Nearly 150 women have gained new vocational skills through VONA hubs this year. The centers operate across 10 cities, offering tailored career counseling, psychological support, courses, workshops, and professional development webinars.
The project’s name is an acronym for Free, Inspired, Independent, and Ambitious (Ukrainian: Вільна, Окрилена, Незалежна, Амбітна — ВОНА) — qualities that every woman can achieve through the hub’s support system.
The hubs do not operate on a one-time consultation basis. Instead, women receive comprehensive, ongoing guidance from Rokada specialists for as long as needed. The ultimate goal is to ensure that everyone seeking assistance is fully prepared for future challenges.
Olha Holitsyna-Chazova,
project manager of the VONA hub
Modern challenges demand effective solutions, and the activity of the VONA hub is focused on exactly that — providing women with tools for economic self-reliance and resilience. We are building a strong community where everyone finds an individual approach, career mentorship, the opportunity to learn a new profession, or start their own business, and most importantly — a safe environment for development. Our staff and invited experts provide not only knowledge and career advice, but also a sense of support and self-belief that will help women move forward under any circumstances.
At VONA hubs, women can receive individual career counseling and job search support, obtain psychological support for employment and workplace adaptation, participate in initiatives to create or develop their own businesses, and apply for free courses, training, and webinars to build professional and communication skills.
Tetiana Onyshchenko,
career counselor
I have been working at the Shostka hub since its opening and have seen how the women who come to us transform, become bolder, and regain the spark and passion in their eyes. We work with survivors of domestic violence, displaced women who lost their homes and were forced to relocate here, and those who lost their jobs and are seeking new perspectives or a career change.
In all cities where VONA hubs operate, women completed courses in manicuring, brow styling, hairdressing, massage therapy, pastry arts, barista skills, and generator care. Upon completion, everyone received certificates alongside starter toolkits and materials necessary for their first steps in a new career.
Alisa Lakhmanova,
project manager
I would describe the VONA hubs as a unique project in its essence. The services provided by our teams across 10 Ukrainian cities are aimed at transitioning from emergency response to sustainable, long-term solutions. In the most challenging times, Ukrainian women need not only words of support but also real opportunities to regain control over their lives. That is why the work of our centers focuses on helping women discover new sources of income, believe in their own strength, and see perspectives where yesterday there might have been none.
With the support of Rokada, VONA hubs operate in Kyiv, Irpin, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Lebedyn, Shostka, Romny, Konotop, and Trostianets. So, if you or your loved ones, colleagues need such support – the hub specialists will always help with pleasure.
The VONA Hub career and business project is implemented by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, with financial support provided by the governments of Denmark and Sweden, as well as the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief), in cooperation with the Rokada Charitable Foundation.UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the leading UN agency focusing its work on gender equality, reproductive health, and youth empowerment.
Together with partners, UNFPA operates in 150 countries and territories worldwide, and has been active in Ukraine since 1997.
For more information about UNFPA and its work in Ukraine, please visit: https://ukraine.unfpa.org/uk
