She Made Photo Stories Presented at the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels

Photo of Khrystyna Zakrevska from She Made project/UN Women 

On 19–20 May 2025, the European Humanitarian Forum is taking place in Brussels, organized by the European Commission in collaboration with the Council of the EU under the Polish Presidency. As part of the event, UN Women in Ukraine presented photo stories of two women from the 'She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine' project — an initiative that aims to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs and underscore their vital role in Ukraine’s recovery.  

The project was created by UN Women Ukraine together with Marie Claire Business and funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF).  

This year’s Forum comes against the backdrop of increasing global humanitarian needs: according to the Global Humanitarian Overview, in 2025, 305 million people worldwide will require humanitarian assistance.  

In Ukraine, 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. 

Among the women whose stories were showcased at the Forum: 

• Oksana Bas, founder of the eco-estate Podilska Rodyna in Vinnytsia region, is reviving local crafts with her team. With support from UN Women in Ukraine and financial backing from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), Oksana and her team purchased an electric muffle furnace and launched a new direction — pottery and sculpting. 

“Bar ceramics were once well-known and highly valued, but the tradition has been lost and there are no artisans left. That’s why we decided to start pottery workshops — to revive this unique craft,” says Oksana. 

Photo of Oksana Bas from She Made project/UN Women

• Khrystyna Zakrevska, founder of the family-run cheese dairy BUDZ BARAN in the Hutsul region, is developing eco-friendly artisanal production. Together with her husband, they received support from UN Women in Ukraine and WPHF, which enabled them to purchase equipment and continue cheese production even during power outages. 

“We describe ourselves as ‘cheese made from the milk of happy cows.’ That’s because cows in the Hutsul region graze freely and are only fed hay with no additives. We use this milk to make our cheese. Many people are afraid to start something of their own. We took that step and showed it can be a positive example,” shares Khrystyna. 

Learn more about the European Humanitarian Forum here: 
https://europeanhumanitarianforum.eu/ 

Read the stories of Oksana, Khrystyna, and eight other women about women’s entrepreneurship, craft production, and socially responsible businesses on the She Made project website: https://www.shemade.marieclaire.ua/ 

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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.