“I want my story to inspire others to take action, not to feel sorry for me” — Daria’s story, a participant in the Reboot programme

Just a few years ago, Daria could never have imagined how many challenges lay ahead. Yet despite being forced to relocate, facing a serious illness, and having to rebuild her life from scratch, she found the strength to move forward and pursue a long-held dream.

Daria is originally from the Kharkiv region. Over the years, she gained experience in the restaurant industry, real estate sales, and client relations at a cosmetics company. Throughout it all, one thing remained constant: her passion for cooking and her desire to turn it into a business of her own.

Then life took an unexpected turn. Two months before the start of the full-scale war, Daria received a serious diagnosis — cancer. What followed was a difficult period of treatment, evacuation, and several relocations.

After settling in Vinnytsia, Daria finally decided to make a change and launched her own catering business, DARISMAK. An important source of support on this journey was the Ukrainian Red Cross Reboot programme, which provided her with a microgrant to help develop her business.

“I don’t want my story to make people feel sorry for me. I would like it to inspire others not to give up. Even after the hardest challenges, life can offer you a new chance.”