– We are a kind of extended family. We are very happy with each other. In any case, I am very happy with them, beams Kristin Dahle. Laughter resounds in the new café. With teasing glances, Roksolana Vasylyshyn (33) and Olha Horova (26) look over at the energetic woman, who suddenly visited them one day at the hotel in the center of Flå. In 2022, it served as an emergency department for 200 Ukrainian refugees. Kristin Dahle was looking for someone who could work, and that with a bit of firepower. Good atmosphere around the table during the lunch break. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news The former director of Innovation Norway in New York had jumped at an offer to take over the hothouse at Turufjell, one of the new cabin areas in Flå in Hallingdal. She immediately set about decorating a modern cafe for skiers and cabin people. There was only one problem. No workforce Flå has 1,100 inhabitants and is a growing municipality. Unemployment does not exist. You have to go to other parts of the country or abroad to get labour. But then Kristin got to thinking about the Ukrainian refugees staying at the hotel. Thon hotel Bjørneparken was an emergency reception for Ukrainian refugees in 2022. Photo: news/Caroline Bækkelund Hauge She got a tip about her girlfriends Roksolana and Olha, who had rolled up their sleeves and contributed in the kitchen from day one. These two were to become decisive for the tiny company. – She’s crazy, was the first thing I thought. Roksolana Vasylyshyn and Olha Horova fled the war in Ukraine. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news Olha laughs loudly. She thinks back to the day they met Kristin for the first time and were added to the spot. Two weeks later they were in full swing in the cafe. – On the first working day, everything fell into place, says Kristin. I couldn’t have had better colleagues. Independent, creative and targeted. Kristin Dahle knows what she is talking about. For 12 years she lived in Stockholm and was top manager of three renowned restaurants. Now she had got hold of two young women from Kyiv with a master’s degree in philosophy and a bachelor’s degree in social media. Should he expand the business? Start a cleaning agency – Should we do more than just run a cafe? Kristin asked after a few months. – And they answered, yes! Kristin Dahle throws out her arms beaming with joy: – Everything is possible here! There is a great need for cleaning services in Turufjell, where 2,000 cabins are planned. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news A cleaning agency was thus the next step for the tiny company. Almost every day, a newly built holiday home is ready in Turufjell. A total of 2,000 cabins are planned. – I love that it is clean, says Olha. With their hands full of wash buckets and mops, the trio are on their way to round washing. In a newly built cabin, the construction dust must be removed before the cabin people can move in. With the help of the Ukrainians, Kristin has also started a cleaning agency. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news Win-win – This is simply a win-win situation, says Nina Melsom, director of working life at NHO. Nina Melsom, director working life NHO. Photo: Moment Studio Many of NHO’s member companies have a great need for labour. This applies in almost all industries and especially in rural areas. – We see that Ukrainian refugees who find work are a great resource for the local communities and for the companies. The cabin field on Turufjell is growing rapidly. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news For the founder Kristin, the young women from Ukraine were the very salvation of the newly started company on the mountain. – I almost get anxiety thinking about it now. What would I do without them? They are the refugees who did not want to be refugees, and have contributed from day one. Returning to Norway The gravel road winds its way up the hill and into the mountain. A peaceful Norwegian mountain home stands in stark contrast to the bombed-out buildings in Kyiv. With enthusiasm and courage, the two refugees have in a short time become Norwegian taxpayers. By creating their own jobs, they give something back to the country that welcomed them. Roksolana Vasylyshyn and Olha Horova are employees of Kristin Dahle’s company. Photo: Caroline Bækkelund Hauge / news A fixed income comes in handy. – Part of the money we spend on ourselves, we save some and we spend the rest on buying food and equipment for people in Ukraine. Half of the 200 refugees who came to the emergency department in Flå have returned to Ukraine. For Olha and Roksolana, it is more difficult, because Flå’s band only gets stronger and stronger. Roksolana leans over the mop and tells: – I was in Oslo for a trip, but I longed for home and called Kristin: Could you please drive us back to Flå? – Maybe we’ll stay another year, or maybe our whole life. We love this city, says Olha.
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Ukrainian refugees saved a company when there was a shortage of labor in Flå – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
