A veteran from Pokrovsk is developing his own food delivery business in Poltava. He launched it with the support of his family and through grant opportunities.
27-year-old Danylo, together with his younger sister, launched the food delivery service "Dialect" (https://dialect.ua). Customers can order pizza, sushi, and rolls, which the pair not only prepares but also delivers to the specified address.
The business idea came from 22-year-old Polina; having worked in a coffee shop for a long time, she understood how operations are organized in such establishments. Danylo, however, lacked this experience:
"I’m not from this field at all—not even remotely. I used to work in a mine. After completing my mandatory military service, I went back to being a miner. But when the full-scale invasion began, I went to fight."
In late spring 2025, the man sustained a severe injury. He underwent a long period of rehabilitation.
The sister, who was building her life in Kharkiv before the full-scale invasion, moved to Poltava. Parents too. So, Danylo also decided to start from scratch here:
"After rehabilitation, the question arose: what should I do in civilian life in an unfamiliar city? I had known nothing but the mines and the war."
Danylo currently oversees kitchen operations. Polina manages orders, delivery, and pickup:
"There’s a lot of work, but we took this on willingly. I enjoy what I do. That’s why the team and I are striving to make everything great."
Polina told her brother about the existence of assistance programs for veterans and internally displaced persons. When the need arose to expand his staff, Danylo utilized grant support for hiring new employees under the project "Support for the Social and Financial Recovery of War-Affected Communities in the Poltava Region," implemented by the charitable organization "Light of Hope" in partnership with JERU.
The man hired two additional cooks to handle more orders. For three months, the entrepreneur will receive compensation for their wages. He plans to keep the guys on the team after that.
Danylo values the support of his family above all else:
"When I was wounded, my family was by my side the whole time. That helped a lot. It still does. You recover much faster."
He also notes that starting a business from scratch and growing it solely on his own savings would have been nearly impossible. That is why he is glad he learned in time about opportunities for veterans offered by the non-governmental sector. This enabled him to find his place in civilian life more quickly. Now, he and his sister are making plans for the future and hope to expand the business eventually.
The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Light of Hope NGO in partnership with JERU (Joint Emergency Response in Ukraine of international NGOs Welthungerhilfe and Concern Worldwide)
Photo: Iryna Solianyk / Charitable Organization "Light of Hope"
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