From occupation to new opportunities: How a resettled woman from Oleshky opened a coffee shop in Voznesensk

The war forced many Ukrainians to leave their native lands. Voznesensk became a new home for many displaced people who lost their homes due to hostilities. Today, 3,160 internally displaced persons (IDPs) live in this city. According to Iryna Shyshlianikova, head of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of the Voznesensk City Council, only 627 of them receive state housing assistance.

Since the local budget no longer provides food or monetary aid, the city involves international partners who can provide the displaced with grants to develop their businesses.

Arriving in Voznesensk, I accidentally came across a cozy coffee shop, where I met a smiling woman who was just opening her establishment in the morning. This woman was Oleksandra Li, an immigrant from Oleshky, who before the Great War was engaged in baking. After moving to Voznesensk, she realized her dream and opened a pastry shop. Oleksandra shared the story of her journey from an occupied home to creating her own business in a foreign city.

The history of relocation: from Oleshky to Voznesensk

Before the beginning of the war, Oleksandra lived in Oleshky, but in 2022, together with her husband and children, she was forced to leave her hometown in the Kherson region. At first, they traveled around Ukraine, looking for a safe haven, in particular, they stopped in the Cherkasy and Kyiv regions.

However, after several months, when there was an opportunity to take the equipment out of the occupation, the family decided to settle in Voznesensk, where Oleksandra's mother-in-law lives.

«We chose Voznesensk because my husband is from here. When we left Oleshky, we had to move several times — first to the Cherkasy region, then to Kyiv. But we realized that we needed to settle somewhere closer to home, to Oleshky, and here, in Voznesensk, we had the opportunity to live in our mother-in-law's house, which allowed us to avoid the costs of renting a house,» recalls Oleksandra.

«Voznesensk has become a second home for me. When I first came here, I was overcome by mixed feelings: joy from the fact that I am in a safe territory, and sadness about my native Oleshky, who remained under occupation,» says Oleksandra, inviting me to her cozy pastry shop.

Revival of childhood tastes: a new life in confectionery

Before the war, Oleksandra Li was engaged in confectionery business in Oleshky, selling baked goods throughout Ukraine. When the family moved to Voznesensk, she decided to continue her business.

«In Oleshky, I worked as a baker and confectioner, selling products throughout Ukraine through an Instagram page. The main direction is the sale of sets with tubes, nuts, dry cookies, which are well stored and can withstand transportation,» says Oleksandra Li.

Oleksandra was able to bring from the occupation only the minimum necessary — nutlets cookie baker and a waffle maker, but even with such a set of equipment, she decided to restore her business.

Oleksandra Li started working at home, but quickly realized that it is impossible to run a business in the home kitchen. Thanks to grants, Oleksandra was able to open a coffee shop in Voznesensk.

«First, I received a grant from Save the Children, which provides assistance for the purchase of equipment. And I bought a dough bowl, an oven, and a refrigerator. And we are starting to recover little by little,» she says.

Later, another grant from the Mykolaiv charitable foundation «Posmishka» helped to buy tables, chairs and other necessary equipment.

Oleksandra decided to focus on traditional recipes and natural ingredients, such as condensed milk and butter.

«Now there are a lot of pastry shops that sell mousse cakes, macaroons, but this is definitely not my direction, because I have such a motto - the taste comes from childhood. That is, you know, it is the same condensed milk, and we do not use toffee, but Pervomaisk condensed milk. Not margarine, but only butter. With this quality, I make people understand that these old desserts, which were once before, can still exist today. These are not just desserts, they are a piece of peace and warmth in our time,» Oleksandra shares.

In addition to confectionery, Oleksandra decided to add dried flowers and lavender bouquets to the assortment. The idea arose after taking floristry courses organized by the local authorities. This added uniqueness to her establishment and attracted new customers.

«Yes, we sell dried flowers, including lavender bouquets. This idea arose after I took floristry courses organized by the local authorities in cooperation with various organizations. I liked the concept of combining the confectionery business with flowers, as they do in Ivano-Frankivsk, where you can buy pastries, coffee and something made of flowers together,» she says.

Although the coffee shop has only been open for two and a half months, there are already regular customers. However, Oleksandra admits that many people still do not know about her institution, and she is working to popularize it.

Challenges and difficulties: lack of staff and blackouts

Oleksandra faced many difficulties on the way to success. One of the main problems has become frequent power outages, which complicate work in the confectionery.

«Last month was very difficult because there were power outages. Blackout and very hot. People didn't want to leave the house at all,» she says.

It is also difficult to find responsible employees, which makes business development difficult. In addition, the high rent for housing in Voznesensk makes the city less accessible to other migrants, which also affects the number of potential customers.

Despite all the challenges, Oleksandra continues to work and develop her business. She is grateful to the local authorities for their support, in particular, for the organization of grant programs and training courses that helped her open a new chapter in her life.

«The city government is actively attracting donors and grant-makers to support displaced people and the local population. Without this support, I probably would have gone abroad, because I would not have had the financial opportunity to restore the business,» says Oleksandra Li.

Currently, it cooperates with coffee shops in various cities of Ukraine, including Poltava, Odessa and Kyiv. The plan is to expand production and distribution, as well as add new products to the menu, such as croissants and other pastries.

The community of Voznesensk actively supports displaced people by organizing meetings with the employment center and providing opportunities for starting a business. Thanks to such support, Oleksandra was able to not only restore, but also expand her business, which is an important contribution to the local economy and support for displaced people.

How Voznesensk helps displaced people

According to Iryna Shyshlianikova, head of the Department of Social Protection of the Population of Voznesensk City Council, 4,260 displaced persons were registered in the community since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Since the end of 2023, the amount of food aid to displaced people has been significantly reduced, and the Red Cross Society is now issuing sanitary and hygiene kits only to those who have recently arrived.

Despite this, this year the «Magnolia» charitable foundation provided 1,400 food kits for IDPs, which, although it is a significant help, still does not cover all needs.

«We have a group of IDPs in Viber, in which people write that they need food and sanitation. If there are people who do not receive funds, then it is logical that, of course, there is such a need,» notes Iryna Shyshlianikova.

The community also faces the problem of allocating housing for internally displaced persons. Yelizaveta Sokolova, deputy of the Voznesensk City Council, believes that the installation of modular houses, as is done in other cities, could be an ideal solution for the temporary accommodation of people who were forced to leave their homes.

«We constantly raise this issue with donors, but it has not yet been resolved. If we managed to accommodate at least 100 people, it would be a significant result, the deputy noted. She added that due to the lack of affordable housing, some IDPs are forced to leave Voznesensk, despite the availability of work, because housing rent remains too high,» says Yelizaveta Sokolova.

The chief specialist of the sector of external relations and project activities of the Voznesensk City Council, Olena Biela, reported that the local government submitted a project for the construction of social housing on the basis of one of the damaged buildings for consideration by donors. However, it has not yet been possible to obtain full funding.

«This is a multimillion-dollar project that involves the reconstruction of a non-residential building into a 24-apartment residential building. One-room and two-room apartments for IDPs are planned in it. The project is ready, but it needs support, which we have not yet received in full. Unfortunately, at the moment, no donor is ready to fully finance the project, although some offer help with certain types of work,» she explained.

The chief specialist of the sector of external relations and project activities of the Voznesensk City Council, Olena Biela, who is also involved in attracting new grants for the community, notes that now grant proposals from donors are aimed not only at providing humanitarian aid, but at creating conditions for independent development and integration IDPs in local communities. According to her, the main goal of such projects is to provide IDPs with a «fishing rod» instead of a «fish» — teaching them useful skills that will help them find work and provide for themselves.

Thanks to grant support, the Voznesensk community opened an Adult Education Center that offers a variety of courses for IDPs and local residents.

Among the main areas of study are professional courses that meet the needs of the labor market and local enterprises. Currently, there are training programs for seamstresses, which allows graduates to get a job or start their own business. In addition, there are social media marketing (SMM) courses suitable for those looking for flexible employment opportunities, particularly maternity mothers. Photography courses taught by a professional photographer help participants learn the basics and advanced techniques, including film development. Courses for baristas teaching professional work with coffee equipment and bakers are also planned.

As part of the Vi Active project, which started at the end of 2023, courses are held in various professions, from floristry to manicure.

In addition, the community constantly cooperates with the Ascension Employment Center to support displaced people. Regular meetings for IDPs provide information on open vacancies and opportunities to start their own business.

Author: Alina Kvitko

We created this material as a member of the Recovery Window Network. Find out everything about the recovery of the affected regions of Ukraine on the single recovery.win platform.