Estonian Refugee Council, Garage48 and Unity for the Future invite women in eastern Ukraine to take part in the Empowering Women Entrepreneurship Programme!

Develop your micro- and small business ideas with a team, win entrepreneurship grants of up to 83 000 UAH for equipment and machinery, and develop a sustainable business supporting a better livelihood for your family. 

The program is organized for vulnerable women living near the contact line and internally displaced people in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts to get new practical skills and improve existing ones, get knowledge in marketing, learn about business creation and entrepreneurship and to start their own businesses for providing a better livelihood for your families. 

INTRO & WORKSHOP – 24-25 April, online

For the first part of the program we are welcoming 300 most motivated participants - women of all ages inspired to establish and run, or work in micro or small businesses. To get more insights into what it means running your own small business, what are the benefits of working together with a team and if you see entrepreneurship being something that would work for you.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAMME – 11-23 May, online

After successfully attending the Intro & Workshop part  of the entrepreneurship program, you are invited to form a team of minimally 3 people and to apply for part 2 of the entrepreneurship program, happening on May 11th to 23rd. 60 teams will be selected to take part, with minimally 3 members of vulnerable women, who have an initial business plan and high motivation to start their business in eastern Ukraine. 2 members exception can be made for family businesses. The PART 2 program is stretched into two weeks to give you enough time to work with your team and mentors to present a viable business & marketing plan and first version of your service or product design.

There are no limits to the fields of your business ideas - be it textiles & handicraft industry, social services, beauty and wellness services, food & catering, technology etc.

Getting online: In case you don’t have internet access - once your registration application is approved, the organizers will help to solve this issue in each individual case.

The 20 best teams will get conditional entrepreneurship grants in the amount of up to 83 000 UAH per grant followed by an after-mentorship program for 6 months, together with local and international mentors.