Tetiana Harashchenko;
Ukrainian refugees who were forced to flee their homeland due to Russia's full-scale invasion continue to rebuild their lives and establish businesses in Luxembourg; Chronicle.lu explores their experiences and challenges in this series.
49-year-old Tetiana Harashchenko, originally from Dnipro, Ukraine, fled the war in March 2022 with her teenage daughter Bohdana. With a background in construction and beauty services, Tetiana had run a beauty salon and built private homes in Ukraine. However, when the first explosions hit, her thoughts immediately turned to survival. "The first thing I thought when I saw the explosion was: maybe this is the start of World War III," she recalled.
Tetiana decided to leave the country for the sake of her daughter's safety. "She had already experienced too much stress and had been to too many funerals. It felt like the right moment to take her somewhere safer," she explained. They departed Ukraine on 10 March 2022, just over two weeks after the invasion began.
Luxembourg had not been their intended destination. Tetiana was driving to Paris, where friends had invited her to stay, but a stop for petrol in Luxembourg changed everything. "I got out of the car and just felt it - this is the place. It may sound illogical, but I immediately wanted to stay," she said. Despite having no prior connections in the country, she chose to remain. "It felt like love at first breath," she added.
Upon arrival on 17 March 2022, Tetiana and her daughter were first accommodated at SHUK (Structure d'hébergement d'urgence au Kirchberg), followed by temporary shelter in a gymnasium in Mondorf-les-Bains, where up to 150 people were staying at the time. Determined to find work and stability, she soon responded to a Facebook post seeking someone with experience in working with horses.
As it turned out, Tetiana had practised equestrian sports for five years in her youth. She was hired by a family in Bereldange to help with their sport horses and was offered accommodation as part of the job. "Having our own kitchen, our own shower and our own room after the refugee centre felt like a dream," she said. Her daughter also adjusted well and enrolled in the international school in Mersch.
Tetiana worked with the Rossy-Dupong family, whose household included seven horses. Madame Rossy, she explained, was the daughter of Luxembourg's sixteenth prime minister. Although her initial contract was for one year, she ended up staying nearly two years before the family sold their home. With her brother also arriving in Luxembourg, the family began looking for independent housing and soon settled in Walferdange.
Tetiana's entrepreneurial spirit never left her. Back in Ukraine, she had opened her own beauty salon and had trained as a massage therapist to better understand the business. In Luxembourg, she decided to register as a self-employed massage therapist. "I've only worked for someone else for two years of my life. I'm used to planning my own time," she explained.
She attended seminars offered by ADEM to understand the registration process. "I think this country is really designed for people. Everything is thought out," she said. Setting up her self-employed status took about two to three months. Support came from the Ukrainian community in the form of shared advice and experiences.
Tetiana already had massage certifications from Ukraine but decided to pursue additional training in Germany to obtain recognised European qualifications. She now specialises in massage therapy that incorporates osteopathic techniques, having also attended courses from a Spanish school. Her services target individuals with back pain, migraines, sinus issues and even those recovering from strokes.
"I can't work more than I physically can, but I keep learning to work better, to help more," she shared. Her client base is diverse, including Ukrainians, Poles, Spanish and others.
Tetiana Harashchenko believes in maintaining the body as one would a car: "We change the oil and service our cars, but our body is given to us only once. We have to take care of it."
She also offered a piece of expert advice: "People need to stress less. These days, I see many clients suffering from bruxism, a condition where people clench their jaws, often during sleep. In most cases, it's linked to emotional overload. The body reacts to stress, and this is one of the ways it shows."
Reflecting on her journey, she noted: "Everything I knew in Ukraine that I hadn't used before became useful here - horses, massage, entrepreneurship. If you take off your crown and just get to work, things fall into place."
Her advice to others rebuilding from scratch: accept the reality, stop resisting it and move forward step by step.
IK
