"Phew! Let’s start! What the eyes fear, the hands do," Kateryna Goncharenko smiles, while she is applying her model's makeup, and explains, "Now I am taking care of eyes and proceed with skin tone smoothing. It is mandatory to have a smooth base, because it ensures a quality makeup."
Kateryna is from the town of Trostianets in Sumy Oblast. This lady was able to make her childhood dream come true and at the same time to achieve financial independence. Today, she shares her story with the UNFPA Ukraine team from the very beginning.
"On February 24, we were supposed to take our son to Sumy hospital. My boyfriend had a night shift and called me at six in the morning: "Sumy is canceled". I reply: "Why?". He began to laugh hysterically: "Haven't you seen the news? The war has just started". I reply: "What war?" the lady recalls.
As the town was later occupied, Kateryna and her son decided to leave Trostianets in early March 2022.
By the end of March 2022, the town was liberated. Kateryna and her son lived in Lviv, then went to Germany, where they stayed for three months and eventually returned home.
"It's very difficult to find a job in Trostianets," Kateryna explains, "I was on maternity leave for three years. But after maternity leave, firstly, it is difficult to find a job, and secondly, when a child just starts kindergarten, they have a certain adaptation period and often get sick. And employers don't really want their employees to be on a sick leave most of the time, do they?"
Career counselor at the Employment Support Center in Trostianets. Photo by UNFPA Ukraine/Maria Petrenko.
Suddenly, on Facebook, Kateryna came across information about the “WE ACT II: Women Empowerment Action" project, helping women to find jobs.
This project is implemented by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund in Ukraine, with the financial support of the European Union and in partnership with the NGO "Innovative Social Solutions" in four regions of Ukraine: Dnipro, Mykolaiv, Poltava, and Sumy region. As part of the project, 20 Employment Support Centers (WECs) were opened in these regions.
"We are trying to reach remote regions or those closer to the active combat zones to give ladies a chance to get a new trade and gain partial economic independence. We focused on vulnerable categories of women, such as IDPs, women with disabilities, and people [who found themselves] in difficult life circumstances," says Maryna Andrienko, the course organizer from an Employment Support Center.
Kateryna filled out an application form for the makeup course and was accepted. Kateryna recalls, the atmosphere was hassle free and relaxed. She was able to develop a special bond with her teacher, as if they had known each other for a long time. During this training, Kateryna received a job offer at a local beauty studio and accepted it.
"When I was taking this course, I shared my experience on social media," explains Honcharenko. "After the second lesson, the owner of a local beauty studio called me and offered a job. I was a permanent client in this studio for a range of services (coloring, haircuts). And three days [after completing] the course, I started to work there."
"A makeup artist is not tied up to a certain place and chooses their own schedule. Moreover, since I have a small child, I can't be in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. I do not have strict work obligations, I'm my own boss and actor. I wake up, quickly get ready, take my child to my mother or to the kindergarten, and head off to work. Makeup artist career is a chance to be independent in terms of time and finances. I work for myself, and I'm happy."
In addition to work at the beauty studio, Kateryna also performs photo shoots. Her clients mostly find her through word of mouth and social media, such as Instagram and Facebook. She builds her portfolio via these activities.
"The girls follow my page and ask: "Can I make an appointment?". We discuss general conditions and future look, then meet, I do my job, and everyone is happy at the end," she says and turns to her model: "We're putting on glitter, right? Open your eyes and take a look!"
In February 2024, Kateryna worked with 32 clients who were preparing for corporate events, birthdays, weddings, etc.
In future, Kateryna wants to open her own studio with a full range of beauty services. She also wants to develop her skills in hairdressing and makeup to keep up with new products and trends, and thus keep her clients hooked.
"I would like to have my own studio where I can do hairstyles, makeup, and color my client. It's not so much a dream but my goal," she emphasizes. "Makeup is a small push. I believe small steps are a long way to success. For this reason, we will learn, work, and pursue our goal."
