Ukrainian Refugee Entrepreneurs Transform Integration in Vilnius Through Business Leadership

From Survival to CEO of own business: Ukrainian Entrepreneurs Are Redefining Integration in Vilnius!

We are absolutely inspired by the stories shared at the National Workshop "New Horizons: Empowering Refugees through Entrepreneurship.” These entrepreneurs prove that talent, determination and resilience know no borders.

Lina Grudulaite of the Refugee Council of Lithuania says, "The real integration happens when people are recognized for their talents and not for their migration status. Everybody can achieve full potential given the right opportunities."

📷 Anna Vlezko

Seeing Ukrainian refugee women step into entrepreneurship reminds us that new beginnings are always possible, even after the hardest times. A huge shout-out to the incredible entrepreneurs who shared their light: Olena Bondaruk, Zita Vorobjova, Svitlana Kolomeiko, Oleksandr Holovkin, Iryna Domaskina, and all the participants! Thank you to our wonderful moderator, Olena Semenchuk.

This workshop was made possible thanks to the leadership of Tech-Park Kaunas and their BSI_4Women project, the Refugee Council of Lithuania / Collective Pattern Initiative project, and vital support from the JAV Ambasada Vilniuje / U.S. Embassy Vilnius and the Western Union Global Network Fellowship Program.

Thank you to all our amazing partners for making this initiative possible: @TechParkKaunas, @IOMLithuania, @UNHCRNorthernEurope, @UkreateHub, @Openations, @VytautasMagnusUniversity, @UkrainosCentras, and everyone else who contributes!