International Organisation for Migration Vilnius Office (IOM Lithuania) has awarded €75,000 to support the financial incentive for entrepreneurship to war refugees from Ukraine. 26 Ukrainians with the best business ideas were selected to receive support for entrepreneurship.
"Ukrainians have been living in Lithuania for many years, they brought their experience, knowledge and desire to work in Lithuania. We know that one of the most important aspects for them is financial stability and long-term employment. The employment rate of Ukrainians in Lithuania is quite high, but there are many people who are unable to get a job in their speciality, for example because of language barriers or because they do not like the schedule of the hired work due to their commitments. It is therefore important to encourage self-employment, where people can create their own jobs. Ukrainian women in Lithuania have shown that with financial incentives and knowledge, a wide range of ideas can be implemented. It is very important that they see the prospects and want to take care not only of themselves but also of their fellow countrymen", says Eitvydas Bingelis, Head of IOM Lithuania. 
Viktoriia Ponomarenko, a microbiologist and veterinarian, arrived in Lithuania just after the war started. She came to Lithuania with her 15-year-old son from Irpen, with only a cat in her backpack. She lost two nephews. "In Lithuania, I had to start all over again - an unknown country, unfamiliar people, no one to help me. In Ukraine, I worked as a laboratory manager controlling the quality of food products, so I know absolutely everything about food quality. But in Lithuania, I realised that I had to do something, because I was short of money and had to pay for treatment. I couldn't work in my profession because of the language barrier, so I decided I needed to try my hand at something else and I started making custard tarts," says Viktoriia. 
She says she was able to build up a client base fairly quickly and started her own business in frozen food production. "Life started to take off. Of course, it is not easy after such experiences, for example, I still cannot hear or speak languages other than my mother tongue, but two years later I can already talk about very difficult losses, I would not have been able to do it before, I now realise that the most important thing is that I and my family are alive, although my son has gone back to Ukraine, the independence of the country is important to him," says the woman. After receiving a business grant from IOM Lithuania, Viktoriia bought additional equipment for food production: a food processor and a freezer. Today, she is full of hope and new ideas to expand her business and create new jobs not only for herself but also for other Ukrainian women in Lithuania.
Another grantee decided to continue her psychology practice in Lithuania. Olha Ishutinova came from Kharkiv. In Ukraine she worked with children with autism spectrum disorders. After arriving in Lithuania with her three children, she decided to set up her own psychology practice. "When the war broke out, we spent the first six months in Finland and then decided to come to Lithuania. Life here is more similar to what we had in Ukraine, with a lower language barrier," says Olha. After receiving a grant, she used the financial support to set up her classroom. "I wanted to create a cosy environment where the children would feel comfortable, because this is very important, especially in psychological counselling", says Ishutinova. Children with various disorders come to her office on Verkių Street and she tries to help them become more independent.
Yevheniia, like Olha, came to Lithuania with three children and, as she says, she knew that she would have to rebuild her life herself. In Ukraine, she worked as a teacher in a school, organising children's performances and other school events.  She lived in the Cherkassy region and her journey from the war lasted 38 hours. After arriving in Vilnius and settling down, she started weaving African cassocks, first for acquaintances who became interested in her skills, and then gradually she built up a clientele.  "I used to weave cassettes at home as a hobby, but I started to run out of space as acquaintances were telling their friends about me and there were more and more people wanting to do it, so I rented a room in the building of the Press Palace after I took part in the IOM Lithuania entrepreneurship trainings and received a grant, I bought the necessary equipment and now I have my own mini-studio, which I invite everyone to visit, especially now in the summer - African hairstyles are a great hairstyle for both girls and women", says Yevheniia Piddubna. According to the woman, it takes 4-5 hours to do one hairstyle, but it's very convenient because it can last for months. The woman is very happy that she was able to realise her idea and settle in a foreign country.
Svetlana Kolomeiko came to Lithuania from Mariupol. Her husband was killed when an air shell hit their home and she was seriously injured. She arrived in Vilnius in the early morning of 9 May 2022 with just one suitcase containing the essentials. Later, her son also arrived in Vilnius, while her mother and sister remained in Ukraine. Her health prevented her from working, but as the holidays approached, she wanted to thank the volunteers who helped her during her first days in Vilnius. "The holidays were coming up and I wanted to cheer up the people who had done so much for me, so I started making candy bouquets and although it started as a hobby, it grew into something more. From bouquets, I moved on to marshmallows, which is something of a novelty. I make marshmallows at home with different flavours and they are perfect as a gift when beautifully packaged. I'm happy that I can even make two people happy, the one who buys and the one who will be rewarded, which is a great incentive to improve," says Svetlana. Svetlana says that when she started making marshmallows, she faced a shortage of some of the ingredients needed to make marshmallows, so she tries to buy them in Ukraine to support the producers. She is full of ideas and new thoughts on how to improve her products and further expand her customer base.
IOM Lithuania provided up to 3000 euros of support, which could be used to purchase essential equipment, goods and services for starting or developing a business according to a business plan. Entrepreneurship training and individual business mentoring sessions were also organised to help participants prepare their business plans and establish clear business directions. "The majority of those who applied were from Vilnius, but Ukrainians living in Kaunas, Klaipėda and Šiauliai also participated in the programme. Around 40% of the beneficiaries were people who already had business experience in Ukraine, and just over half, around 60%, of the women indicated that they had started a new business. Our aim was to help them take the first steps to promote self-employment and the first results have been successful," says Mr Bingelis. 
This assistance for Ukrainians is funded by the United States Office of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM).
Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, almost 87 000 Ukrainians have arrived in Lithuania.