A young mother embarks on a new career after fleeing war in Irpin

Nina Cherlenuk is a participant in the Будь/Be course designed by the ‘EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence’ programme to help Ukrainian women get jobs in the IT and creative industries.

“When the war started, a missile destroyed our house,” said Nina Cherlenuk, 25, from Irpin. “So, together with my daughter, I fled.”

Nina left behind a career as a radiologist to settle in a small village in the western part of Ukraine.

“I was thinking about leaving the country, but I realised that I would need at least one year to legalise a medical diploma and learn a new language,” she said. “After the first shock was gone, I understood that I needed to do something and started to seek new opportunities. That was when I found out about Будь/Be.”

Nina is one of the 500 participants on the Будь/BE course, designed by the ‘EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence’ programme to help Ukrainian women get jobs in the IT and creative industries.

“Shortly before the war, I gave birth to my daughter and took maternity leave,” said Nina. “I wasn’t expecting that I would never go back to my workplace because of the war. This platform was exactly what I needed in this situation.”

On the course, mentors from both Ukrainian and international companies, support women in their job search in tech, design, programming, software development and testing. Mentors help participants to set goals and guide them towards achieving them. They also give feedback, support and share knowledge about searching for jobs and employee onboarding. 

“I didn’t know anyone in IT before and I was lost in information,” said Nina. “But, together with my mentor, we created my career plan, edited my CV and cover letter and she also gave me advice about job interviews.”

Upon completion of the course, Nina found a remote job as a data researcher in an IT company.

“There was a moment when I lost all hope and confidence,” said Nina. “I thought that IT was not for me. I wanted to quit. But my mentor told me that I have the power to do anything. She believed in me more than I believed in myself. Just one week after this conversation, I received my job offer. Now, I work as a data researcher in an IT company with a focus on medical software. It is very important for me to work remotely so that I can spend more time with my daughter.”

The Будь/Be programme is implemented by CSO INSCIENCE in the framework of the ‘EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence’ programme, funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA.