The Journey of Support: Engaging Employers in Empowering Romanian and Ukrainian Women
- The current economic situation in Romania poses significant challenges, with the most vulnerable individuals teetering on the brink of securing suitable employment. Women, in particular, encounter challenges due to a scarcity of support services.
- In August 2023, Save the Children, Jobs for Ukraine and Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, along with European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) launched „Child Care And Job Matching Support For Displaced Ukrainians and Vulnerable Host Communities in Romania„, a program designed to help displaced Ukrainian and vulnerable Romanian parents and their children by providing access to job matching support and free childcare services.
- The private sector plays a crucial role in the success of this project, by providing employment and learning opportunities to families and individuals from vulnerable backgrounds for better livelihoods.
Empowering Vulnerable Communities and Enhancing Livelihoods
This program is designed to assist the most vulnerable parents from Romania and Ukraine. „Participants in the program are given the opportunity to enhance their economic prospects and employability through job search assistance, skills development and childcare support”, stated Ioana Gorganeanu, Vice President, Area Marketing from the Mastercard.
“However, the program offers much more than just counseling and premises. It’s about bolstering the confidence of vulnerable parents, providing them with the means to achieve financial independence, and enabling their integration into society. This aspect holds paramount importance for us, and it’s the reason we extend our support to both the Ukrainian and Romanian communities. Together, we can forge a stronger, more resilient society.“
The project identifies opportunities and aligns interested employers with carefully selected, trained, and supported applicants, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of expectations and the ability to showcase the right skills.
To date 250 beneficiaries have been supported through the program. In total, 500 vulnerable adults of working age from Romania and Ukraine will gain skills, knowledge, and resources needed for job attainment throughout the project.
Calling Employers to Join the Cause
„We invite employers to join us in our mission to empower vulnerable communities in Romania and Ukraine. You can register and post available vacancies for free via webpage Your partnership will enable us to provide integrated childcare and employment services, assisting families and individuals from vulnerable backgrounds in finding jobs and securing better livelihoods. If you are an employer looking to hire or offer other economic opportunities to parents in vulnerable contexts, please contact us. As we aim to connect the right candidates with employers, we also strive to address other employment barriers beyond childcare, such as language barriers, lack of technical skills, and more. By joining forces, we can make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need and contribute to the sustainable growth of our communities”, says Roxana Popa, President of Project Voyager (Jobs for Ukraine).
„We are grateful for our partners who have already committed to our project and have hired vulnerable parents from Ukraine and Romania, including Sphera Group (KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell), Concentrix + Webhelp, LC Waikiki, Genpact, City Grill, JW MARRIOTT Bucharest Grand Hotel, and two other major retailers. We also want to thank the 2000+ employers that posted opportunities on our dedicated webpage At Project Voyager, we also hired a mother from the program, and she has proven to be a valuable addition to our team. Our community brings a wealth of experience in Sales & Retail, Education & Childcare, Hospitality, Customer Service, Wellness & Beauty, and more.”
A new day care center was inaugurated in Bucharest
As part of their ongoing support for women from Romania and Ukraine, on 17 April 2024, Save the Children, Project Voyager (Jobs for Ukraine), and the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth opened a daycare center in order to provide a safe environment where mothers can entrust their children to skilled professionals while they focus on their job search or participate in work-related activities. This initiative underscores the commitment to empowering vulnerable groups, and women in particular, while fostering inclusive growth within the community.
„We anticipate that the center will serve as a focal point where women can connect, share experiences, and support each other. By fostering a sense of unity, we aim to empower these women to navigate the challenges of both motherhood and job seeking. We aim to support the vulnerable local communities – and also the Ukrainians, who seek the safe space in Romania after the Russian aggression in 2022“, says Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President, from Save the Children. „Our concern for the situation of children who migrate during the war from Ukraine to Romania operates on multiple levels, because the well-being of these children also depends on how their mothers, with whom they arrive in our country, are socio-economically integrated. In this regard, in addition to the humanitarian intervention component, which is so necessary at the beginning of the humanitarian crisis, we came with other components regarding the educational inclusion of the children and also the socio-economic insertion of their mothers.”
Building Resilience: Uniting for a Stronger Society
„Our collaboration with the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth exemplifies how partnerships between the public and private sectors can nurture economic growth and inclusion, and foster impact within communities and across geographies”, said EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will provide funding to support language and vocational training for the parents in the program.
Cross-sector collaboration is a testament to our project’s dedication to creating opportunities for everyone. The success of individuals mirrors the prosperity of the entire society.
For more information visit: https://jobs4ukr.com/together.
Contacts: hire@jobs4ukr.com.
About Save the Children
For 34 years, Save the Children Romania (www.salvaticopiii.ro) has been building social programs, public policies, and robust practices for the benefit of children in Romania. The expertise and complexity of projects at the national level make the organization an essential social institution, whose role is to mediate between society and public authority for the benefit of the child. Over the past three decades, Save the Children has actively intervened in society, identifying concrete solutions to protect and support vulnerable children, while advocating for viable collaboration with decision-making authorities to ensure the best interests of the child. Save the Children has taken on the role of vigilant oversight of public authorities, ensuring they implement lasting public policies to address the root causes of children’s vulnerability. Additionally, the organization has succeeded in creating active networks of solidarity by encouraging the social responsibility of companies and society at large.
As a member of Save the Children, the world’s largest independent organization promoting children’s rights, comprising 30 members and operating programs in 118 countries, our VISION is a world that respects every child’s right to survival, education, protection, and participation, assuming our MISSION to achieve significant progress in how children are treated and to bring about immediate and lasting changes in their lives. Over 3,700,000 children have been involved in Save the Children’s programs and campaigns.
About Jobs for Ukraine
Jobs for Ukraine started as a platform (https://jobs4ukr.com) and was launched in March 2022, in Romania, to support refugees from Ukraine integrate in the labor market in Europe. The platform is offered free of charge to all candidates and prospective employers in over 60 countries. In July 2022, an NGO, Asociația Proiect Voiajor (Project Voyager), was set up to manage the jobs4ukr.com platform, adding complementary services to help refugees and other vulnerable groups eliminate barriers to economic inclusion. If you want to get in touch with the Jobs for Ukraine project, you can follow them via LinkedIn or send them an email at contact@jobs4ukr.com .
About the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth. For more information and to receive its latest insights, follow the Center on LinkedIn, Instagram and subscribe to its newsletter. www.mastercardcenter.org
About the EBRD
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) was founded in 1991 to create a new post-Cold War era in central and eastern Europe. It is now doing more than ever before, across three continents, to further progress towards “market-oriented economies and the promotion of private and entrepreneurial initiative”. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the EBRD, Ukraine’s biggest institutional investor, has further stepped up support, committing to invest €3 billion there by end-2023 while also intensifying support for neighboring countries.
