What does it really take to start your own business? It’s not just equipment or a starter kit. It’s the courage to believe in yourself, the persistence to push through a difficult path, and the support that arrives at just the right moment.

This is exactly how the story began for five graduates of our professional training courses, who received business grants from Voice of Romni with support from CARE Ukraine. All of them successfully completed their training, prepared grant applications, and demonstrated strong motivation to build their own businesses and achieve financial independence.

For our team, it’s important to create opportunities that work in the long run and produce lasting impact. We want the women who come to us to receive not one-time aid, but knowledge and skills that allow them to shape their own lives. This is how we gradually build their economic capacity, resilience, and confidence in their own abilities.

The grant recipients chose fields that are in demand today and allow them to work in any city with a flexible schedule: hairdressing, permanent makeup, manicure and pedicure, and social media marketing (SMM) and advertising.

“There are stereotypes in the community that we can’t work, that we can’t start a business. I like breaking those stereotypes. After talking with me, people start to see Roma differently,” shares one of the grant recipients.

And it’s a joy to watch them succeed. Preparing a grant application is a demanding process, a real test that requires persistence. For most of the participants, this was their first experience working with budgets, business plans, and financial calculations. It was hard. But with mentoring support, they were able to structure their ideas and get through this stage.

The business grants allowed participants to purchase the professional equipment needed to launch and grow their businesses. The funding went toward hair dryers, sterilizers, nail drills, lamps, and other beauty industry equipment, as well as laptops and digital services needed to run a business. Some grant recipients also invested in power stations, which now allow them to keep working even during power outages and ensure uninterrupted service for their clients.

“When there’s no power, there’s no work. But now I can keep working even during a blackout,” says one participant.

Another participant shares:

“My income has changed, my quality of life has changed. Financial independence is freedom. Now I can cover my children’s needs and my own.”

For us, these words are the best proof that investing in women’s resilience pays off. When a woman gains a profession, along with the support and resources to get started, she is capable of an incredible transformation — building a successful future for herself, her family, and her entire community.

The Voice of Romni team is truly proud of every participant who chose the path of learning, believed in herself, and is already confidently building her own future. Because stories like these prove it: when a woman gains knowledge, support, and the opportunity to act, she has the power to change not only her own life, but the lives of her family and community as well.