On 13 June, with the support of Oxfam, our charity organisation, Shchedryk, held a forum entitled ‘Retraining and the Road to Success’, which brought together representatives of government, business, the public and international partners to discuss economic recovery and support for entrepreneurial initiatives in Mykolaiv region.
The forum also became an important platform for showcasing successful cases of recovery and business creation in the context of a full-scale war thanks to the microgrants provided. Particular attention was paid to inspiring stories of entrepreneurs who, despite significant challenges and losses, were able not only to resume their activities but also continue to actively develop the region’s economy.
Shchedryk is an organisation that has been quite active from the very first days. They are strong because they can change in accordance with the requirements of the times. At first, it was exclusively humanitarian aid to people who needed it most. Over time, it gradually moved to support those who are resilient, so that their resilience becomes stronger, and so that these people become local examples of the fact that if you do something, there will be those who will help you. And then you have a chance to be successful and resilient to all life’s challenges, said Vitaliy Lukov, First Deputy Mayor of Mykolaiv.
In recent years, the Shchedryk Charitable Foundation has implemented a number of important projects aimed at supporting the population and economic revival:
Assistance and Livelihoods Centre: Between August 2023 and May 2025, Shchedryk specialists provided consultations and referred more than 10,171 people, including internally displaced persons, victims and socially vulnerable categories of the population. More than 9,416 people received the necessary assistance through referrals to other organisations.
Vocational training and retraining: Over the past two years, 142 people have successfully completed vocational training and retraining in professions in demand on the labour market. These include baker, manicurist, web designer, tailor, bus, trolleybus and tram driver. A separate group of students mastered argon arc welding.
Business planning and small grants: This four-phase project involved 160 people who received two weeks of training. 83 participants received grants for the development of their own businesses totalling €331,700.
Oleksandr Mosin, one of the co-founders of the organisation, said that the history of the project began in 2023 under the daily shelling of Mykolaiv. “Oxfam was the first organisation that initiated the Assistance Centre with us in the situation of instability and started implementing grant and retraining programmes. It was a pilot project that grew into a two-year journey,” he said.
The forum provided a unique opportunity to hear inspiring stories from entrepreneurs, get practical advice and share valuable experience. The event was aimed at consolidating the efforts of all stakeholders to jointly pave the way for economic revival and support entrepreneurial initiatives in Mykolaiv region.
The forum concluded with an interesting discussion raised by Natalia Horbenko, co-founder of the Shchedryk Charitable Foundation, on the difference between women and men entrepreneurs. In response, Tatiana Eremenko, owner of the flower shop ‘Terika’, humorously noted: ‘The best artists are men, the best writers are men, because they have women behind them who solve all their problems and issues.’