Business Training Helps Ukrainian Woman Realize Dreams
Makiyivka, Donetsk oblast, Ukraine - Victoria Nikitina worked as a processing engineer of bakery production at a state baker’s plant for 20 years until she saw a newspaper announcement about business training. “Having work at a baker’s plant, I dreamed about producing healthy food, particularly bread. The idea was very exciting, but at that time I had neither means and nor business knowledge,” recalls Nikitina.
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| A Ukrainian woman in her bakery. |
Nikitina saw that announcement as her chance to get business knowledge, and she decided to give it a try. While studying at the business training, she understood that a person’s motivation is a key to success. “Upon graduation, I got confidence. I found a possibility to realize my plan,” says Nikitina, “and decided to take two-month training at the USAID-supported Women’s Business Support Center (WBSC) in Donetsk. At the WBSC Nikitina got knowledge on marketing, management and business management; studying at the center has changed her life totally.
From February 1999 through July 2004, USAID/Ukraine supported the Women’s Economic Empowerment Project (WEE) to help Ukrainian women to realize their hope for a better life. In partnership with Ukrainian NGOs, the program assisted women in establishing and running businesses and supported WBSCs in six Ukrainian cities. WEE provided business skills and entrepreneurship trainings, access to credit, and awarded small grants to strengthen women’s organizations, which are critical in increasing economic opportunities for women and stimulating policy changes at the local and national level. The program also sponsored study-trips to businesses in neighboring Poland to provide Ukrainian women entrepreneurs an opportunity to exchange experiences and evaluate different models for business development.
As of today, nearly 13,000 Ukrainian women have received training through the WEE project. More than 1,000 started or expanded their businesses. In turn, every woman-entrepreneur has helped create approximately three jobs. On the whole, WEE trainees have created 2,339 jobs. Nine-hundred-sixty-six loans totaling $957,309 have been made to date through affiliated credit unions to start-up women’s businesses.
Right after training completion in July 2003, Nikitina was registered as an entrepreneur. Within only one year, not only she created a successful mini-bakery Doctor Bread with four job places, but she is already looking to expand.
“Our bakery makes 150-200 kg of bread daily. There are three kinds of bread and roll in our assortment. Our bread production is dietary, and I am working on introducing new kinds of bread,” says Nikitina in her mini-bakery’s workshop. “In the future, I would like to expend to producing pastry.”
The demand for Nikitina’s bakery products is exceeding her current capacity, therefore she is planning to rent additional premises in autumn and hire eight more bakers. The equipment for new premises she will rent with buyout. That’s why her main task now is to find the investment capital.
“The training at the business center gave me a powerful incentive to move forward. Thanks to the center I understood that I can make my dream come true,” remarks Nikitina.
Nikitina is also planning to continue learning more about healthy bread production. She wants to study the technology of bread for people with special dietary needs at the Kyiv Food University.
“To get flour you need to mill the grain. To achieve something in your life you have to give it a try and just do it,” advises Nikitina Ukrainian women.
Additional information:
- Makiyivka is a large industrial city in Donetsk oblast (with more than 380,000 of population), south-west of Ukraine, specifically known as a coal mines.
- “Today is good, tomorrow – should be better. Forward and only forward. Only motion can save” – Nikitina’s motto.
- Under WEE project - 51% of businesses women opened and/or diversified are in service sector, 35% - in trade and 14% - in production. The most common type of women is businesses opened as a result of the training courses are cafes, food stores, dress-making establishments, hairdressing saloon, second-hand clothes shops, bakeries, cosmetic saloons, small restaurants, etc. 85% of these businesses are micro businesses.
- WBSCs entrepreneurship trainings focus on: marketing, accounting, finance, logistics, human resource management, strategic management, business planning, Ukrainian legislation related to entrepreneurship.
- The WEE started in February 1999 and completed July 31, 2004. Project TOTAL for Ukraine–FSA funds: $3,362,417. (A new WEE project is designed and expected to be awarded this fall).
- Some information from the Parliamentary Hearing “Status of Women in Ukraine : Realities and Prospects” held on June 9, 2004: Women in Ukraine constitute 80% of all unemployed including hidden unemployment, though 64% of women have a higher education. Average wage salary of women is 30% less than the salary of men. Ukraine does not have comprehensive social programs that would secure equal rights of women and men in labor market. As a result, women spend 26 months on average to search for a job. 58% of women feel they are being discriminated at job place. A number of women who are employed in harmful and complicated jobs have increased recently. As a result of such labor and economic discrimination, women leave the country to search for better life abroad and better working conditions. And, as we know, significant number of these women is being trafficked.
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