Securing Women’s Economic Empowerment for Recovery and Development

The project aims to create economic opportunities for women and the most vulnerable conflict-affected populations of Eastern Ukraine including those living near the line of conflict. It seeks to target women and men in pre-retirement age single-headed households with multiple children youth and young women including those who have been internally displaced with unpaid care work responsibilities. In response to Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 certain project activities were adapted to address new immediate needs and protect previous development gains. Canada’s development partners in Ukraine pivoted project activities to respond to the evolving context in several ways such as providing emergency supplies equipment and services mental health support transportation and accommodation. The beneficiaries scope expected results and geographic location of project activities have changed from the original description. Project activities include: (1) providing micro business grants to establish or expand home-based economic or subsistence initiatives; (2) supporting young vulnerable women to complete professional development programs in the information technology sector; (3) providing training and equipment to the state labour centres for better service delivery to jobseekers and eliminating age gender and minority bias in recruitment practices; (4) supporting civil society organizations to establish Business Advisory Centres; (5) establishing childcare centres via competitive processes; and (6) implementing awareness-raising campaigns which target adolescent girls and boys focusing on “non-traditional” and better paying careers and discrimination.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced economic security of rural women and the most vulnerable or marginalized especially those affected by the conflict; (2) enhanced employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for women and the most vulnerable or marginalized; and (3) enhanced economic empowerment of women and girls (given the ongoing conflict the project no longer operates in Eastern Ukraine).