Themes by tag: women

Olena Steblina, a displaced person from russian-occupied Mariupol, served in the Ukrainian Armed Forces for nine years before stepping down just prior to the onset of the all-out invasion. When war erupted, her husband, also in the military, stayed behind to defend the besieged city, while sending Olena and their children to safety in Cherkasy.

Even during the height of the pandemic, Olena pursued online training and began planning to open her own business. She made the difficult decision to evacuate, taking with her not only her family but also supplies for a future confectionery venture.

After her husband was captured by russian forces in Mariupol, Olena remained resilient. Defying the odds, she managed to launch her dream confectionery shop in Cherkasy. Today, as she and her two daughters navigate life in their new surroundings, her greatest wish is for her husband’s safe return from captivity.

• prisoners
• women
• Cherkasy

The Veteranka movement has launched a new chatbot, the Recruitment Guide Bot, designed to support women looking to enlist in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. This innovative tool offers step-by-step guidance for those seeking to join specific military units, addressing critical topics such as the distinctions between mobilization and contract service, and detailing the training process at military training centers.

A standout feature of the chatbot is that it was developed by women for women, providing tailored information on preparation for military service. Users can access resources covering the fundamentals of tactical medicine, a directory of platforms for locating military vacancies, and answers to legal inquiries. Additionally, the chatbot offers insights into women’s health considerations in combat zones, along with checklists for essential hygiene products and medications.

Veteranka highlights that the chatbot includes recommendations from seasoned female defenders, covering crucial aspects of initial and ongoing military service. It also offers guidance on how to respond to incidents of sexual harassment or violence.

Notably, interest in military service among women in Ukraine has surged, with women now representing approximately 20% of all applications to recruitment centers.

• military
• women
• Kyiv

10 years ago, Hanna lived and worked in Horlivka, Donetsk region. She was the head of a first-aid post in a mine. After the occupation of Horlivka by the Russians in 2014, she could not live under the enemy flag and moved with her family to Toretsk (Donetsk region), where she started her own business. The Horbachov family opened a shop serving pancakes and coffee, and soon began baking bread. The locals liked the bakery, and in 2022 the family opened another place, this time in Siverskodonetsk, Luhansk region. Hanna managed to bake bread there only once. When the full-scale war began, enemy shells destroyed the bakery. The one in Toretsk lasted longer, but it was also destroyed by the enemy.

The Horbachovs then had to move again, this time to Dnipro. In the new location, Hanna has been able to rebuild the family business from the ground up. Many of the bakery’s customers are from Toretsk: they were also forced to evacuate. Today, the Horbachov bakery employs internally displaced people, including those from Toretsk and Mariupol.

You can meet the Horbachov family in Dnipro. Hanna Horbachova is available for interviews with journalists, both online and offline.

• occupation
• women
• Dnipro

Iron Women is a no-cost retraining program aimed at equipping women with the skills to become excavator operators and front-end loader drivers.

The program includes both theoretical and hands-on training, concluding with professional certification for Level 5 excavator operators and Level 4 front-end loader drivers. These qualifications permit employment at enterprises but do not authorize operation on public roads.

Participation is free of charge, with tuition, accommodation, and meals funded by the Reskilling Ukraine initiative.

The pilot group will consist of 12 women.

Enrollment is still open. The distance learning segment starts in October, followed by practical training sessions in the Kyiv region in November.

Journalists interested in covering the program are encouraged to arrange visits in advance.

Background: The initiative is organized by the Swedish non-profit Beredskapslyftet in partnership with Volvo Construction Equipment and ETS Group, as part of the Reskilling Ukraine project.

• women
• Kyiv

Anna Hin is a journalist and writer from Kharkiv. Lately she has been creating unique jewelry from Kharkiv flowers and tiny fragments of rockets and bombs. 

Anna became the creator of the “Flowers from the Unbreakable” initiative by chance. This spring, she once again brought foreign journalists to North Saltivka (the district of Kharkiv that suffered the most during the full-scale russian invasion). Despite the destroyed buildings around her, the sounds of sirens and explosions, she could not take her eyes off the incredible beauty of the poppies growing there. In the evening, despite the danger, Anna returned to pick the flowers and later decided that such beauty should be preserved. She found information online about working with epoxy resin and soon began collecting other flowers from the frontline town. First she made them into coasters, then into jewelry. 

One day, while walking her dog near the Epicentre construction hypermarket destroyed by the occupiers, Anna picked up small fragments of enemy rockets to prevent her dog from injuring its paws. She filled two bags with fragments and decided to incorporate them into her floral creations.

Anna has already held seven charity auctions of her jewelry, with all proceeds going to support a hospital.

Journalists can talk to Anna Gin in Kharkiv or online.

• culture
• women
• Kharkiv

Marta Kondrin, a trailblazing entrepreneur, is transforming the fashion world by producing leather alternatives from mushroom mycelium. After spending eight years in Malaysia, where she was introduced to a startup developing mushroom-based products, Kondrin decided to pursue her own vision.

Following russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Marta made the decision to fast-track her dream. She applied for a grant and successfully secured funding to establish Ukraine’s first eco-leather manufacturing facility. The innovative material she cultivates mimics natural leather, offering a more sustainable option compared to synthetic alternatives. Though Marta continues to enhance the durability of the fabric, she has already created her first line of products, which includes bags and accessories.

Now based in Ivano-Frankivsk, Marta offers both virtual and in-person consultations for those interested in her work, available by appointment.

• women
• Ivano-Frankivsk

The NGO Camp Maximum together with an American team created the program “Camp of Opportunity” for women with amputations. On September 22, the third shift of the camp began. It was attended by 11 participants, both veterans and civilians who lost limbs during the full-scale war.

The women will participate in soccer training. They will have the opportunity to try out for Ukraine’s first national women’s soccer team for amputees and compete in the 2024 World Cup. The tournament will be held in Barranquilla, Colombia, from November 2 to 11, 2024.

In addition to soccer, camp participants will have the opportunity to engage in other activities. The camp runs until September 28.

Journalists are invited to learn more and cover the camp’s activities.

• casualties
• women
• Cherkasy

Leda Kosmachevska lived in Crimea until 2014. After the russian occupation of the peninsula, she moved to the capital. Today, Leda is a leading communications specialist at the Junior Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, living in Kyiv and raising her three-month-old daughter, Radoslava. She is fighting to have her daughter bear the surname of her missing father, Valentyn Dobryi.

Leda’s partner, Valentyn Dobryi, volunteered for military service in September 2022. He did so of his own free will, despite having undergone heart surgery as a child. Leda told Valentyn that he would become a father two weeks before he went missing.

On October 21, 2023, Valentyn Dobryi went missing during an attack between Chasiv Yar and Bakhmut in the Donetsk region. His comrades told Leda that they had seen Valentyn’s body, but due to heavy shelling they were unable to recover it. Now the area is occupied, and Leda is fighting to give her daughter the Dobra surname. To do so, she must prove paternity in court, as she and Valentyn were not officially married. Leda is raising her three-month-old daughter with the help of Valentyn’s mother, Svitlana Dobra.

Leda Kosmachevska is in Kyiv. She is ready to talk to journalists, both online and offline, by prior arrangement.

• children
• military
• women
• Kyiv

The Veteranka movement has launched the “Plan B Center of Strength” project, spearheaded by Tetiana Borys, whose husband, a soldier with the 58th Mechanized Brigade, was killed in action in February 2023. The initiative aims to reshape how Ukraine supports families of fallen soldiers, addressing their grief and guiding them toward healing.

The project’s key goal is to study the experiences of those coping with loss and use that insight to reform how government agencies work with bereaved families. As part of the initiative, families will receive a bereavement guide designed to help them re-engage with society and rebuild their lives.

Tetiana Borys also plans to share her personal story of loss in a series of articles that highlight the emotional journey of losing a loved one in war.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Tetiana in Kyiv to learn more about the “Plan B Center of Strength” project.

• dead
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Irena Danysh is an American with Ukrainian roots. She has traveled the world teaching English in various countries. She first visited Ukraine in 2003, and in 2022 she left Seattle and moved to Lviv. Irena says she wasn’t afraid of the war because she had worked extensively with humanitarian organizations and understood that Lviv was quite safe.

The American got a job as a teacher at one of the higher education institutions. She also volunteers at a charity working with young people. Irena says she feels not only American, but also Ukrainian, and plans to continue living in Ukraine.

For reference: You can talk with Irena Danysh online. On November 17, the American will return to Ukraine and will be available for offline meetings.

• volunteers
• women
• Lviv