As part of the “Reboot” program, displaced persons received 19 million UAH in micro-grant support from the UKKP

The Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) provided support to internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable groups in the amount of UAH 19 million in the form of microgrants as part of the Reboot initiative.

“Since 2024, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society has been implementing the Reboot: Expanding Employment Opportunities program, one of the key goals of which is to support micro-entrepreneurial initiatives among vulnerable groups. Last year, hundreds of residents of the Vinnytsia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy and Ternopil regions applied to participate in the program. 184 participants successfully completed all stages, supported their business ideas and received microgrants of UAH 100,000 each, which allowed them to restore or develop their businesses,” the Ukrainian Red Cross Society reported on Facebook on Tuesday.

Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross Maksym Dotsenko noted that this year the program will support individual initiatives in the field of microentrepreneurship, helping vulnerable groups of the population start or resume their businesses.

“Support includes microgrants, business skills development, and access to business networks and labor markets,” Dotsenko said.

A construction company, a travel agency, a beauty salon, a coffee shop, a production of natural sweets and even a honey farm are just some examples of the areas that the winners of the micro-grant support competition are developing.

A new round of microgrants is planned for this year. Applications for participation will be assessed according to established criteria. Participants in the program can be registered internally displaced persons who have the opportunity to conduct economic activity within their locality. The program can also include local residents affected by the war, including veterans, their families and those who have lost their jobs or businesses. Participation can be made by able-bodied individuals aged 18 to 65 from among vulnerable categories of the population.

The Restart programme is supported by international partners including the Spanish Red Cross, the Danish Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross.