WOMEN-LED INITIATIVES IN UKRAINE

Women at the centre of civil society’s response to the full-scale war

Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, women have emerged as civil society leaders in greater numbers. Women leaders are heading civil society organisations and independent media outlets, which include many EED partners. Women represent the majority of the highly educated and skilled workforce in Ukraine, and they are well positioned to drive Ukraine’s reform agenda, strengthen anti-corruption measures, and push for transparency and accountability in political processes. They are determined to play a central role in Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction.

Olga Rudenko and Daryna Shevchenko

The Kyiv Independent

Led by Olga Rudenko as chief editor, and Daryna Shevchenko as CEO, The Kyiv Independent was established just weeks prior to Russia’s full-scale war thanks in part to an EED grant and a crowdfunding campaign. Today it is the leading English-language reporter and commentator on the war, reaching millions of daily readers across the globe. One of the outlet’s articles was cited by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, when she addressed the European Parliament in the initial days of the war. Today, the media is continuing to ensure independent coverage of events, despite the challenges of wartime reporting.

Mariia Nikitina

“Living barrier-free affects the quality of life and the dignity of each and every one of us”

- Mariia Nikitina

Zahyst

Over the past 12 years, Zahyst (or Protection), a grassroots initiative in Chernivtsi in south-west Ukraine, has worked to build more inclusive and democratic communities and to cultivate acceptance among society of disability and diversity. Led by Mariia Nikitina, herself a wheelchair user, Zahyst transformed its activities during the initial days of the war, responding to the urgent needs of internally displaced people, including those with disabilities.

Today, as more veterans with disabilities return home and face accessibility challenges in their daily lives, Zahyst is implementing an EED funded project: Activists in Inclusive Communities. It is collaborating with educational institutions, local authorities and citizens with the aim of transforming local communities to bring about a more inclusive society.

Anastasiia Shybiko

Vilne Radio

Since 2017, Anastasiia Shybiko, director and co-founder of Vilne Radio, has covered local news and reported on the lives of residents and the security and social issues they face in Donbas in Eastern Ukraine. The station was one of the few sources of independent information for the people of this region, broadcasting on both FM and online.

Sofiia Skyba

“In the last year and a half, we have tripled our readership. We now have around 400,000 readers per month, and our data shows that people spend a lot of time on our website and find us important for them. Journalists in nearby cities also use our materials as a reference”

- Sofiia Skyba

Pershyi Kryvorizkyi

For over 13 years, the Pershyi Kryvorizkyi Information Agency has reported on events and run investigations on public spending and governance in Kryvyi Rih, an important industrial city in the Dnipro region, and native city of Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Its journalists rely on the public information law and use open data platforms to monitor public procurement and to inform their readers on how taxes were spent by the local government. crowdfunding campaign.

Today it is the leading English-language reporter and commentator on the war, reaching millions of daily readers across the globe. One of the outlet’s articles was cited by Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, when she addressed the European Parliament in the initial days of the war. Today, the media is continuing to ensure independent coverage of events, despite the challenges of wartime reporting.

Olga Reshetylova

The Media Initiative for Human Rights

Led by Olga Reshetylova, a former journalist, the Media Initiative for Human Rights is a high-profile human rights organisation that monitors human rights violations and exposes war crimes to domestic and international audiences. A member of the Ukraine 5am Coalition of human rights organisations collecting and documenting war crimes committed by Russian armed forces in Ukraine, it conducts investigations into the individuals responsible for these crimes, and liaises with officials at home and abroad, including law enforcement agencies.

Nataliya Drozd

Dobrochyn Center

The Dobrochyn Center works with young people in the Chernihiv region bordering Russia and Belarus, helping to empower them to become local changemakers within their communities. During the spring of 2022, much of the region was under Russian occupation, with locals disconnected from the rest of the world and living in constant fear for their lives. Today, these local communities, including youth-led initiatives launched by Dobrochyn, are engaged in rebuilding and working on projects to help the most vulnerable citizens.

Mykhailyna Skoryk

“As civil society, we can be agents of transparent reconstruction at the local level”

- Mykhailyna Skoryk

Smilyvy Irpin

A former deputy mayor of Bucha, a residential suburb close to Kyiv, and founder of Smilyvy Irpin, Mykhailyna Skoryk has been fighting illegal construction in her community for years and encouraging residents to take an active interest in local development. Today, after Russia’s brutal occupation of Irpin in March 2022, over 50 percent of the buildings have been damaged, and nearly 18 percent destroyed.

Smilyvy Irpin is a grassroots organisation bringing together activists to monitor decision-making of the local authorities, ensure transparency in construction, raise awareness among community members about the local self-government’s decisions impacting their daily lives, and help contribute to sustainable rebuilding and long-term community development plans. The organisation partners with other local civil society actors, housing cooperatives and the private sector and it is working to foster local leaders capable of taking responsibility to protect their own environments.

Kateryna Pryimak

Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement

Since 2014, after the Revolution of Dignity, the Ukrainian Women Veteran Movement has played a leading role in promoting awareness and advocating for women veterans’ issues. Set up by Andriana Susak-Arekhta, the movement has a history of advocating on behalf of women soldiers and veterans to improve Ukraine’s legislation and to help build a resilient community of female veterans engaged in democratic activism. In 2022, Kateryna Pryimak took over as head of the organisation, when Andriana suffered a life-altering injury due to a landmine. Since then, the importance of the NGO’s work has only intensified.

Liubov Halan

“There is great political will and there is strong initiative from various stakeholders to address the issues we are raising. Our advocacy work will be decisive in the context of Ukraine’s veterans’ policies in the years to come”

- Liubov Halan

Pryncyp

Led by Liubov Halan, Human Rights Centre Pryncyp is championing institutional changes to ensure veterans receive the services guaranteed to them by law. The NGO works with veterans and their families in navigating the complex bureaucratic procedures and fighting for these rights.

Pryncyp was founded by Masi Nayyem, a lawyer who lost an eye in 2022 while serving in the defence forces, and who experienced first-hand the challenges of transitioning back to civilian life. With EED start-up funding, Pryncyp has launched a rights navigator—a self-help instrument for former soldiers and their families to navigate the law and civilian life.

Olya Rys

Velokuhnia / Eco Misto

Eco Misto is well-known in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv for its advocacy campaigns aimed at creating cycling infrastructure, protecting green zones, and engaging youth and children in eco-activities. In the spring of 2022, when the city was under siege and there was little electricity and no access to public transport, Eco Misto’s team shifted its focus to humanitarian relief, distributing aid to residents by bicycle.

Today, it is estimated that 90 to 95 percent of urban air pollution in Ukraine is caused by road transport, particularly in cities like Chernihiv. It is essential to develop more environmental forms of public transport and micro-mobility, and to engage communities in the development and implementation of this process to ensure transparency of decision making.