Solutions from Ukraine: veterans and their families receive support for employment and entrepreneurship through new project

The European Union, in collaboration with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, has launched a new project through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support veterans, their families, families of deceased warriors, and communities in Ukraine. This project will be implemented in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Odesa, Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Lviv regions until February 2026.

The representative office of IOM in Ukraine reported that.

What is the problem?

The Ukrainian government estimates that there are between five to eight million veterans and their family members. A 2023 study by the IOM found that 15% of veterans, of which 32% are women, have personally faced or witnessed discrimination.

"IOM is ready to work with partners at the local and national level to help find evidence-based solutions to the challenges faced by veterans, including problems with finding suitable employment," Alessia Schiavone, head of IOM's Office in Ukraine, said.

What is the solution?

The EU and IOM initiative aims to assist 170 veterans, their families, and the families of deceased veterans in completing vocational training courses. Additionally, up to 50 veteran-owned businesses will receive grants and technical assistance. The project will also facilitate veteran employment through the arrangement of job fairs and a campaign to raise awareness about available opportunities for socio-economic reintegration.

"Supporting veterans, their families, and the families of the fallen soldiers is essential to building the future of Ukraine. The EU is proud to provide the necessary assistance for employment, starting a business, and psychosocial and awareness-raising support," Peter M. Wagner, Director of the Service of the EU's foreign policy instruments, said. "True recovery and reconstruction are only possible together with those whose lives have been so deeply affected by the war, and we want to do our part to make that happen."

How does it work?

Community-based mental health and psychosocial support activities will complement the project's activities to benefit veterans and broader community groups. IOM will also train local mental health professionals so that professional support remains available after the project's completion.

The EU and IOM will support local civil society organizations and help initiative groups in communities to work on the reintegration of veterans. Twenty selected communities will be supported in identifying issues causing social tension and implementing cohesion initiatives designed to address these issues. IOM will conduct regular research to help local actors and national governments develop evidence-based veteran reintegration policies and programs.

The Department of Veterans Affairs will receive support for digitizing data collection, analysis, and visualization. At least ten government institutions, such as administrative service delivery centers, will receive technical support, and their staff will receive training for the project.

For reference:

Rubryka discussed the work of mobile groups of psychologists in the military units of the 5th Slobozhan Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine in the most recent podcast, "Side by Side," on the Radio "Nakypilo." In the interview, Lieutenant Olesia Yatsenko, senior officer of the psychological support department at military unit 3005 of the NGU, explained the type of psychological assistance provided to service members and their families near the front line.