Despite the challenges of adapting to a new life: How Olha Smyshchenko scaled her favorite business into her own indoor plant growing business

Olga Smyshchenko is a florist and entrepreneur. She has been fond of growing indoor plants for many years.

Olga is originally from Zaporizhzhia, but due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she was forced to move to Dnipro.

 
Despite the challenges of adapting to life in a new city, Olha has not lost her motivation to continue doing what she loves. Moreover, the woman attended a course in floristry as part of the project “Strengthening the resilience of IDP women through productive employment and self-employment” implemented by the NGO Professional Development Fund and World Jewish Relief with the technical support of UN Women Ukraine and funding from the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).
 
As a result, Olha opened a private enterprise and runs her own florist shop, Ya Kvitka (I and a flower). Thus, the woman managed to scale her favorite job into her own business and earn additional income.  

“The main thing is to go. Don't just stand there, don't just tread water, but keep going. Step by step, even when it seems that you have no more strength. Take a breath again and go! Step and do, despite what has fallen to our lot,” says Olga confidently. 

 
the project “Strengthening the resilience of IDP women through productive employment and self-employment” implemented by the NGO Professional Development Fund and World Jewish Relief with the technical support of UN Women Ukraine and funding from the Women's Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), a flexible and responsive funding instrument that supports quality interventions to increase the capacity of local women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.  

Photo: NGO “Professional Development Fund”, World Jewish Relief/Topchiy Tetiana