Like Women Entrepreneurs, Ukrainian Bees Never Give Up!

Charred jars of honey, shelled hives and damaged equipment. Much damage awaited Ukrainian beekeeper Olga when she returned to the village of Stepova Dolyna after the liberation of Kherson City. The hives at Fedosov Family Farm suffered mainly from shrapnel, with fragments piercing through. One even got stuck inside a hive and fell to the bottom. Fortunately, the bees simply sealed off this fragment, mummifying it as they do everything foreign that enters their home.

Fedosov Family Farm was officially registered in 2021 by Olga, a grantee of the Women’s Opportunity Fund of Project Kesher Ukraine (WOF-UA). The business was a logical continuation of her experience managing her own farm and her understanding of the strong prospects for Ukrainian beekeeping. Olga directed WOF-UA’s grant investments towards purchasing equipment that would accelerate production, improve operations and increase profitability, setting down a path toward a full production cycle of honey products.

The destruction represents a real setback.

According to Olga, “The war caused great damage to our farm. We had to rebuild almost from scratch. In our village, hostilities have left no completely intact building. The residents, mostly individual farmers, had to leave their farms. A few of them have returned home now. I hope that our example will motivate other villagers to return to their land. We are fighting and do not give up.”

Project Kesher Ukraine continues to dedicate itself to fostering women-led small businesses like Fedosov Family Farm, helping brave entrepreneurs like Olga provide for her family and support her community, even if it requires rebuilding.