Publication date: 21.05.2025
Iryna Lukecha is an experienced psychotherapist, psychologist, and trainer with a strong background in international humanitarian work, trauma recovery, and psychosocial support. Since 2022, she has actively contributed to global mental health initiatives through her work with International Medical Relief (USA), where she currently serves as a Team Leader. Iryna also collaborates with refugee support foundations in Poland, working with children, families, and individuals with special needs, including autism and ADHD. Her diverse international training, including certification in Breath-Body-Mind Therapy (USA) and Psychosomatics (Ukraine), underpins her holistic and client-centered approach. She has also coordinated cross-border humanitarian projects supported by the Danish Government and Red Cross.
Supporting Refugee Women in Starting a Business: A Path to a New Life
My name is Iryna Lukacha, and I’m a life coach. I’m proud to share my experience participating in a powerful initiative supported by Mastercard and the Impact organization — a project that transformed the lives of dozens of refugee women. I had the honor of working with over 80 women who, despite unimaginable loss, managed to start new businesses in a foreign country.
Project Context
These women — many of them mothers with young children — fled war and displacement, arriving in a new country with nothing. They had no familiar surroundings, no reliable support system, and often no sense of stability or safety. And yet, despite these hardships, they didn’t just survive — they rebuilt. They launched businesses, reignited purpose, and began building a new chapter from the ground up.
The Role of a Life Coach
1. Emotional Support and Motivation
- Facilitating individual and group coaching sessions for women facing displacement and trauma.
- Helping participants embrace the reality of starting over and finding meaning after forced migration.
- Shifting internal narratives from “I’m broken” to “I’m building something new.”
- Supporting the restoration of confidence and self-worth after loss, grief, and fear.
2. Building a New Life Through Entrepreneurship
- Identifying viable business ideas aligned with each woman’s skills and current environment.
- Clarifying personal values, strengths, and hidden resources to shape their entrepreneurial path.
- Creating powerful personal motivation: “Why am I doing this?”
- Developing step-by-step action plans and setting realistic, achievable goals.
- Enhancing time, energy, and resource management in a new and unfamiliar system.
3. Results: Empowerment Through Business
- Most participants launched small businesses — in areas such as beauty, food services, crafts, and consulting.
- These women began earning income, supporting their children, and becoming financially independent.
- Their self-esteem grew, along with a renewed sense of agency and dignity.
- They became examples of resilience, courage, and contribution to others in their communities abroad.
The Inner Power of a Refugee Woman
These women are living proof that even in the darkest moments, light can emerge. They lost everything — their homes, their future, and in some cases, their loved ones. But instead of giving in to despair, they rose. Not only did they survive, but they also chose to rebuild, to serve others, to create jobs, and to grow thriving businesses in a new land. They became anchors of hope.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question
Is it really possible to start a business from scratch without knowing the language or having money?
Answer
Yes — absolutely. These 80 women are living examples. With the right mindset, support system, and clarity of purpose, it’s possible. You don’t need to have everything figured out from the start. Resources, funding, and networks can be built along the way. What matters most is your "why", your readiness to act despite fear, and a coach who helps you unlock your inner potential.
An Invitation to Begin Again
If you are in a place where you’ve lost everything and don’t know where to begin — but still feel a spark inside — I invite you to take that step. Coaching is not about giving you answers. It’s about helping you discover your own. You don’t have to rebuild alone. The path forward may look different, but it can still be meaningful, successful, and truly yours.
Rebuilding after great loss is not only possible — it can lead to a life more aligned with who you truly are. This project proved that even after war, displacement, and losing everything, women can rise stronger than before. If you’re ready to start again, I’m ready to walk beside you on that journey.
