From Bridges to Toys: How an Engineer from Lviv Region Launches a New Venture with Solar Energy

Vasyl Voitsikhovskyi is a civil engineer by profession, specializing in bridge construction. For over six years, he has worked as a sole proprietor, providing technical consulting in the construction sector, designing and reconstructing bridges across Western Ukraine. But with the onset of the full-scale war, the number of projects dropped, and life forced him to reconsider his priorities. Today, he’s gradually shifting toward a new direction — woodworking and energy-independent production.

From bridges to the dream of a personal workshop

“I’m a bridge builder — it’s my thing: designing, inspecting, consulting. But the market is unstable, and orders are irregular. After 2022, they almost disappeared,” Vasyl says. Due to reallocated funding and the focus on restoring critical infrastructure, it became even harder for small entrepreneurs. That’s when the idea arose: to launch his own workshop — a small woodworking business.

“I considered beekeeping too, even started making beehives. But it all comes down to resources. So I decided to build something of my own, from scratch, on my own land. Small, but stable,” — he shares.

Staying close to home — family comes first

For Vasyl, realizing his plans in full isn’t easy. Due to family circumstances he can’t travel far from home. That’s why he’s setting up production in his native village.

“I’m tied to home, so I’m planning the workshop here, in Terebezhi. I want everything nearby, built with my own hands on my own land — that way, I can stay in control,” he explains.

Own workshop – and own electricity

The first step was purchasing construction materials and a woodworking machine. This allowed Vasyl to start bringing his production idea to life, but soon a new problem emerged: unstable electricity in the village. “We’re at the end of the power line. In autumn and winter, the voltage constantly fluctuates. The machine just doesn’t work. So I started looking for ways to make the workshop energy-independent.”

Then the entrepreneur learned about the grant project “Supporting the Energy Resilience of Micro and Small Enterprises in Ukraine.” “I felt excited and hopeful God could help. I rushed and submitted the documents a day before the deadline. Everything was accessible and clear. And God helped.”

With the support of the project, Vasyl received 36 solar panels, a battery and a grid inverter. All that remains is to build a workshop, connect the system and start production.

 “There’s plenty of land around. At first, we’ll mount everything on the ground — and once we have a roof, we’ll move it up. Energy is essential — it’s the key to any production.”

The future — built from wood and powered by the sun

Vasyl is currently finishing the workshop design and gradually preparing to launch production. His plan includes creating eco-friendly wooden toys for young children.

“I have a few prototypes in mind. I won’t reveal too much, but I want to create something of my own. I’m also thinking about furniture — maybe even mini-houses. Something beautiful, useful, and something that brings income,” the entrepreneur shares.

Solar power will allow him to save significantly — and later add more equipment. Vasyl is convinced: even a small production with just a few workers can offer real stability.

At the same time, he hasn’t given up technical consulting and currently works with the Lviv water utility: I’m an engineer. I can work remotely, consult, and develop projects. But I understand that having a second venture is a form of financial security.”

Projects that restore hope

Vasyl learned about the grant project online — literally the day before the deadline. “I pulled everything together overnight. Later they extended the deadline, but I was already among the winners. I’m very grateful — it’s a huge support. Without it, everything would’ve taken much longer and been much harder,” says Vasyl.

He believes such initiatives help Ukrainians not just survive — but build a future. “Many people have ideas. But not everyone has the means to start. These programs — they offer a real chance. When you get support, you feel you’re not alone. And that inspires.”

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*** This publication was prepared within the support of the international cooperation project “Energy resilience support for micro and small enterprises in Ukraine” under the ReACT4UA Program (Utilization and Implementation of the Association Agreement between the EU and Ukraine in the field of Trade) that is co-funded by the German Government and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD). It is implemented by the German federal company “Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH”.

The project aims to increase the resilience of the Ukrainian economy to recurrent power outages and assure business continuity of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) by financially supporting solutions for an uniterrupted access to electricity.

The content of this publication is the sole responsibility of the Business Development Fund and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Germany, NORAD, or GIZ.