UKRSIBBANK provided UAH 100,000 for business development to the finalist of the «Created by Women» award
As a partner of the Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and an active promoter of the development of the women’s business potential and social entrepreneurship, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group awarded one of the participants and finalists of the “Created by Women” Award, Lydia Chernyha, with a special prize – a certificate for UAH 100,000 for the development of her own business – scaling of point for bottling and purification of drinking water for the communities of Poltava region.
This year, 307 participants applied to the competition. 10 finalists were selected, and all of them received a premium service package and a “Smart Lady” business offer, which gives 6 months of free billing and cash service, as well as free service of the first MC Corporate Contactless card for 12 months.
Today, Ukrainian entrepreneurs work in challenging conditions, and as a financial partner, we strive to support them. The stories of the finalists and their commitment to continuous development are inspiring. Each of them deserves support. But this year, we were impressed by the project and the person implementing it. Lydia Chernyga founded a filling station that provides clean drinking water access. This project fully complies with the bank's sustainable development strategy and several UN sustainable development goals. Having access to clean water is extremely important. At the same time, such availability became critical for some Ukrainian regions after Russia invaded the territory of Ukraine. Lydia's project can help about 50,000 residents of various villages and local enterprises of the Poltava region to get access to clean water and become an example to follow.
Lidia Chernyga is from a village in the Poltava region. She provides to several neighboring communities LiDiYa safe drinking water. “It is important for me that I and my service deserve the trust of villagers more and more. With the funds received, I will purchase a self-service water dispenser, which will provide residents with access to water at any time, regardless of the opening hours of the filling station. It will also provide an opportunity to fill with water visitor’s reusable container, which is more beneficial for the environment”, — said Lidia.
«I admire those women who found the strength to run a business despite the war and chaos caused by shelling, lack of electricity, and any predictability. It is often a business with an environmental and/or social impact that not only makes a profit but also supports more vulnerable fellow citizens and the country as a whole. The finalists’ stories are a vivid testimony of courage and perseverance, and they turned trials into opportunities», — shared Maud Joseph, director of the Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a jury member.
Daria Korniychuk won the 5th-anniversary contest «Created by Women» and received UAH 150,000 for developing her own business and a trip to Paris. She runs the first full-cycle production of Aroma Fields essential oils and hydrolates in Ukraine. «I dreamed of my own business for a long time, so in 2020, I bought 2 hectares of land. In the same year, I planted the first lavender plant. The losses during the occupation did not stop me, but on the contrary, encouraged me to act further. So last year, I bought a distiller and made my first essential oil from my surviving lavender and raw materials from other organic farms. I will use UAH 150,000 to obtain international certification, allowing me to enter the B2B market and supply essential oils to large cosmetic and perfume industries», — the entrepreneur shares her plans.
Yevgenia Aratovska, the founder of the «Ukraine without garbage» project, took second place. It is a whole ecosystem for the responsible management of household waste. The entrepreneur received UAH 75,000 and 10 hours of service from the Mazars company. Antonina Borysiuk, who won third place and 50,000 UAH, founded a modern photo and video studio, «Rnb studio ua» in the abandoned Palace of Culture «Dnipro» in Kyiv.
Oksana Brindzak, who founded the social enterprise Vbrani, which involves grandmothers-craftsmen from the Lviv geriatric boarding house, and Olena Egamova, who produces furniture for the hospitality segment under the TM MAVEN GROUP, received UAH 25,000 each for business development.
For the fourth year in a row, UKRSIBBANK BNP Paribas Group is the general partner of the annual competition for women in business, “Created by women”, organized by the Franco-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. This year’s competition aims to support women entrepreneurs who continue to run businesses during martial law. In total, 654 entrepreneurs participated in the competition, and the prize fund amounted to over UAH 800,000.