By Natsuko Fukuda | Coordinator
As we welcome the beginning of a new year, we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and solidarity. Thanks to your generosity, we are able to stand alongside people affected by conflict and crisis, helping them protect their dignity and rebuild their lives—even in the most difficult circumstances.
Three years and nine months have passed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began. During this time, countless people have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, and many continue to face extremely difficult living conditions. Even in such circumstances, Peace Winds is committed to ensuring that people can live with dignity and hope.
In the city of Zviahel, in Zhytomyr Oblast—approximately 220 kilometers west of Kyiv—Peace Winds works in partnership with the local NGO Eleos Ukraine to operate a Family Hub. Through this initiative, women and children affected by the war, as well as internally displaced people and local residents, receive free legal, social, and psychological support.
As part of this work, we have launched a Business Training Program designed to help people rebuild their lives through sustainable livelihoods. The program offers two courses: one for aspiring entrepreneurs, and another for those who already run a business.
Participants in the entrepreneurship course learn the basics of starting a business, including how to develop ideas, create business plans, and secure funding. Those in the advanced course focus on business growth—gaining practical tools for scaling operations, managing teams effectively, handling finances, and exploring new markets.
Tetiana, one of the participants, fled eastern Ukraine after her hometown was occupied by Russian forces. She shares her motivation for joining the program:
“I wanted to know whether business is truly right for me. One day, when I can return home, I dream of opening a small café. I love baking bread and sweets.”
The goal of both courses is the same: to help people affected by the war regain a sense of dignity and the strength to stand on their own feet, enabling them to build sustainable businesses for themselves and their families.
Over the five-month program, participants take part in practical lectures, group sessions, and one-on-one mentoring. Before the training begins, Family Hub staff meet individually with each participant to explain the program. If psychological support is needed, professional counselors are available to provide care.
Participants include women who have fled the front lines, family members of soldiers, and others taking courageous first steps toward economic stability. Lesia, another participant, explains:
“I came here with a clear goal—to further develop the business my husband and I built together. He mainly managed the company, but now he is fighting on the front lines. I want to take on the responsibility as a business owner and help our company grow.”
We have witnessed people who were deeply hurt by war begin to believe in their own abilities again—and to take action. This program is about more than business skills; it is about restoring dignity and helping people move toward a life beyond pain and loss.
Peace Winds will continue to stand with the people of Ukraine through these and other initiatives.
Thank you for your continued support.
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