By The Storyteller on July 3, 2023

Blankets, kombucha, toys, oil, soap, shoes. This collection of seemingly unrelated items and more line the shelves of a small shop in Sumy. But there is a common thread between them: industrial hemp.*

Tetiana and Svitlana run their business out of an old textiles factory in war-stricken northeastern Ukraine. From producing blankets to stuffing toys, their team uses hemp fabrics and filler to make the items on display in their shop.

Sumy – where the business is located – is the Ukrainian region with the longest border with the Russian Federation. Residents have been fleeing areas close to the border since the start of the war because of ceaseless, deadly shelling. Over 80,000 people are displaced throughout the region, many of whom are living in the regional capital city.

– Read the entire article at The Storyteller.