Themes by tag: women

Oksana, born in Kherson, has 27 years of teaching experience (pursuing a career in out-of-school learning). At the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Oksana headed to her sister’s house on the left bank of the Kherson region and ended up in an occupied area. She managed to escape on June 1, 2023. Now she lives in a public housing community in the Kyiv region, and since September she has been holding Ukrainian language and literature classes for 9th and 11th graders in-person and online. Oksana gives online lessons in one of the kitchens of the social housing so as not to disturb other IDPs living nearby. 

In addition to teaching essential school subjects, she also runs the Dzhura club, an all-Ukrainian game for children and youth, a form of extracurricular work on the patriotic and moral education of children

For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.

• children
• occupation
• women
• Kyiv

Ksenia Kostenko quit a successful IT career and started a farm in the Bucha district of Kyiv region. She even patented her own fertilizer production technology.

When Russia landed troops in the Kyiv region in February 2022, there were no workers on her field, which was a great joy to Ksenia. The farmer left for Kyiv and later learned that her house had been destroyed and the fields around her contaminated with mines. Ksenia engaged in volunteering and helping the Ukrainian army. Upon the de-occupation of the Kyiv region and having received permission from the sappers, she returned home. Now, the farmer is working to restore the capacity of her enterprise. 

• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv

Photographer Uliana Sidletska, together with makeup artist and stylist Victoria Sanatos, conducts photoshoots for women. They say that they work on the inner state of women. In particular, they help them break free from insecurity and see themselves differently, during photo sessions. 

Two months ago, a woman who had lost her husband in the war came to have some snapshots. After she posted the photos on social media, she faced judgment from people blaming her for inappropriate behavior as a widow doing a photoshoot. Then, to support other wives of fallen Ukrainian heroes, Viktoria and Uliana came up with the idea to create the photo project “I AM A WOMAN” aiming to manifest that women should never forget about themselves. Uliana and Viktoria take photos of fallen heroes’ wives free of charge.

Eight women have already taken part in the photo project. According to the organizers, while posing for photos, women are starting to unfold themselves: they talk about themselves, recall their dreams, and some even say that they have realized something they have been putting off for a long time.

The “I AM A WOMAN” photo project exhibition will open on December 17. The project applications are accepted from other country regions.

• culture
• dead
• military
• women
• Vinnytsia

Before the full-fledged invasion, Inna Yakovenko dealt with selling windows and doors. The businesswoman runs two trade pavilions in the village of Novovorontsovka in the Kherson region. At the outbreak of the full-blown, the woman’s village remained the only Ukraine-controlled one in the Novovorontsovka community. However, the settlement has come under Russian strikes hitting nearly every day for 7 months. Inna lived in the basement throughout August 2022, because of the nonstop shell rains. The heavy bombardment damaged the trade pavilions where Inna was selling. So, after the Ukrainian military liberated the community, the entrepreneur chose a new path and set up a granite dust block production facility to help rebuild dwellings for villagers who had begun to return home. Now she plans to scale up production to create as many jobs as possible.

For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.

• casualties
• women
• Kherson

Tetiana Smylovenko is 19 years old. Currently, the girl is a two-time champion of “Olympic Hopes” and a multiple world and Europe medalist. But when she was only four, Tetiana and her younger brother ended up in an orphanage, and four more of her sisters and brothers were taken to a boarding school for orphans. Two years later, a foster family took all the children in, but soon gave them up. Later, a local school teacher agreed to take the children in, and Tetiana and her brothers and sisters moved to a family-type children’s home. When the girl was 11 years old, her adoptive mother suggested that she try her hand at sports, namely rowing. Tetiana first chose a kayak, and later – a canoe. The young woman takes prize-winning places, dreams of going to the Olympics and later become a coach to motivate and support others.

Currently, Tetiana lives in Kirovohrad oblast, but often travels to different regions of Ukraine. She is ready to communicate with the media by prior arrangement.

• women

Valentyna Hantseva has been working in the library of Soldatske village, Sumy oblast for 32 years. A few months before the full-scale invasion, the library had undergone modern renovation and purchased new equipment. But the building of the library could not withstand the air strike of the russians, who aimed right at the center of the occupied village. Only the roof and walls remained of the library: everything inside the building was damaged by the blast wave. Despite the occupation and the enemy aircraft, Valentyna, together with her husband, began to gather the undamaged books and hide them in grain sacks. The woman managed to take out and save more than 1000 books.

In April 2022, the Ukrainian military de-occupied the village. A philanthropist from Germany helped restore the library premises, and last fall, Valentyna opened the doors of the library to readers again.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Sumy

The book “Visual Diary of War” has been recently published. It contains 366 illustrations by artist Antonina Semenova and the same number of Ukrainians’ stories about one year of russia’s full-scale invasion that she collected.

The Ukrainian Cultural Foundation provided financial support to print the book. Its print run is 100 copies. Some of the books will be sent to volunteers/activists who will use the books in their charity fundraisers. Another part has already been sent to the libraries of Ukraine. Copies of the “Diary” will also go to war museums and Ukrainian cultural centers abroad.

Antonina plans to have the book translated into English to spread war stories around the world.

The artist prefers interviews in online format or by phone.

For reference: Previously, illustrator and artist Antonina Semenova worked on alphabet themes for children. And on February 24, 2022, she realized that she could not draw peaceful illustrations and had to reflect on the events of that day. So, the idea to create a “Visual Diary of War” came to her. Every day, the woman drew one small sketch about what was happening in the country. Later, she decided to transform the diary from the artist’s personal lifeline into a project encompassing the voice of different Ukrainians.

• culture
• women

12 years ago, Yuliia Roshchenko opened her own business together with her husband. In the village of Chornobaivka, Kherson region, the woman created a copy center where fellow villagers could make copies of documents or print out the necessary papers. After the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Yuliia spent the night printing “Children” signs for cars so that those leaving the occupation could try to prevent russian attacks on their families.

Later, the occupiers came to the copy center and demanded that Yuliia and her husband print russian documents, as well as photos for russian passports. The couple refused even though the enemy threatened them with weapons. Because of the threat to their lives, Yuliia’s family went to the west of Ukraine, where they stayed until their native village was liberated by the Ukrainian military. After returning, the couple received a government grant to start the copy center again.

• occupation
• women
• Kherson

Larysa is a graduate in law originally from Kherson. She learned about the full-scale invasion of Russia when traveling in Mexico. She immediately started looking for ways to return home. Larysa managed to get to Ukraine just in the days of the Russian occupation of Kherson. In May 2022, she traveled to the Russian-held city and took her friends, and those willing to leave for the territory controlled by Ukraine.

In the Kyiv region, Larysa joined the volunteer movement and dismantled the rubble of buildings destroyed by the war. She lived with the idea of a similar reconstruction project to be implemented in her hometown. So, after Ukraine regained control of Kherson on November 11, 2022, Larysa returned home and became the coordinator of the Dobrobat volunteer movement in the region. Larysa and her team cleared rubble and rebuilt homes. Local volunteers call Larysa “mom” for her dedication and care for people.

Journalists are welcome to talk to Larysa both offline and online.

For reference: November 11, 2023, marks the one-year anniversary of retaking Kherson. Also, during last year’s counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated some districts of the Kherson region and part of the Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro River.

• reconstruction
• volunteers
• women
• Kherson

Nadiia is a teacher of the art of making coffee. The woman and her family had moved from Mykolaiv to Kherson, a city in the south of Ukraine that was under russian occupation for more than half a year. This had happened two months before the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion. Nadiia wanted to open a barista school in the city. The official opening was scheduled for February 26, 2022, but the war changed everything.

The woman found herself under occupation, worked at a friend’s coffee shop, and volunteered by cooking food. When threats from the occupiers poured in, she decided to leave. She had to overcome 70 roadblocks. From Zaporizhia, she went to Kyiv, where she started all over again. On August 7, 2023, precisely on the anniversary of her escaping the occupation, she was able to open a coffee shop near Kyiv with the help of a state grant. Nadiia also helped a displaced woman from Zaporizhia region by employing her as a barista in her coffee shop.

Together with her close circle, Nadiia created the “Welcome to Ukraine” charity foundation in Mykolaiv, which helps the military and civilians.

For reference: November 11, 2023 marks the anniversary of the liberation of Kherson from the occupiers. Last year’s counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the South of Ukraine also liberated some of the districts of Kherson region and a part of Mykolaiv region on the right bank of the Dnipro. 

• occupation
• volunteers
• women
• Kyiv