The team of the NGO "Light of Hope" shared its experience in implementing projects to support entrepreneurship with colleagues from the NGO "Network 100% Life. Zaporizhia". We cooperate in the format of an online and offline educational hub to strengthen each other's expertise. The meetings take place within the framework of the GENTLE project with the technical support of UN Women in Ukraine and with funding from the UN Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).
This time, the team from Zaporizhzhia came to Poltava. The organization's specialists visited several winners of grant projects for women implemented by the Light of Hope NGO. The entrepreneurs showed their businesses and talked about the role of training and financial support from the non-governmental sector.
They also gathered for a joint discussion, where, in particular, they exchanged views on:
- the peculiarities of doing business in wartime;
- restoring or starting one's own business in host communities;
- the peculiarities of writing projects to support entrepreneurship;
- the role of psychological support as one of the key means of assisting project participants.
"I participated in a project where there was training before writing a business plan. I took the first class and decided that this was definitely not for me. But thanks to the coordinator and her arguments, I completed the training and received financial assistance. Now my products are bought from different parts of the world, and this is something I can't live without for a day," shared Iryna Konotop, a participant in one of the projects.
“We heard how important and necessary it is to unite women in such projects. So that they have support, help each other, share experiences. It was very pleasant to hear feedback from women who were not afraid to start from scratch, mastered new skills,” said Maria Horyanets, program director of the NGO “Network of 100% Life. Zaporizhzhia”.
Thi initiativeis produced by Light of Hope NGO,funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace andHumanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine.The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.
This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace andHumanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
Photo: Light of Hope NGO/ Stanislav Pantelei
