February 6, 2025

SGS 2024 Strand B Grantee: Association of Mothers and Wives of Defenders of Ukraine

Project: To help women overcome stress, prevent emotional burnout, and regain self-confidence.

War changes the lives of all of us, but those who have lost loved ones or worry about their relatives on the front line every day are particularly emotionally affected. Captivity, missing persons, serious injuries – all these have become sad realities for many families. Pain, fear and anxiety have become inseparable companions of women’s lives. That is why the Association of Mothers and Wives of Defenders of Ukraine initiated an important project aimed at stabilising the psychological health of its members and volunteers.

The project had an ambitious goal: to help women overcome stress, prevent emotional burnout, and regain self-confidence. Thanks to the grant, we were able to hire a professional psychologist who conducted 60 hours of counselling for 23 women from different regions of Ukraine.

What was achieved?

The counselling sessions were a safe environment where women were able to open up and share their innermost and most painful feelings. In some cases, they talked about their experiences for the first time. For many of them, this was the first step towards recovery. One of the participants admits that for the first time in a long time she felt calm and able to focus on herself:

“Working with a psychologist gave me not only self-help techniques, but also the strength to get back to life. I realised that my emotions are important and I can work with them. I realised that my feelings are normal. That I can be sad and cry. Because before that I had only heard: “Be strong. Hold on.” And where do you get that strength from? Now I know that any emotions are normal. Now I know how to take care of myself.”

Stories that do not leave you indifferent

The project participants are incredibly strong women who manage to overcome difficult challenges. But despite this resilience and endurance, they need support as they often face misunderstanding from others.

Olena from the Dnipro region tells a painful story. Her fellow villagers started a real bullying campaign against her. She was accused of speaking Ukrainian and of wanting to create a memorial for the dead. But most of all, they were annoyed by the fact that she was still grieving for her son. Despite all this, Olena searched for the strength to be useful to families going through similar trials:

“I always wanted to do something better for my village. But who would help carry out my ideas? There was zero support in the village, only ridicule. But I want to do more with the Association. That’s why I was trained as part of the Strong Together project. Now I know how to unite women and motivate them to act together, how to create projects and involve like-minded people in their implementation, and how to interact with the authorities. I know who to send what requests to. I know that everything is not in vain. I know that my female sisters are with me and are going through similar challenges in their communities.”

Maria from Mykolaiv region faced a difficult challenge. She is retired, and before retiring she worked as a teacher all her life. Intelligent and calm, she never imagined that she would have to fight for her rights and support.

The circumstances were such that she had no one to protect her. Her husband died defending his native village. During the occupation of the settlement, he went underground, to the partisans. But he was ambushed by the enemy and shot dead. Maria’s two sons are now in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

“Sometimes it seems that no one needs you. Your pain, your worries. And it’s unbearable. And then I saw women like me. Who, despite their losses, do not give up. This pain gives them strength. And they don’t wait for someone to do something for them. Am I worse than them? I gained some self-confidence. Felt that I could do the same. That my fellow villagers will support me. Plus, I learned how to write appeals, monitor responses, and generally communicate with the authorities. Now I will definitely not stop until we have the Memory Alley. And then we will decide together what else the families need.”

Psychological support is a way to regain strength

The self-help techniques mastered by the participants included breathing exercises, relaxation techniques, and self-reflection. They helped participants to reduce anxiety and stress, and to regain a sense of control over life. Increased emotional resilience became the basis for improving teamwork and efficiency throughout the organisation.

In addition, the consultations identified key issues faced by women. This will help shape future work to provide even better support.

What’s next?

The Association plans to introduce annual retreat sessions for the teams from the regional centres and head office. This will allow women to immerse themselves in an atmosphere of peace and restore emotional balance away from everyday worries and challenges.

This format will help maintain internal stability, build trust between team members, and facilitate effective interaction in the future.

Why is it all worth it?

This project proved that taking care of mental health is key to the long-term development and support of those on the front line, whether at the front or at home. When women feel supported, they are able not only to help others, but also to change the world for the better.

Contact

Association of Mothers and Wives of Defenders of Ukraine

Kyiv, Ukraine

Daria Vorona, Communications Manager

DVorona@familyato.org

https://familyato.org/