By Sonia Agnesod | USA for IOM Operations
Iryna, a foreign literature teacher and a book trade specialist by education, opened her shop seven years ago upon her retirement.
A year ago, as fighting continued, Iryna and her family made the difficult decision to flee, leaving behind their beloved house that they had built after previously being displaced from the Chornobyl area in 1986. While they sought safety in the European Union, Iryna and her husband learned from the market director that their shop had been shelled. Luckily, it was not fully destroyed, but it sustained significant damage.
Shortly after the Government of Ukraine regained control of Bucha and other areas of northern Ukraine that had been under the military control of the Russian Federation for over a month, Iryna and Mykola felt safe enough to return home.
Her son and daughter had shown her a call for micro-business grants from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Government of Germany and helped her develop a presentation of her needs and ideas. “I was hesitant as I had never applied for any grants. The IOM grant helped me to start thinking about and working on my business growth,” says Iryna.
With the funds received, she purchased a new smartphone, a laptop, furniture for the expanded shop, books to replace those that were lost, and an air conditioner that also works as a heater. “Now it will be warm in our bookshop, and we are looking forward to welcoming children to the free reading club that we used to organize before the war and that we would like to resume.”
Within the project “SME Boost: Economic Integration of Internally Displaced Persons and Business Recovery” (December 2021-May 2024), more than 700 enterprises in Ukraine will receive grants between EUR 4,500 and 20,000 to revive and boost business throughout the country. Additionally, the project engages the Ukrainian diaspora to support the recovery of the country and of enterprises through skills development, business support, and access to finance, networks and markets.
Original text by Varvara Zhluktenko, photos by Alisa Kyrpychova, IOM Ukraine
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