She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine
Craft Workshop of Wooden Products “Mazha”
Hanna Chumak
Hanna and Andrii Chumaks are an internally displaced family from Bakhmut. Together with their three children — and even their cat Marsik, who was rescued by Hanna’s parents — they evacuated to the village of Velyka Bahachka, where they moved into a rented house to rebuild their lives. They set up a workshop for crafting wooden products in one of the outbuildings on the property. Hanna took on the role of manager for their family business, while Andrii designs models, develops product designs, and oversees production, continuing the craft of his grandfather, who was a skilled carpenter.
The project “She Made: discovery & recovery of Ukraine” was created by Marie Claire Business Ukraine and UN Women Ukraine funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). WPHF mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.
“You can’t just pick people up and place them somewhere else.” — Hanna Chumak, founder of the craft woodworking workshop “Mazha”
- How did your life in a new place and your business project begin?
Hanna Chumak: We lived in Bakhmut, Donetsk region. We had our own home and a large family. On May 19, 2022, after a Russian missile struck the city center, we decided we could no longer risk our children's lives and made the difficult decision to leave our home. We relocated to the Poltava region. My cousin and her family had already moved here before us, so we chose this area. We found and rented a house in Velyka Bahachka.
Relocating people is not the same as transplanting a garden. Even our cat, whom we rescued during the move, struggled to adjust. The local cats “chased” him around, and he still bears the scars from those encounters.
We lost everything: our home, our jobs, our belongings, and the connections and community we had built. All of it is gone.
But somehow, life has to go on.
“As internally displaced people, we now have to work several times harder just to partially restore the standard of living we once had, let alone improve it.” — Hanna Chumak
- How did you decide to embark on an entrepreneurial path, and did the support program from UN Women Ukraine and WPHF, implemented by the NGO “Studio of Public Women’s Initiatives,” help you?
Hanna Chumak: Our family, in general, has a resilient and truly entrepreneurial spirit. My sister now runs a small pizzeria nearby, we’ve experimented with producing semi-finished products, and my mother plans to start making gingerbread. We’ve tested various business ideas. Nearby, my mother’s sister — our aunt — is an inspiration and a “locomotive” for us! While we’re still trying to organize our thoughts, she’s already taking action.
We’ve tried so many different things and always support one another. As internally displaced people, we now have to work several times harder just to partially restore the standard of living we once had, let alone improve it.
In the summer, I saw an announcement on social media that the NGO “Studio of Public Women's Initiatives” was inviting women to join the project “Time to Act.” It resonated with me deeply, so I joined. I didn’t even know where to start — I had no idea, no vision, no understanding of why I was there. I simply joined because, truly, it was time to act!
The program included training sessions that encouraged us to think about what we could do to support ourselves and our families.
After one of the training sessions, we had a discussion at home. I know that my husband has “gifted hands.” His grandfather, father, and he have always crafted everything by hand, and his grandfather was, in fact, a professional carpenter. It’s a family tradition, so we decided that working with wood would be the focus of our business!
We presented our project and received a grant for equipment. We converted an outbuilding in the yard into a workshop and began working. For us, this project and the equipment we were able to purchase with the support of UN Women Ukraine and WPHF truly marked the start of our family business.
- How do you interact with the local community? Have you met anyone here yet?
Hanna Chumak: We were welcomed very warmly; I can only say positive things. All the local services were understanding, and solutions to any issues were found quickly and efficiently. Now, I chair the council for internally displaced persons (IDPs) here, so I often interact with the authorities and see both the challenges and how they are being addressed.
However, there are many issues that the local authorities cannot resolve on their own. For instance, housing, financial support, and integration into the community remain significant challenges. Rebuilding social connections, reaching a stable income level, and creating a new life from scratch are no easy tasks. Integration in rural and urban areas is quite different. In a village, everyone knows each other and shares a common history, whereas we are newcomers — and very visible ones at that.
We don’t yet have our own stories here; we’re just beginning to create them.
Of course, relocating with family makes adaptation much easier. It’s far less daunting to go through this journey together.
- You named your workshop "“Mazha.” What does it mean?
Hanna Chumak: Our last name, Chumak, means “merchant” or “wagoner.” Chumaks used to harness oxen to intricately carved wooden wagons called mazhas, which were used in Ukraine to transport goods for trade. We wanted to create something authentic and connected to our roots. During our training, we were advised to choose a simple, concise name with as few letters as possible. That’s why we chose this name. After checking the trademark registry and confirming it was available, we submitted an application for registration.
- Do you have a ready-made assortment to choose from, or are you planning to create custom-made items?
Hanna Chumak: Right now, you’ve caught us at the debut of our workshop, so we don’t have a ready-made assortment yet. However, we’ve already decided to focus on producing boxes for serial production, which can be offered to manufacturers as packaging for their products. At the same time, we want to create something more creative, so we’re still working on developing our range. Especially for you, we’ve prepared sets of coasters for tea drinking.
We’ve also completed several custom projects. For example, some of our first orders included a wooden bread shovel, tables, and napkin holders for a cafe. We also have a laser engraving machine for wood. For instance, if a new spa salon is preparing to open, we can create decor, interior elements, candleholders, tea sets, and even navigation signs with room labels and logos.
Additionally, we can design packaging for corporate gastronomic gift sets. We have plenty of opportunities and plan to test the market and explore customer demand.
It sounds like
“There’s a certain specificity to how we divide our tasks... While I’m working, my husband takes care of the kids, then we switch, so the usual processes take longer.” — Hanna Chumak
- How do you divide responsibilities and manage the production process?
Hanna Chumak: I handle business connections and study market trends to determine what’s selling and what’s in demand. For instance, I’m currently building a partner network with small shops to sell wooden souvenirs featuring local symbols. I also manage finances, look for funding opportunities, and organize orders.
Andrii Chumak: I design sketches, select raw materials, and adapt blueprints to create products. Our production process is highly automated and computer-controlled, enabling us to engage in semi-serial production. Overall, I’m responsible for production and quality.
Hanna Chumak: There’s a certain specificity to how we divide our tasks — we have a large family with three children. While I’m working, my husband takes care of the kids, and then we switch, so the usual processes take longer. In a way, we’re simultaneously raising both a family and a team. (Smiles.) Our eldest son has already worked with his father making serving boards; they collaborated on the designs, and he really enjoyed it!
“We aim not just to keep up with the market but to carve out our own niche by offering truly unique items.” — Hanna Chumak
- How do you plan to stand out from the competition?
Hanna Chumak: Competition is certainly strong, but that’s a good sign — it means there’s demand for these products. Our approach is to differentiate ourselves through a few key aspects.
First, there’s quality. While many talk about quality, as a small and new enterprise, we put in extra effort, genuinely take responsibility for it, and meticulously monitor every stage of production.
Second, we’re always searching for original ideas. We regularly analyze the pages and websites of other producers. Even though we can’t yet call ourselves full-fledged competitors to the major players, we aim to create truly unique products.
In every project, we incorporate something of our own: original details, distinctive milling, unique patterns, or other elements that give our products character and individuality.
This way, we don’t just strive to keep up with the market — we work to carve out our own niche by offering genuinely unique items.
- What is your business dream?
Hanna Chumak: Our business dream is to own our own premises or expand the space we currently rent, equipping it with the necessary machinery to create at least 3–4 jobs. This is just the beginning, but in the long term, we aspire to establish a fully functional and efficient workshop that benefits the community by creating jobs and contributing to the state through taxes.
It’s important for us to achieve a stable income while staying appealing to consumers. For instance, if we’re producing corporate packaging and wooden boxes, we aim to offer manufacturers not just packaging but innovative solutions that emphasize the uniqueness of their products.
Support products and services crafted by women in Ukraine. Stay updated with “Mazha”
The idea and coordination of the project: the UN Women Ukraine team. The civil society organizations that were involved in selecting entrepreneurship stories: Studio of Public Women's Initiatives.
Media Expedition: General Producer of Marie Claire Business and Project Creative Director: Julia Brosko. Head of Brand Marie Claire Ukraine: Kateryna Fastovets. Expedition Team Administration: Yanina Provotar. Photos on this page: Nadia Berska. Video: Marharyta Omelchuk. Editing: Viktor Khodosov. Texts: Julia Brosko. Retouching: Olena Chykylova. Web: Vitalii Provotar. Expedition Driver: Svitlana Sapon.
The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global mechanism exclusively dedicated to supporting women’s participation in peacebuilding, security processes, and humanitarian assistance. Governed by a group of representatives from civil society, governments, and the UN, WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilizes urgently needed funding for local, women-led organizations and works alongside women on the front lines to build sustainable peace.
Since 2016, WPHF has provided funding and strengthened the capacity of more than 1,000 local women’s civil society organizations working on the "Women, Peace, and Security" agenda and implementing humanitarian initiatives in 41 crisis-affected countries worldwide.
This publication is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.