Ukrainian women entrepreneurs received the first ten grants under the "CREATE!" program implemented in partnership with Oschadbank

The first ten women representatives of small and medium-sized businesses in the manufacturing and processing sector have received grants under the "CREATE!" program launched by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with financial support from the Ukraine-Moldova American Enterprise Fund and implemented by the KSE Foundation in partnership with Oschadbank. The initiative provides individual grants to women entrepreneurs in the amount of up to USD 15 thousand. The total budget of the program is USD 1 million.

Each grantee will receive funds to spend on the purchase, delivery and installation of production equipment, and no more than 30% of the grant will be spent on software and training.

Since the program's launch in April, more than a thousand women entrepreneurs from all over Ukraine have applied for the "CREATE!" program. The first winners to receive business development grants were:

• Daria Tolstykh (Dnipro) is the founder of the Moon&Rune cosmetics brand. Thanks to the grant, Daria will be able to purchase equipment for the production of cosmetics, which will help automate the process and increase production volumes.
• Halyna Lukashuk (Gilcha Druha village, Rivne region) is the owner of the Dairy Farm cheese factory. Halyna plans to purchase equipment for the production of dairy products.
• Natalia Krevelia (Kyiv) is a co-founder of the furniture company Manka Studio. The grant will allow her to expand the range of furniture facades by purchasing a new spray booth and a drilling and additive machine.
• Iryna Kotapska (Chernivtsi) is the founder of the KOTAPSKA wedding dresses brand. Iryna plans to purchase modern equipment to improve the production process.
• Natalia Zavhorodnia (Pokrovsk, Donetsk region) is the director of the private enterprise Krasnoarmeyskiy Foundry and Mechanical Plant. The grant will help her purchase a milling machine to expand production and reduce production costs.
• Anna Kazanska (Kyiv) is the owner of FastAR Kids publishing house. With the grant money, the winner will purchase a printing machine and software to help make her books better and produce them faster.
• Tetiana Kanska (Vinnytsia) is the director of the plastic parts production company Termoplast-T. The entrepreneur will purchase a new mold to expand the range of products and modernize outdated equipment.
• Yulia Kliuchkovska (Zymna Voda, Lviv region) is the founder of Holy Mamas Underwear, a brand of lingerie and clothing for pregnant and nursing mothers. With the grant funds, the entrepreneur will purchase a steam generator, a tacking machine, a 12-needle machine, and more. The equipment will help automate some of the production processes and produce more complex products.
• Olga Lyalina (Pokotylivka, Kharkiv region) is the owner of the Modern Doors Factory. She will use the grant funds to purchase a format-cutting machine and equipment for painting doors.
• Veronika Tolkachova (Ternopil) is the owner of the Family Bakery. The grantee will use the funds to purchase a steam convection oven and a proofing cabinet. The equipment will help expand the range of products and speed up the baking process.

"It is very important for us that Oschadbank participates in the implementation of the "CREATE!" grant program. Stimulating women's entrepreneurship is a response to one of the challenges of a full-scale war. At a time when many men are at the front, increasing the number of women in business and developing their projects is the need of the hour. Our bank will continue to do everything in its power to help women entrepreneurs start and develop their own businesses for the sake of their families' future and the overall well-being of Ukrainians," said Natalia Butkova-Vitvitska, Oschadbank Board Member in charge of MSME.