Ukrainian baker rises above adversity

This article is published in association with United Nations.

At Hanna Honcharenko’s bakery in Dnipro, eastern Ukraine, the scent of freshly baked bread represents a slice of home for many. The business, born out of hardship, is proof that with trust and support it is possible start again following the loss brought on by war. 

Ms. Honcharenko’s story, like her bread, has risen through layers of loss, resilience, and hope. Before 2014, she lived in Horlivka, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region, working as a doctor at a mine and raising four children with her husband, Dmytro. Life was stable, full of routine and love. 

When the fighting in Donetsk broke out that year, the family had to leave everything behind and move to nearby Toretsk, which remained under the control of the Ukrainian government.

“The first few months, I felt completely lost,” she recalled.  “Then I came across an ad for an entrepreneurship course. It asked: ‘What do you know best?’ And I immediately thought – crêpes! I used to make them all the time for my family.”

© IOM/Anastasiia Rudnieva

Hanna Honcharenko runs a bakery in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine,

From that memory, a business was born. She bought a crêpe maker and a coffee machine and rented a tiny space. But it was baking bread that truly called to her.

“Everyone in my family baked: my mother, my grandmother, but I was never very good at it. I failed again and again. Still, I kept trying. I knew that one day it would work.”

It did. Today, Ms. Honcharenko’s bakery sells more than 20 types of bread.

Oven dough

In 2019, she received a grant from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) that allowed her to purchase a large oven – the heart of her business. It has baked bread through two cities, survived shelling, and been repaired and relocated.

“When the full-scale war started, all I could think of was how to get the oven out,” she said. “Not money, not documents – the oven. Without it, I wouldn’t be able to start over again.”

In 2022, Ms. Honcharenko’s and her family were forced to move again – this time to Dnipro. They packed their belongings, their dog, oven, and began again.

A few weeks later, the bakery reopened.

The Donetsk region of Ukraine has been heavily bombed during the war.

“My son, who had never shown any interest in baking before, said: ‘I’ll bake with you.’ My daughter-in-law took over the counter and my husband renovated the premises. We did everything together. For us, a family business isn’t just a structure – it’s the heart of what we do.”

Today, Ms. Honcharenko runs two bakeries in Dnipro – one managed by her and the other by her son. In 2023, IOM provided additional support to help her purchase new equipment for the second location. The assistance allowed the family to expand the business and create more job opportunities for other displaced people. 

Rising star

The menu includes more than 20 types of bread, cookies, croissants, nuts, cinnamon rolls, and her best-seller: the Donbas poppy seed roll, with three times more poppy seed than dough. “We always have queues for it,” she smiled. “Some recipes didn’t catch on in the new city, but others became iconic. I learn along with my customers.”

Displaced people were her first customers in Dnipro.

© IOM/Anastasiia Rudnieva

The best-selling poppy seed roll, a special family recipe.

“I wrote on social media: ‘You’re welcome to come for tea and a chat. Just stop by.’ And people did. They were scared and lonely, just like us. We supported each other. Later, Dnipro locals started coming too.”

“I want to keep this feeling, no matter how much we grow,” she said. “I dream of hiring families: mothers and daughters, husbands and wives, siblings working side by side. Because family is a pillar of support. You can’t rely on anyone like you can rely on your family.”

Her story is just one of many. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, IOM has supported over 1,800 Ukrainian micro and small businesses with grants and consultancies to help them adapt to the challenges of a wartime economy. 

IOM says it remains committed to standing with entrepreneurs across Ukraine, helping them rebuild, grow, and carry on despite the uncertainty.  

Still, uncertainty lingers. she admits that she still gets scared, especially as attacks on Ukrainian cities continue to affect daily life and customer turnout.

“When it’s loud at night, it’s quiet in the morning,” she said. “But we open anyway. Someone has to keep life going.”