in entrepreneurial skills. This is a unique opportunity for people from remote areas and the big city to learn a new trade or improve their skills to start their own business.

Many people who moved from eastern Ukraine worked in factories or had technical jobs, but when they arrived in Zakarpattia Oblast they were unable to find work. A significant number of families are left without a breadwinner because the men are defending the country. That is why we target single mothers, members of large families, people supporting a relative with a disability, mothers on maternity leave and other vulnerable groups.

We offer training in various specialities: hairdresser, barber, nail artist, cook, eyebrow artist, make-up artist, seamstress. Students also learn digital skills: UI/UX design, Python, digital marketing, product owner, basic programming, digital design, AI specialist, SMM specialist, software tester, accountant and target analyst. All are relevant and in demand in Ukraine. Support for the development of greenhouse farming will also be offered to local residents. At the end of each course, project participants also receive gift kits to help them start their own businesses. For example, those who learned to be hairdressers received trimmers, scissors and machines. In one case, a girl opened her own salon immediately after graduating and hired classmates she had studied with during the project.

In total, 444 participants have been able to learn a new trade in a variety of areas since the project began, with more planned for the future. By August, the project will have trained more than 500 participants. 117 of those who have already completed their training have either found a job or started their own business.

This programme is not just about training or employment. It is about the adaptation and integration of a population that has been forced to leave everything behind and start their lives from scratch. For example, several men have found work after school and their families have returned from abroad. A son can provide quality care for a seriously ill mother. The mother, who was forced to raise her children on her own, is now a manicurist and is confident about the future. A family in the village with a stable income can now finish building the house of their dreams.

This is just the beginning of the changes that are taking place in the lives of Ukrainians as a result of Dorcas’ work in Ukraine.

08 July 2024