Ukrainian women support each other to build new lives in the Czech Republic
Ukrainian women support each other to build new lives in the Czech Republic
Tetiana, a trained psychologist, is deeply passionate about helping others. In February 2022, with the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she was forced to leave her home in Lutsk and eventually found her way to Pilsen in the Czech Republic where she resides today.
Tetiana Viter, a trained psychologist, is deeply passionate about helping others. In February 2022, with the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, she was forced to leave her home in Lutsk and eventually found her way to Pilsen in the Czech Republic where she resides today. The transition was difficult and mentally trying, yet even through all the hardships, she kept her dedication and love for psychology alive, and is now offering her services to other refugees.
Soon after arriving in the country, Tetiana visited a registration center for Ukrainian refugees and noticed an empty tent with a sign that said “Psychologist.” At that moment, Tetiana decided that she could be the psychologist that was missing. “It was very important for me to do what I was born to do” she explains. “Before the war I had a horrible feeling that I was not completing something that I was supposed to. Once I began helping refugees here, that feeling disappeared. I lit a flame inside of me and needed to share that light. I want to make that fire burn even bigger so that I can share it with more people.”
Since then, Tetiana has started a psychosocial support group in Pilsen where refugee women come together to share their stories and to support one another.
Tetiana’s support group has become a hub to foster connections between refugee women from different areas of Ukraine. “We’ve become a family, united by this hardship. They’re like my sisters, and that bond is palpable in our support group” she adds. Tetiana also joined Czech volunteers in travelling to different villages across the country to provide support to remote communities hosting Ukrainian refugees. "People [in the villages] were still reliving their experiences in war, stuck in the first stage of healing. I realized then that the work I was doing was very important.”
Throughout the country, UNHCR supports the provision of mental health and psychosocial support through its partner, AMIGA. Individual and group psychotherapy consultations are offered to Ukrainian refugees to support healing and resilience-building.
Maria (left) fled Kharkiv in February 2022 and now runs a clothing store in Pilsen, Czech Republic. Maria offered her support to fellow Ukrainians in the center where Tetiana works.
Tetiana smiles with gratitude as she casts her mind back to the help she herself received from her host community: food, a home partly covered by government funding, friends through invitations to social gatherings, and clothes — the blouse she wears was gifted to her by a Czech woman. Even the very community center Tetiana’s support group meets in is a reminder of the support she received after fleeing: the location on Dominikanska Street in central Pilsen was generously gifted to volunteers by the City of Pilsen.
Not too far from the community center, a clothing store specializing in Ukrainian brands stands with open doors. Maria Markova, the owner, fled Kharkiv in February 2022 and settled in Pilsen. Maria offered her support to fellow Ukrainians in the center where Tetiana works. She also sought support and joined one of Tetiana’s groups. This is where they first met, paving the way for friendship and mutual support in the months and years to come. Speaking of Maria’s role in the support group, Tetiana says “Maria was like my assistant. She's wise, deep and inspires the girls in many ways.”
Working with other refugees from Ukraine has given Tetiana the opportunity to find meaningful employment and to undertake work that is commensurate with her skills and experience. Finding employment that matches a job-seeker’s skills is a key challenged in many European countries of asylum.1 Often, jobseekers navigate risks such as indecent working conditions and may even have to resort to dangerous or illegal work in their pursuit of self-reliance.
UNHCR supports the Czech Ministry of Interior to carry out activities fostering local integration efforts for Ukrainian refugees through municipalities. In Pilsen, there are three such projects, including an initiative linking jobseekers with employers, while sensitizing employers to labour rights and decent working conditions.
Maria has followed a different path to self-reliance. The store Maria opened serves Ukrainian and Czech customers alike, boasting items from cities such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv, and many others. “I decided that I could open a shop here and show what Ukraine is like, how talented the people are, how they can make bags, shoes, and clothes, and that it is all beautiful and of incredible quality.”
The store Maria opened serves Ukrainian and Czech customers alike, boasting items from cities such as Kharkiv, Dnipro, Kyiv, and many others.
However, taking the first step was not easy. “The hardest part was deciding to start a business.” After overcoming her self-doubt, Maria strived to work towards her goals. “The first thing I did was start learning Czech,” Maria recalls.
By practicing for four hours a day, five days a week, Maria ensures she can communicate comfortably with the local community, the vast majority of whom are her clients. Recent data suggests that a primary employment barrier for Ukrainian refugees in European countries of asylum is a lack of knowledge of the local language.2 Through UNHCR’s partnership with the Ministry of Interior, the municipality of Pilsen offers Czech language classes to Ukrainians.
While she loves her business, Maria has bigger dreams; “I would like to work as a lawyer, an attorney,” she says. She previously had her own law practice in Kharkiv for 11 years, and hopes to someday make this dream a reality again. “Life is a pleasure, and we have to go through the path that we have been given. No one told us at birth that the path would be easy,” she reflects.
“Anything is possible,” she adds with a smile. “I even bought myself a blank canvas for a painting where I would write ‘IMPOSSIBLE’ then cross it off to write ‘I’M POSSIBLE.’ Everything is possible!”
Tetiana looks ahead to her future with optimism and purpose. In her support groups, she helps refugees navigate the difficult decision of whether to stay or whether to go back home. Maria, on the other hand, waits patiently for the possibility to return. “Kharkiv is my DNA”, she says.
Most refugees want to return to Ukraine eventually, when safety and security conditions allow. However, ensuring their economic inclusion in host countries will make their eventual return more sustainable, allowing them to build and to protect their assets, increasing their resilience. In the meantime, empowering refugees to access the resources and tools they need also allows them to play an active role and contribute to their host communities.
Tetiana and Maria’s stories showcase more than just bravery; they embody resilience. Within both the Czech and Ukrainian communities in Pilsen, they have found purpose in their passion to serve others. The cycle of support continues through their efforts, and others like them, bringing comfort to thousands of refugees sharing the same experiences.
