Faces of Marie Claire's digital cover - 10 entrepreneurship stories of the She Made by UN Women Ukraine and WPHF

The UN Women Ukraine team, in partnership with Marie Claire Business and funded by the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), embarked on a media expedition to explore how women and girls are actively contributing to Ukraine's rebuilding and recovery.

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, the economic situation of Ukrainian women has deteriorated. As of August 2024, women account for 58% of the 3.7 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ukraine. The increase in unemployment from 9.8% in 2021 to 24.5% in 2022 underscores the pressing need to promote women’s entrepreneurship and expand employment opportunities. Meanwhile, 59% of all individual enterprises in Ukraine in 2024 were opened by women. 78.3% of women and girls see their business as a good alternative to employment. 

This project features ten unique stories of women’s entrepreneurship, craft production, and socially responsible businesses to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs and underscore their vital role in Ukraine’s recovery. Maria Fleychuk, Iryna Periv and Iryna Andrusiak, Khrystyna Zakrevska, Oksana Bas, Alla Shcherbyna, Hanna Chumak, Iryna Karpenko, Natalia Vysotska, Olga Dryha, Nina Smyrnova - we invite you to explore their stories on the website of the She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine project. 

The project team spent 15 days on the expedition, visited 10 cities and villages, and traveled more than 3,000 kilometers. The project aims to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs, emphasize their role in Ukraine's recovery, and inspire others to join the development of economic empowerment of women and girls. 

'Development of women's entrepreneurship is a crucial component of Ukraine's gender-responsive economic recovery. During wartime, the role of women-led businesses becomes even more critical and visible. These women support their communities, create jobs, preserve traditions, and carry out important social missions. This project tells the stories of 10 women entrepreneurs. Each woman brings unique experience and expertise, but they all share a remarkable ability to turn challenges into opportunities and grow their businesses despite the difficult circumstances. Our goal is to make sure that women entrepreneurs’s voices are heard and their impact is seen. We want to share the potential of Ukrainian women's businesses as part of the resistance to Russia’s full-scale war. We hope this project will inspire and guide you in developing your own business, because Of Course, You Can!', 

Sabine Freizer Gunes, UN Women Ukraine Representative.

All the heroines featured in the She Made: discovery and recovery of Ukraine expedition received training, funding, and/or equipment to develop their own businesses, thanks to the support of UN Women Ukraine and funding from the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) in collaboration with partner civil society organizations. 

The interviews, series and photo exhibition of the expedition are available here. The special project She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine is available in Ukrainian and English. 

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The project 'She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine' was created by Marie Claire Business Ukraine and UN Women Ukraine funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). WPHF mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities. 

The idea and coordination of the project: the UN Women Ukraine team. The civil society organizations that were involved in selecting entrepreneurship stories: team of NGO "National Network for the Development of Local Philanthropy", team of NGO "Business Network of Rural Women', team of NGO "Studio of Public Women's Initiatives".

Media Expedition: General Producer of Marie Claire Business and Project Creative Director: Julia Brosko. Head of Brand Marie Claire Ukraine: Kateryna Fastovets. Expedition Team Administration: Yanina Provotar. Photos on this page: Nadia Berska. Video: Marharyta Omelchuk. Editing: Viktor Khodosov. Texts: Julia Brosko. Retouching: Olena Chykylova. Web: Vitalii Provotar. Expedition Driver: Svitlana Sapon.