Your gift can change lives for the better. Donations enable us to fund the services and programs that strengthen, empower and prepare children in care to enter the working world and lead a productive, independent life.
The Connect and Grow project helped 189 young people in Ukraine build safer, more stable futures. Many participants face challenges of displacement, poverty or lack of parental support. Yet they share a strong determination to gain independence, find decent work, and navigate an uncertain world.
Through the project, young people developed practical skills, had career guidance, and learned about their rights. This created opportunities for decent, sustainable work in Ukraine.
Key results:
Along with employability, the project prioritised personal safety and wellbeing. In interactive camps, 106 participants learned how to recognise risks and seek help. Topics included:
The project also fostered inspiration and connection. A launch event brought together young people, entrepreneurs, and community representatives to share experiences and highlight opportunities. Engagement continued on digital platforms, including Connects.com.ua, a Hotline and a dedicated Telegram channel.
Teenagers received personal guidance to identify goals and choose training opportunities. As part of this, culinary camps gave aspiring cooks the chance to test their interest before committing to a career path.
Our holistic approach helped young people build not only careers, but confidence, resilience, and hope.
How many lives were changed by Connect and Grow time will tell — but for Oksana, the turning point is already clear. Growing up in a large family in a small village, opportunities where very limited. Choosing her own career seemed a distant dream. Yet Oksana had always loved cooking.
With Connect and Grow, Oksana could try something she had long wished for. In February she made her first step into a professional kitchen. By July, she completed a two-day culinary course that changed everything.
“It was after that course that I realised I wanted to become a pastry chef,” Oksana says.
With guidance from our social worker, Oksana gained not only skills but confidence - a sense that I can do this. In September, Oksana enrolled at a Lviv Higher Vocational School. She is studying gastronomy and looks forward most to her baking classes — that’s where she feels truly at home.
Oksana’s journey is one of many. Other young people have discovered an interest in IT, while those training as drivers are preparing to enter a field which has become well-paid with growing demand.
You can help to open new opportunities for young people in Ukraine. Your donation makes real change possible.
Your gift can change lives for the better. Donations enable us to fund the services and programs that strengthen, empower and prepare children in care to enter the working world and lead a productive, independent life.