Creating small business solutions in Ukrainian communities
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has teamed up with the Ukrainian non-profit RDA TATC to help create small business opportunities in communities that have welcomed people who fled the conflict.
This School of Changemakers will develop concepts for social enterprises and guide the entrepreneurs in how to pitch their projects to donors and investors.
The Regional Development Agency of the Tavria Association of Territorial Communities (RDA TATC) is running the trainings in seven communities. The organization is uniquely suited to this work, after it was forced to escape the fighting and set up in a new town.
Experts will conduct surveys in each of the seven locales to assess the business environment and to understand how people displaced by the war are fitting into their new communities.
The sessions began in July and run through November. The mix of in-person and online training will be supplemented by one-on-one mentoring for a select group of businesspeople with promising ideas for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The aim is develop agricultural and craft products that are “Made in Tavria”, to boost development in the rural region of western Ukraine.
‘Supporting MSMEs in Ukraine is an important work for ITC. The war uproots people along with their businesses. What they need urgently is the ability to adapt, to find their foot in the new environment – both socially and business-wise. All parts of Ukraine are affected by the war in one way or another, therefore, involving the communities that host the newcomers is very important,’ said Maryna Sydorenko, ITC National Project Manager in Ukraine.
‘This is what ITC is doing, in partnership with RDA TATC. We are building the capacity of leaders from seven communities - providing the business and entrepreneurship tools to innovate new business solutions, and to tap into the skills of people who relocated from the conflict zones,’ she added.
This project is part of ITC’s ongoing commitment to make trade work for people and small businesses in refugee crises, so that they can navigate and find alternative market opportunities that let them rebuild their lives.
About the projects
Ukraine: Building economic resilience of displacement-affected communities is a Japan-funded project that responds to the emergency needs in Ukraine in the areas of livelihood and economic disruption by contributing to the economic resilience of Ukrainian communities affected by the conflict and resulting displacement. Given that a large number of the Ukrainian population is still in movement and under uncertain circumstances dictated by the crisis, the project’s resilience building activities will focus on support that can provide short-term economic relief, and that also works to generate resources and build skills that can be adapted as the context evolves.
The Refugees Empowerment through Markets Initiative (REMI) is ITC’s innovative programme offering for migration or displacement affected communities to support them to build economic resilience through trade-led, market-based solutions.
