Microcredit helps Ukrainian refugees start businesses in Georgia

While strolling through the city centre of Batumi, a port city on Georgia's Black Sea coast, a small Ukrainian café is sure to catch your eye. Adorned with colourful murals and filled with Ukrainian symbols and ornaments, "Like at Home" is a welcoming space that has quickly become a favourite spot for both local and refugee families.

Owner Irina Dotsenko, a 67-year-old Ukrainian from Kharkiv, describes it as the "Ukrainian soul in Georgia". The name is based on the heart-felt compliments of Ukrainian customers reminded of dishes they used to enjoy back home such as Borsch, Holubsti and Deruny. Irina believes it to be fitting, as she brought with her the cherished recipes she, her mother and her grandmother used to prepare in Ukraine before Russia's full-scale invasion of the country in 2022.

Unable to cook for her family, who remain in Ukraine, she channels her care into cooking for other refugees from Ukraine, as well as for the local community.

"The pain of Ukraine is my pain," she says. "But it's a nighttime pain. During the day, my mind is occupied with the people - their worries, and the hustle for work."