Program goal (mission)

The goal of this program is to empower the most vulnerable micro, small, and medium businesses, particularly those affected by crises, by providing comprehensive support services. These services aim to foster resilience, sustainable economic growth, job creation, social inclusion, and innovation, ultimately contributing to the overall well-being and stability of the communities we serve.

Key areas and services (activities)  

Cash for Job (CfJ)

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)      

Business Training on Incubation       

Business Training on Acceleration    

Mentoring Support        

Agricultural grants and trainings

Business grants (MSME)
Coworking space and opportunities

Livelihood center services

Reporting information for the last six months (number of beneficiaries covered by services)

Regions

Lviv

Ivano-Frankivsk

Poltava

Khmelnytskyi

Odesa

Dnipro

Program partners

Caritas Swiss

Cordaid

CRS

Caritas Austria

Caritas Luxemburg

Trocaire

Neighbour in Need (NiN)

List of active projects

AGRIS

ELIS Odesa

ELIS-GAP

Key achievements

Successfully implemented projects and case studies.

Development of SOPs and training programs for providing business grants.

Coordination and collaboration with the FSL Cluster.

Communication with local authorities, businesses, organizations, and the media to promote projects.

Establishing cooperation with local businesses and local authorities, developing relevant agreements, visiting communities where projects are implemented, and meeting with potential beneficiaries.

Preparing and organizing training for relocated and local businesses and selecting recipients of business grants.

Conducting monitoring visits to those who have already received assistance to assess how beneficiaries’ lives have changed after receiving the grants.

Successful cases of relocation and business start-ups by IDPs in new locations.

All activities were conducted in close cooperation with the National Office of Caritas Ukraine and donor representatives, contributing to more effective and coordinated assistance delivery. With each new project involving a livelihood component, the implementation of the aforementioned modalities becomes increasingly effective, providing essential assistance to a growing number of the most vulnerable populations in Ukraine affected by the war. The success of current projects is also evidenced by the ongoing planning of subsequent stages and new livelihood projects, such as REMARKET and ADA, aimed not only at providing support but also at seeking long-term solutions.

Key needs and challenges

Livelihood projects cover various regions – from Poltava and Dnipro to Lviv and Kolomyia, demonstrating the need not only for humanitarian aid but also for the transition to more sustainable solutions in response to the crisis across Ukraine. This “transition” has caused a number of challenges, the key ones being:

On one hand, there is a great need for new jobs, while on the other, there is a shortage of skilled labor in businesses.

Lack of grant clustering and consistency in amounts, as well as approaches and de-duplication at the cluster level.

Taxation of business grants, especially for the local population.

Issues with the registration of beneficiaries and de-duplication.

Establishing close cooperation with local businesses and local authorities.

Need for labor market research.