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Kyiv, 26 May 2025 — In Sumy region, air raid alerts often last longer than a working day, and there is a lack of qualified professionals. Despite this, local small and micro businesses keep going — thanks to the courage and resilience of the region’s residents and the support of the United Nations and international donors.
Today in Kyiv, the UN presented the results of the two projects funded by the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund (UCRF) and implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). IOM supported over 700 households with grants and technical training, provided grants ranging from USD 6,000 to 20,000 to more than 40 businesses, and offered comprehensive support to hemp and machine-building business clusters. Ninety residents of Sumy region completed professional training with IOM’s support, and eighty of them received grants for equipment to help them work. FAO, in turn, supported more than 1,500 farmers engaged in beekeeping, aquaculture, or dairy production with funding, training, and equipment. Both programmes stimulated employment and economic recovery, especially in small communities across the Sumy region.
“I witnessed the immense challenges faced by people living near the frontlines. Yet, alongside the devastation, I saw remarkable determination to rebuild — farmers cultivating demined fields, women transforming industries with environmentally conscious products, and displaced people leading community initiatives,” said Matthias Schmale, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine. “While large-scale infrastructure projects are essential, true recovery must begin at the local level. The Ukraine Community Recovery Fund is designed to support this — fast, flexible, and empowering.”
Sumy porcelain is now exported to Mexico, eco-straws made of hemp are entering the Ukrainian market, and women of Sumy region are learning to drive tractors to ensure that crops are sown and harvested, even amid war.
“Supporting private households and farmers is crucial not only from a humanitarian standpoint but also for long-term development. These projects are about people — and about bringing them back into functioning communities,” said Poul Jacob Erikstrup, Counsellor-Minister with the Embassy of Denmark to Ukraine. Denmark is one of the UCRF’s donors alongside Liechtenstein, Korea and Canada.
Oleh Hryhorov, Head of the Sumy Regional State Administration, thanked the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund and UN agencies for their support of local entrepreneurs. The region suffers regular shelling, and around 100,000 people displaced from areas close to the Russian border currently reside there.
“Businesses play a key role in ensuring local budget revenue, and without them, implementing our social programmes would be impossible,” Hryhorov said.
The Ukraine Community Recovery Fund continues its work and will focus on humanitarian demining projects, which are especially relevant to war-affected regions such as Sumy. FAO and IOM will also continue to support vocational training, alignment of education with labour market needs, and the development of farmers and entrepreneurs.
Mariia Shaposhnikova
UNIC
National Information Officer
mariia.shaposhnikova@un.org
Varvara Zhluktenko
IOM
National Communications and Outreach Officer
vzhluktenko@iom.int+38067 447 97 92
Viktoriia Mykhalchuk
FAO
Communications Specialist
Viktoriia.Mykhalchuk@fao.org+380986055061