Liliia ANTONIUK, Ukraine
PROJECT: Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses

Driven by gender equality and social fairness, Liliia is working towards women’s empowerment in Ukraine.

In her capacity as an Executive Director of the non-governmental organization ‘Women’s League’, Liliia is contributing to tackling gender-based discrimination and enhancing the skills/employability of women in Ukraine.  She is an experienced consultant and trainer on women’s rights protection and promotion. Liliia has worked for both national and international organizations in Ukraine and abroad. She contributed to the implementation of the projects led by the International Institute of Democracy and Electoral Assistance (Stockholm, Sweden),  Research Center Human Rights (Vienna, Austria), the City Law School, City University London (London, United Kingdom), the United Nations Population Fund (Kyiv, Ukraine), the National Democratic Institute of International Affairs (Kyiv, Ukraine), etc. 

Liliia holds a Master’s Degree in ‘Gender, Society and Representation’ from the University College London (2019, London, United Kingdom) and Master’s Degree in ‘Legal Regulation of Public Administration and Human RIght’ from the Mykolas Romeris University (2016, Vilnius, Lithuania). Besides, she mastered her skills in leading European academic institutions, including the Riga Graduate School of Law (Riga, Latvia), the University of Vienna (Vienna, Austria), the Lund University (Lund, Sweden), the University of Gothenburg (Gothenburg, Sweden). 

“This fellowship award was a breakthrough not only in my career but also in the field of social entrepreneurship study in Ukraine, as it introduced the new up-to-date research perspectives to the topic and raised the issue of gender equality in this regard. Besides, it improved my advocacy and communication skills in the turbulent times of COVID-19 online life. This experience gave me the priceless opportunity to test myself and understand that one can reach his/her goals despite all the challenges if they trust in the importance of work they are doing”. – Liliia ANTONIUK

Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses

The action aimed to deliver recommendations for policy-makers on social entrepreneurship in Ukraine taking into account challenges accelerated by the COVID-19 crisis and assess the process from the gender perspective. To achieve the above objective, Liliia conducted research, awareness-raising and community outreach activities. 

First and foremost, she researched the factors hindering the development of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine in general, analyzed the impact of COVID-19 on the industry, and  applied a gender perspective on the results achieved. Then, Liliia conducted online awareness-raising and information campaigns on social entrepreneurship covering large audiences throughout Ukraine. Following this, she organized an online public discussion on social entrepreneurship engaging the activists and the stakeholders from the governmental and non-governmental sectors. As a result of the research and interactive discussions, the fellow developed a list of recommendations for the policy-makers and presented the policy paper to the public officials and the Members of the Parliament of Ukraine. 

The project delivered the bilingual research paper ‘Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses’ presenting the most up-to-date information regarding the challenges of social entrepreneurship in Ukraine; the document was published on the official website of the NGO ‘Women’s League’ and reached more than 10,000 readers online. The online discussion carried out as a part of the project brought experts in social entrepreneurship and gender studies, including the social entrepreneurs themselves, to analyze the issue in-depth; the event involved more than 100 stakeholders. The recommendations based on the research and the online discussion raised the visibility and sensitivity of the social entrepreneurship and its gender specifics. 

The policy document has been presented to the high-profile MPs and decision-makers of Ukraine; the research document, recommendations and infographics were sent to all 422 members of the Parliament and the Advisor of the Mayor of Kyiv City Hall in Gender Policy Development. On top of that, the national information campaigns reached 327,553 people and raised awareness about the challenges that social entrepreneurs face in Ukraine of the larger audience.

Online discussion ‘Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses’ (in Ukrainian):

Research paper ‘Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses’ (in Ukrainian):

Research paper ‘Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses’ (in English):

Infographics ‘Social Entrepreneurship in Ukraine in Times of COVID-19 Crisis through Gender Lenses’ (in Ukrainian):

Fellowship Programs 2020
Country Ukraine
Areas of Interest Awareness raising
Topics Economic development
Social Entrepreneurship
Project duration April 2020 - December 2020

Disclaimer: The information on this web page has been collected from the data presented by the Fellows themselves. The content of this web page is the sole responsibility of the respective Fellows and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

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