During 2016-2017, GURT Resource Centre carries out the project «Employment through Entrepreneurship«. The project aimed to increase income-generation of representatives of local communities from Kyiv oblast through the development of entrepreneurial skills and providing support for the development of their small businesses.
The target groups of the project were the veterans of ATO, members of their families, internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups of the population of Kyiv oblast.
At the end of September – at the beginning of October 2016, within the project for the entrepreneurs-beginners, GURT conducted the “Start Your Business” training. The participants were given the opportunity to gain the necessary for the establishment and development of own business knowledge and skills, and after training were invited to participate in the business plan contest.
In March 2017, a competition commission remarked four winners of the business plan contest, which were provided with financial assistance for the establishment of business in a total amount of 170 thousand hryvnias.
Thanks to the participation in the project, entrepreneurs learned how to develop business plans, familiarized with the peculiarities of work with the staff, received the necessary knowledge on how to prepare a plan of flow of funds.
The importance of such skill like drawing a business plan was emphasized by one of the winners of the project Kostiantyn Vovk, a veteran of ATO, who deals with the organization of farming, cultivation, and realization of berries: “Financial aid, of course, is important. But there are other significant aspects. At the moment of drafting a plan, one needs to do a lot of calculations. Instructors’ help at this stage was extremely essential for me. It is hard to predict the success of the business without understanding real numbers. A good business plan is the key to further success”.
Another winner of the business plan contest Yulia Vaskevych is engaged in the development of cafe chain in Kyiv region: “In this project personally for me it was important that my business was supported. Although I had some business experience, such support was significant. In Ukraine, small business is not as developed as we would like. But I hope that we have everything ahead. That is why such projects like this one are necessary and important”.
In June 2017, GURT initiated a seminar for both the experienced entrepreneurs-participants of the GURT projects on the development of small entrepreneurship, which have been implemented with the support of the World Jewish Relief and for the present winners of the business plan contest.
During the event, they all worked on recommendations for improving future projects on the development of entrepreneurship, communicated with the representatives of the donor and exchanged experiences.
“On the workshop, there was an opportunity to meet with other participants, who successfully realized their business projects, listen to the prospects of further development of the support program for entrepreneurs and the changes in the educational program. It was interesting to hear from the Programmes Performance Advisor of World Jewish Relief Ekaterina Mitiaeva due to the experience of the entrepreneurship development in other countries and about business ideas that are now relevant in the world. Before the participation in the GURT’s project I was engaged in business likely intuitively, and thanks to the training and experience exchange my business moved to a new level,” Inna Nelipovych, the winner of the project “Development of women entrepreneurship in Ukraine”, shared her event impressions.
You can find more information about the GURT’s projects on entrepreneur development in Ukrainian at GURT.ORG.UA/BIZ.
The project «Employment through Entrepreneurship» is implemented by GURT Resource Centre and funded by World Jewish Relief.
Translated by Valeriia Hura
