The Create Ukraine program, which brings back professionals with international experience to Ukraine, is a response to the systemic challenge of talent outflow. Instead of simply calling on people to “come back,” KSE Foundation, together with Lithuanian partners, has created an opportunity with clear purpose and tangible impact.
The program is adapted from the successful Lithuanian initiative Create Lithuania, taking into account Ukraine’s current context — the conditions of war, increased pressure on public institutions, and the need for rapid transformation. This approach has become one of the key factors motivating internationally experienced professionals to return and contribute to the country’s ongoing changes.
Currently, 25 program participants are already working within teams across five ministries and three government offices. They are fully integrated team members, contributing to strategic projects, negotiations, and decision-making processes.
The key objective of the program is not only to bring professionals back, but to ensure their integration into public sector processes at the level where decisions are made and change is implemented.
Yuliia Medvedeva, Specialist in Environmental Policy, Conservation Research and Agroecology:
“The Create Ukraine programme is an opportunity that hundreds of candidates compete for and are willing to turn down attractive projects abroad to join. At the same time, even with a strong desire to live and work in Ukraine, opportunities for professional growth often remain limited. Create Ukraine changes this by opening access to the public sector, where I can apply my interdisciplinary experience at the intersection of IT, environmental security, and climate — from assessing environmental and economic damages to developing adaptation strategies and implementing EU directives”.
Bondarenko Mariia, Specialist in International Relations and Economic Diplomacy, International Projects Coordinator:
For three years of living in Japan, I never stopped being impressed by its level of comfort: a cohesive society, well-developed infrastructure, and the state’s ability to respond effectively to people’s needs. At the same time, it was clear that it had not always been this way. After World War II, the country lay in ruins, but what proved decisive were the people who worked toward a better future. It was this realization that inspired me to return to Ukraine and contribute to building a modern, people-centered state.
Hanna Velykova, Specialist in European Integration, International Cooperation, and Data Management:
“I could have stayed in any EU country. I once left to gain knowledge. Today, I am returning. Because destiny is a choice — and my choice is Ukraine. I am giving it my most valuable assets — my time and knowledge — so that one day I can raise its flag among the flags of the EU”.
Tanya Zhurman, Specialist in International Policy, Public Diplomacy, and Humanitarian Studies:
“After years spent between New York and Arab countries, I realized that my diverse experience could be most valuable in Ukraine. It is here, at this historic moment of struggle, that Ukraine needs more than ever for its voice and interests to be confidently represented not only on European platforms, but across the world”.
Maryna Schepienko, International Communications and Cultural Diplomacy Specialist:
“Today, as Ukraine is effectively undergoing a process of state-building, each of us has a chance to contribute — not out of obligation, but by choice. To make our own contribution to a country where we want to live. To its free and independent future. Emigration has given me a lot. And despite this — or perhaps because of it — I am returning and choosing Ukraine”.
Valeriia Hudz, Specialist in Strategic Communications and International Partnerships:
“I am returning to Ukraine after working on European research and innovation projects. I have seen how countries use science, innovation, and partnerships to build shared solutions and strengthen one another, and I aspire for Ukraine to be a full-fledged part of these processes. For me, this is also a continuation of my path in the civic sector: an opportunity to work where science, education, and collaboration become the foundation for building strong institutions.”
Viera Karam, Startup Program Manager and Entrepreneurship Development Specialist:
“My extensive experience of living in Finland allowed me to develop a deep understanding of the Nordic system of social organization and public governance. The Create Ukraine program has been a great opportunity for me to apply this experience to strengthening Ukraine’s public sector and advancing relations with Northern European countries.”
Create Ukraine programme is funded by Lithuania through the Lithuanian Fund for the Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid and is aimed at supporting the return and successful integration of Ukrainian youth currently living abroad into Ukraine’s public sector.
The programme is implemented by the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency in partnership with the KSE Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and in close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine.