Tetiana Lukashenko is 39 years old. She is from the Kyiv region. Embroidery was a common childhood hobby for her. It helped her distracting herself from sad thoughts when her illness left her unable to walk. In the spring of 2023, the craftswoman was enrolled in the Support Group project of the charitable foundation “Association of Inclusive Country”. The organization is implementing it with the support of the public association “The League of the Strong” as part of the project “Unite and Help in Time of War.”
Every week, the project participants met with a coach Iva Repnytska in “Zoom” and worked on one of the problematic issues. For Tetiana, the project was of particular value because it helped her to express herself and showcase her skills to the world. And with the first orders, embroidery turned into an opportunity to receive income independently.
The woman has been embroidering for 19 years. She has mastered many techniques, but most of all she likes cross-stitch, which she learned and got used to thanks to her mother.
“At first, embroidery was just a childhood hobby. But then, about a year after I graduated from vocational school, I got sick. And I went to bed. Six months later, when my hands started moving again, I started doing needlework again. At first, I saw my not-so-even crosses and started looking for tips on how to do it better – books helped me at first, and over time, tips from craftswomen on the Internet began to appear. So it became even easier to eliminate my shortcomings. Embroidery inspires me, develops me morally and physically. It also distracts me from bad thoughts about the disease I have to live with,” says Tetiana.
At first, Tetiana was approached to order wedding towels and paintings. And now she has received an order to embroider designer shirts.
It was communication with coach Iva Repnytska during the “Support Group” project that helped Tetiana express herself and show people her work. Tetiana created an Instagram page where she shares the results of her work – wedding towels, paintings, embroidery on clothes, gerdans (Ukrainian traditional jewelry), and beaded belts.
“I joined the “Support Group” by accident: I saw a questionnaire on the Internet. I was interested in it. I wanted to hear from other people, to find out how they live and what they do, how they deal with life and everyday problems. I wanted to get specific advice. I wanted to meet new people. And I got all this. Iva knows how to give useful advice and inspire. And it was she who inspired me to create an Instagram account so that people could see my work,” the woman says.
The work of the support groups of the Association of Inclusive Country Charitable Foundation is made possible by the financial support of the Christian Blind Mission and the European Disability Forum through a grant from the public association “The League of the Strong”. This is part of the assistance provided under the project “Unite and Help in Time of War”. Over the past 8 months, more than 6,600 Ukrainians with disabilities have received assistance under the project.