June 19, 2024
News
Internally displaced people in Ukraine who have lost their homes and usual lifestyle due to the war want to adapt and stand on their own two feet in new places. Unfortunately, not everyone succeeds: someone’s profession is no longer in demand, others have lost their businesses or skills during the war, some face unemployment and do not have the funds to learn a new craft. To help displaced people secure income, Caritas Czech Republic is launching a new initiative to provide mini-grants for education.
Practically oriented training will help to get job opportunities sooner
What kind of learning will we fund? The key factor is that the courses should be practical and short-term (up to 6 months), so that a person can find a job as quickly as possible and apply the acquired knowledge and skills in real life. Applicants choose the courses and the providers themselves, describing their motivation in the application form. We are to select 30 people who will receive their trainings. First students will start their studies shortly.
What displaced people in Ukraine want to learn
As project coordinator for Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine "Training Courses for IDPs" Ivanna Markiv remarks, the majority of applicants are women. The most common requests are for training in the beauty industry: manicure/pedicure courses, makeup, hairdressing, massage, and depilation services. There are also many requests for psychological assistance courses, social media marketing and training in IT.
"Several women from Berehove, a small resort town in Zakarpattia, applied for cooking courses at the local service lyceum. One of them said she worked as a manicurist, but she had few clients here. Meanwhile, there are many vacancies for chefs around, and she sees this job as promising," says Ivanna Markiv.
Some women from industrial cities in eastern Ukraine, where fierce fighting is now taking place and almost all former infrastructure is destroyed, have faced the need to retrain. Before the war, they worked in metallurgical plants and on the railways. Now their positions are irrelevant.
Those who wish to improve their qualifications can also receive a grant for training. Such participants are among our applicants: for example, accountants, a graphic designer, or a hairdresser who wants to take a colorist course to be able to increase her income.
Displaced people will find their own source of income
"It is important that after completing the courses the participants could get a job or start a new business. Their motivation and dedication is crucial" says Ivanna Markiv. We also take into account the applicant's social vulnerability, prioritising mothers with small children, members of large families, and people with disabilities.
At the end of June, the first participants will begin their studies at the institutions they have chosen. We will cheer for their success and hope that the knowledge and skills they gain will be beneficial and help them generate income.
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, Ukraine has been facing severe attacks and casualties. Millions of people have been forced to flee their homes in the areas of fighing and relocate to other regions of Ukraine or abroad. In the east of the country, some cities have been completely destroyed due to massive shelling.
Caritas Czech Republic in Ukraine is assisting people affected by the war. We provide shelter to internally displaced persons in modular houses in Western Ukraine, improve living conditions in collective sites, and address the urgent needs of residents in frontline and de-occupied communities in Southern Ukraine.
