Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 33-year-old Alina Shvydka, along with her mother and three children, had been living under occupation. She moved to Mykolaiv to be closer to her husband. However, shortly after the move, it became clear that the relationship had broken down – the couple are now in the process of divorcing. The family was left on their own in Mykolaiv.
Over the course of several years under occupation, Alina and her family made 11 attempts to leave.
“This was our 11th attempt, when we’d already decided we wouldn’t be going back. We were just sitting on our suitcases, not knowing how to get out – whether in wheelchairs or some other way. It took us a very long time to get out; we spent the night in churches, and basically everywhere,” says Alina.
Alina found out about the financial aid for businesses provided by the ‘Shchedryk’ Charitable Organisation, coordinated by the ‘Right to Protection’ Charitable Foundation and supported by the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine (UHF), through a support group on social media.
She filled in the application form without expecting a reply – but they rang her, and she received the payment.
The business idea appeared on its own: Alina’s mum is a professional baker who worked for many years in a bakery in Berdiansk. Now they work as a team – her mum bakes, whilst Alina manages their social media and handles orders.
The funds were spent on a ‘5-in-1’ food processor, a blender, a mixer, a mincer, a coffee grinder, an oven, an air fryer and a deep fryer. The family also plans to expand and produce ready-to-cook meals – they have already ordered a vacuum sealer for this purpose.
After moving from Berdiansk, the woman felt she had lost all hope of a stable life. However, the support she received enabled her to set up her own business, which meets her family’s basic needs.
The aid is provided as part of the ‘MESH: Multi-sectoral Emergency Assistance to High-Risk Communities’ project run by the ‘Shchedryk’ Charitable Organisation, coordinated by the ‘Right to Protection’ Charitable Foundation and supported by the Humanitarian Fund for Ukraine (UHF).