Light for Those Who Cannot Be Left Behind

How a Veterinary Pharmacy from Kirovohrad Region Survived the Crisis and Achieved Energy Independence

When Vasyl Prokipchuk opened his first veterinary pharmacy in Novoarkhanhelsk in 2011, he didn’t plan a large-scale business. Eighteen square meters, a few medicines and feeds, the desire to stay in Ukraine after years of working abroad — that’s how the story began.

“Back then I thought — if it doesn’t work out, I’ll go to Switzerland. I’ve just been offered it. But I stayed. Because if you don’t try, you’ll never know,” recalls Vasyl.

Everything was decided by chance. One Saturday morning, he was having coffee near his parents’ vet clinic when a stranger drove up and asked, “Do you have a veterinary pharmacy here?” There wasn’t one. But a few months later — there was. And it brought new life to the community.

Between Denmark and Novoarkhanhelsk: How Experience Became the Foundation of a Business

Vasyl is no newcomer to veterinary medicine. He studied in Kyiv, later worked in England and on farms in Denmark, and was part of an American company dealing in feed additives. Eventually, he had a desire to start his own business. “I opened up and thought: I’ll see. If it works out, great. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go to Switzerland. But six months later, I opened a second pharmacy.” The idea of opening a veterinary pharmacy turned out to be more than successful — it became a support hub for the entire community. Today, it offers dozens of antiparasitic products for cattle, but the main assortment is pet products. Instead of 7 types of feed for dogs and cats — over 120.

A veterinary clinic in Uman — a city 50 km from Novoarkhanhelsk — was gradually added to the pharmacy. The idea came from his friend, who said there wasn’t a good clinic. Five months later, it was already operating.

Crises That Bring Even More Work

The war didn’t stop the work. On the contrary — in the first weeks after the full-scale invasion in 2022, the clinic and pharmacy operated at full capacity.

“Suppliers were not working. There were long queues. We had no time for lunch, tea, even a sip of water. Curfews, traffic jams, everything was done manually. But we kept going because we knew what people needed.”

Displaced persons with pets came to the region. Many animals were stressed and needed treatment. Vasyl personally vaccinated, chipped animals, and prepared documents for those leaving abroad. Some left animals behind — the clinic accepted, treated, sterilized, and searched for new homes. 

“We became a place where they help not only animals but also people. During blackouts, we even boiled water for neighbors in kettles,” recalls Vasyl.

A special focus in the man’s work is stray animals. Together with charitable foundations, over 2,000 cats and about 300 dogs were sterilized just in 2024. They are brought even from the frontline. After the Kakhovka dam explosion, the clinic immediately took in 30 cats rescued from flooded buildings.

“Sometimes people bring cats and dogs from broken villages. We treat them and sterilise them. And I think it’s normal. Someone has to do it, and you don’t have to take money for everything.”

A Grant That Allowed Him Not to Stop

Uninterrupted work became a challenge when mass power outages began. Freezers with vaccines, filters in aquariums, X-rays, lab equipment — all depended on electricity. Vasyl didn’t wait. 

“A month before the blackouts I bought a generator — and I didn’t regret it. When everyone started looking, prices had risen 4–5 times. Then I installed a small EcoFlow in the pharmacy — just to keep the lights on,” he says.

But that wasn’t enough. Vasyl then saw an announcement online about a grant project under the ReACT4UA program (“Application and Implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in Trade”), funded by the governments of Germany and Norway. He applied independently, without consultants. And he received support for purchasing solar panels and a grid inverter. 

“I didn’t see anything difficult there. Filled it in — and waited. I had some doubts because there was no answer for a long time. But when I found out I’d been approved — I was thrilled. It’s not just about saving money. It’s a guarantee that my animals won’t be left in the dark.”

The system is already being installed — panels are being mounted on the veterinary pharmacy building in Novoarkhanhelsk. Vasyl expects a 2–4 times reduction in electricity costs.

What’s Next?

Vasyl doesn’t dream of building a giant network. His plans are simple: to work steadily, help others, and continue growing. “Thanks to the energy savings, I will be able to help even more for free. I believe that when you do good, it is returned. And this grant is proof of that.”

The veterinary pharmacy in Novoarkhanhelsk is no longer just a business — it’s a community of care. A place where a person with experience chose to build not only a livelihood, but also trust. And the support of partners from Germany and Norway helped him persevere — and move forward, even in the dark.

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.