Three years ago, Mykola was killed on the front line. For a long time, Olena struggled to recover from the loss. Gradually, however, she found the strength to move forward and return to a business that holds deep personal meaning for her.
This year, on the eve of Easter, she opened a small flower shop offering designer bouquets, indoor plants, and seasonal handmade décor. Local residents supported her from the very beginning: her first sales gave her the encouragement she needed to continue developing the business.
Olena also completed a business training programme aimed at strengthening the economic independence of women from military and veteran families in the Khmelnytskyi and Lviv regions. The programme was implemented as part of the project Women. Peace. Security: Acting Together by the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, with financial support from the British Government and the assistance of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and the Office of the Government Commissioner for Gender Policy.
The Ukrainian Women’s Fund awarded Olena a grant. With these funds, she purchased a spacious refrigerated display case with a cooling unit, a modern florist’s worktable, plumbing fixtures, and high-quality contemporary lighting. This equipment made the shop more welcoming and comfortable for customers. The flower shop is situated in a bustling market area of the city, with pedestrian and vehicle traffic, and is surrounded by approximately six other flower shops. However, thanks to the grant-funded equipment, Flowers Store stands out from its competitors, and the flowers remain fresh and vibrant for much longer.
Olena dreams of installing flower vending machines near the shop so that people can buy flowers at any time of day while passing by.
“I am sincerely grateful to the Ukrainian Women’s Fund for their trust and support. Thanks to this grant, I have the opportunity to work, grow my business, and preserve the memory of my husband. Flowers help me keep going. Every day, when I come to the shop, I feel that life continues and that we must find the strength within ourselves to move forward,” Olena shares.
