Ukraine crisis
Anna Lukina, 43, always had a dream of opening a beauty salon. After 20 years of working as a hairdresser, she successfully opened her own salon called Studio Luxe Beauty in Nova Kakhovka, Ukraine. She was thrilled to provide her services to women who visited her salon from all parts of the country, from cities like Kharkiv, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa.
Passionate about giving back to her community, Anna also expanded her salon’s services to provide social support for people with specific needs, including women with disabilities and retirees. She forged strong relationships with her clients, helping them improve their hairstyles, enhance their well-being and explore new opportunities.
“We used the salon to offer transformations, showing that even in their situations, they were beautiful, smart and talented. We also found sponsors to help them continue to grow,” she says.
Before the Russian war in Ukraine escalated, Anna, 43, was a successful entrepreneur who owned a beauty salon in Nova Kakhovka. Her salon served as a hub for women from various parts of the country to not only get haircuts and beauty services, but also access social support.
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
Like millions of Ukrainians, Anna was devastated when the conflict in her country escalated into a full-scale war in February 2022, completely upending her life. With her city no longer under the control of the Ukrainian government, she felt frightened for her family, her clients and all those around her.
With limited means of communication, she could only learn about what was happening in her community when she spoke with people in person. She shares, “Through this so-called ‘grapevine radio,’ I learned about cases where women were subject to sexual violence and abuse, particularly in a makeshift prison set up in the local police station.”
She adds, “It was terrifying to step outside, even just to get groceries, because you wouldn’t be sure you’d return home to your child. There was fear and uncertainty about how to behave.”
When war came to Anna’s city, she was afraid to go outside and attract any attention from the occupying troops. The conditions were harsh for her community, with no electricity, water or means of earning money. In the face of uncertainty, she quietly began volunteering, helping her neighbours and the elderly.
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
Anna was deeply concerned about the safety of her six-year-old Andrii, who has special needs, so when two seats on a bus became available, she quickly took the opportunity to leave with him and relocate to a safer place. It took three days for them to travel to Odesa, and when they arrived, she remembers they were both emotionally and physically exhausted.
“Before the occupation, I was a happy woman, mother and entrepreneur. I had everything–so many ideas, dreams I was bringing to life and grand plans,” she says. “Then, suddenly, it was all gone. I arrived in Odesa with no belongings and no money.”
Despite being newly displaced, it only took three days before Anna began volunteering with organizations on the ground, driven by her innate desire to help others. Soon after, she started offering her hairdressing services for free to women in the area who had also become displaced due to the war.
Empowering women displaced by war to rebuild their lives
As Anna adjusts to her new life in Odesa, she is teaching hairdressing courses at the International Beauty School, a local branch of the Kyiv Academy of Hairdressing. She also recently established an NGO called Moving Together, which helps internally displaced persons, women and people with disabilities to figure out and fulfill their career aspirations.
Currently, Anna teaches hairdressing courses at the International Beauty School, where she provides displaced women like Nadiia with free haircuts. She also recently launched an NGO called Moving Together, which supports women displaced by the war, including women with disabilities.
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
Many participants started exploring entrepreneurship opportunities and winning grants to fund their ideas. One project that stood out to Anna was Hear Her Voice, which was created specifically to help displaced women and women with disabilities over the age of 35 to integrate into their new communities and find professional growth.
“The project was designed to help such women adjust during wartime,” she explains. “It involved coaching sessions on career planning, writing resumes and psychological preparation for starting anew.”
Anna recalls that the results were inspiring. Some participants shifted careers entirely, others dove into volunteering and many have stayed in touch, eager to continue collaborating on new initiatives.
Anna's involvement in her newfound community led her to discover the International Rescue Committee (IRC).. With funding from the European Union (EU), the IRC is providing inclusive spaces in Ukraine where displaced women, including women with disabilities, can participate in economic empowerment activities and receive psychosocial support.
“[I met with the IRC], and one of the key areas we discussed was helping displaced women transform their lives,” she says. “Beyond haircuts and beauty services, we conducted business training sessions, teaching women how to start their ventures, apply for grants and explore entrepreneurship.”
Anna and the IRC regularly share ideas to determine what type of skills and knowledge would benefit displaced women the most. Inspired by the IRC’s EU-funded sessions she participated in, Anna has decided to set up her own voluntary organisation for women. She shares, “We launched an art therapy project to help participants overcome fears and triggers.”
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
Anna also launched an art therapy project to help displaced women confront their emotions and cope with the ongoing trauma of war. Having participated in the IRC’s therapy sessions—funded by the European Union—she was inspired to create her own safe space where women could express their creativity, lay down their burdens, and heal.
In Odesa, the unique IRC center Anna attended became the foundation for her own NGO, established right next to it. This IRC space, made possible through EU humanitarian support, empowers women to rebuild their confidence, find community, and recover from the violence they endured during the war. Just like for Anna, the IRC Women and Protection activities led there are an opportunity for women to recover and pursue new professional and social paths.
Anna found the art therapy events to be the most meaningful, both as a volunteer and a participant.
“As a volunteer, I process all the problems of the people I help. Their difficult fates, the misfortunes they endured in the occupation—they share all of this with me,” she says. “To avoid falling into depression, I also need an art therapist or a psychologist to channel these negative emotions into something positive.”
As the war continues in Ukraine, funding from the EU has allowed Anna to participate and get inspired by the IRC’s women’s protection and empowerment programming.
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
“At the end of every event, we have a tradition of ‘hugging it out.’ Participants share their feelings, express gratitude and recharge emotionally through those hugs. It’s like recharging a battery—for both them and me.”
As she considers her next steps, Anna keeps going back to the idea of re-opening her beauty salon and making it a place that could help displaced women and women with disabilities regain control of their future. She also envisions having the resources to be able to hire people with disabilities.
“As an entrepreneur, my dream is… not just to open a hair salon or beauty parlor, but create a beauty space,” she explains. “A place that caters to women’s needs—not just offering hairstyling services, but also providing coaching, art therapy, skill improvement courses, or even training in hairdressing."
Anna hopes to re-open her beauty salon in Odesa and make it into a space where women can get salon services as well as coaching sessions, art therapy and self-care.
Photo: Tamara Kiptenko for the IRC
“I want to create a space that fulfills women’s needs, especially in wartime. That’s my current dream,” Anna shares.
About our work with the European Union
The International Rescue Committee partners with the European Union to provide life-saving support to people caught in conflict and disasters around the world. Our work funded by the EU enables people to survive, recover and rebuild their lives.
