Today, Alla teaches others at the same school where she once studied

Alla, from the Zaporizhzhia region, was forced by the war to leave her home and start a new life in Cherkasy. Despite uncertainty and difficult circumstances, she attended various community meetings in search of training or employment opportunities.

At one of these meetings for internally displaced persons, Alla learned about the Ukrainian Red Cross support programme and enrolled in a free hairdressing skills training course. For her, it was not just training, but an opportunity to finally try something she had long dreamed of but kept putting off.

Step by step, Alla gained new skills, became more confident, and realised she wanted to move forward. Later, she fulfilled another dream — she began teaching others. Today, Alla works as an instructor at the very same school where she once studied, combining her work as a hairdresser with teaching and helping others take their first steps in the profession.

“I am sincerely grateful to the Red Cross for their support, for believing in people, and for giving me the chance to start again. This support gave me the confidence to move forward,” says Alla.

Today, Alla dreams of opening her own business and creating a beauty space where people feel comfortable and relaxed. Her story shows that even after difficult experiences, it is possible to find a new path and start again.