August 29, 2025
News
The majority of people fleeing occupation and danger lose not only their homes but also their means of livelihood. The hardest hit are single women with young children and those caring for elderly relatives. To support the most vulnerable categories of Ukrainians, Caritas Czech Republic has been providing study grants for two years now. This helps evacuees find employment and regain stability in a new environment. Discover why this is important below.
A lifeline for those who have lost everything
Our grant programme is available to internally displaced persons in three regions in western Ukraine: Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk and Zakarpattia. We fund training courses up to 400 euros. Applicants choose the field and institution for their training themselves. According to the programme guidelines, courses may last up to six months. We encourage grant applicants to choose practical training courses that will ensure their future successful employment or career growth.
“We aim to support motivated people in their efforts to restore and increase their income after relocation. In 2024, Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine funded training for 37 war-affected people. 80% of them confirmed that the skills they gained helped them improve their well-being," shares Ivanna Markiv, project manager.
This year, we received 374 applications for study grants. That is three times more than in 2024. Caritas Czech Republic supported 45 participants by funding their training courses. These are mainly single women, women with many children who are raising children with disabilities or caring for elderly relatives. We also provided grants to women and men of pre-retirement age who are facing difficulties in finding employment.
The most popular areas included beauty (cosmetology, hairdressing, massage), foreign languages, IT, and accounting.
I didn’t know what to do, says Khrystyna from Nikopol
One of the grant recipients is Khrystyna. She has already completed cosmetology courses funded by Caritas Czech Republic and plans to set up her own beauty parlour.
Khrystyna is raising three children on her own and looking after her 82-year-old grandmother. They all evacuated to Uzhhorod from the city of Nikopol in the Dniprо region. Nikopol is four kilometres from the front line and has been under constant heavy attack since the summer of 2022.
Before the full-scale invasion, Khrystyna was building a career in the beauty industry, but the war destroyed everything.
"I felt really lost and didn't know what to do”, she recalls. However, Khrystyna is not the kind of person who is easily broken by adversity. To realise her dream of becoming a beautician, she enrolled in a medical college and recently graduated with honours. Khrystyna also took courses in the basics of cosmetology, but she still needed the skills to perform cosmetic procedures. Khrystyna was unable to afford such training herself, so she applied for a grant.
“I am very grateful to Caritas Czech Republic for their support. It is vital for my family and my personal growth. Now I will be able to work as a cosmetologist with a flexible schedule, which allows me to raise my children and take care of my grandmother”, Khrystyna says with gratitude.
Svitlana got a chance to bring her dream to life
Svitlana was five months pregnant when Russian troops attacked the city of Izyum (meaning 'raisins' in Ukrainian) in the Kharkiv region. She was lucky to evacuate and escape the occupation. Although Izyum has now been liberated, it remains under constant shelling and the threat of recapture.
“I fled amid explosions. It was my road to nowhere,” recalls Svitlana.
Today, she lives alone with her three-year-old son in Mukachevo, in the Zakarpattia region. She needs a job with a decent income and a flexible schedule. While exploring the local service market, Svitlana noticed there was a demand for hairdressers. “I've always admired well-groomed and stylish people. I want to make this world more beautiful and people happier. I used to cut my family's hair,” explains Svitlana.
She successfully passed the selection process and received a study grant to cover the professional hairdressing course. "Finally, I have a chance to make my dream come true. I am grateful to Caritas Czech Republic for providing me with such crucial support. It makes me believe in myself," says Svitlana.
The study grants assistance to war-affected Ukrainians supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. We thank everyone who is helping together with us!
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine
Caritas Czech Republic has been helping Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. In addition to much-needed humanitarian aid, we provide shelter to internally displaced people in modular houses in western Ukraine. We are also improving living conditions in dormitories.
In eastern Ukraine, we improve the accessibility and quality of rehabilitation and reproductive medicine by modernising hospitals and educating staff.
Since 2025, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, we have been establishing 5 Mental Health Centres: in Dnipro, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Zakarpattia regions. In addition, Caritas Czech Republic supports schools near the frontline by equipping safe educational spaces as well as funding psychological consultations and additional classes to help children catch up on their educational gaps.
In southern Ukraine, we are restoring the water supply in the war-affected areas and setting up mobile medical centres.
