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ENTERPRISES OF HAPPINESS LAUNCH THEIR WORK
In March 2021, after months of rigorous preparations, two very special businesses opened their doors to clients. A photo & video studio “ENJi – Light and Shadow” in Kherson and a beauty salon “GG Space” (short from “Good Girls Space”) in Mykolaiv are the first social entrepreneurship initiatives for GBV survivors.
Both business projects started as a bold idea of a local CSO which applied for participation in the UNFPA new strand of economic empowerment for GBV survivors, launched with the UK Government support in October 2020. Emerging successful from competitive selection, the CSOs received expert guidance and funding from UNFPA to turn their business ideas into reality.
In Kherson, the startup is an ambitious visual content studio that provides a wide range of photo and video production services and plans to develop video content for social media. In Mykolaiv, the business project “GG Space” is a unique place for comfort comprising a beauty salon, café and co-working space.
Both initiatives have already employed 10 women-survivors of GBV who excelled in professional training organised by UNFPA Women Career Hub. The startups will also donate a share of revenues for the work on GBV response in their cities.
The enterprises are the first social entrepreneurship projects in Kherson and Mykolaiv. They set an example for business and inspire the local community to be more supportive of GBV survivors. Providing employment to survivors of domestic and gender-based violence, the startups enable them to gain economic autonomy to break the vicious circle of violence.
Three more social entrepreneurship initiatives started their operation with UNFPA support in Lviv, Vinnytsia and Poltava. Even though their ocial launch had to be re-scheduled in the context of deteriorating epidemiologic situation in cities, the startups already have commercial orders. Stay tuned to hear more about them in new editions of the Newsletter.