Displaced from Chornobaivka, she evacuated her goats and started a cheese-making business in Mykolaiv

Tetiana, from the village of Chornobaivka in the Kherson region, used to run a small goat farm before the war — something she truly loved. She invested not only hard work but also her heart in it and dreamed of opening her own cheese-making business one day.

In February 2022, Tetiana was forced to leave her home and relocate to Mykolaiv with her son, who has a disability. Under shelling, she managed to evacuate her goats as well — they were more than livestock; they were her life’s work.
Starting over in a new place, settling in, finding resources, and rebuilding her livelihood was not easy. Even in these difficult circumstances, Tetiana continued to look for opportunities to revive her business, including through the Ukrainian Red Cross’s Reboot programme in the Mykolaiv region.

After developing a business plan for her future cheese production, she applied for a microgrant and received funding to purchase cheese-making equipment and a refrigerator to store her products. This support enabled her to turn her dream into reality and begin producing a variety of goat cheeses.

This story is about resilience and determination to rebuild a livelihood, even after losing a home. It also shows that, in new and challenging circumstances, a small amount of support can be enough to help people get back on their feet and continue doing what they know and love.