Two Women Start A Farm After Losing Their Homes

Our new video is an inspiring story of two women who started their lives from scratch. One of them fled the war in Donbas, the other lost her home in the fire. Despite hardship, they started a goat farm.

This goat farm in the Carpathian village of Tukhlya is run by two women who have rebuilt their lives from scratch.

In 2014, Russia’s war forced Kateryna Tarasenko to flee her hometown of Alchevsk in Eastern Ukraine to the remote village of Oriv in the West. There, she met Kateryna Ilkiv, a widow and a mother of three. When the younger Kateryna lost her home in a fire, the two women started selling milk to survive. Having just one goat at their disposal, they drew up a business plan and won a grant.

Today, their home is this Soviet-era farmstead. In these tough conditions, they make 12 types of cheese and other goods, organize tours and cook for visitors. The two women keep 45 goats, but also dozens of chickens, sheep and a horse.

While organic cheese has made them a hit, they are struggling to produce enough and repair their building. But the Katerynas are determined to expand and move to their own farmstead soon.

The material was prepared with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework of the project Stories from Ukraine. The material reflects the position of the authors and does not necessarily coincide with the position of the International Renaissance Foundation.