By the time this article is published, the war in Ukraine has been ongoing for six weeks. This marks 42 days of unfathomable violence. Since the outbreak of the war, Thursdays have become the symbolic milestones of grief. At WAVE, we want to use this Thursday to amplify the voices of our members from the Ukraine and share their stories with you. How have they been coping and what can you do to support them?
Let’s first meet our member – the Women’s Information Consultative Center (WICC). They have been established since 1995, counselling and supporting women survivors of violence, as well as internally displaced women. They also work specifically on peace-building and advocacy, engage in awareness raising activities with other organisations, and lobby national and international policy-makers for better legislation in Ukraine.
How have they been doing since the outbreak of the war? Our colleagues from WICC needed to relocate from Kyiv into more safer parts of the country as well. However, they continue to work with activists who have remained in their places of residence and are supporting women and women with children who find themselves in a difficult or hopeless situation. In addition, they constantly publish current useful information on their website, such as: daily schedules of evacuation trains; instructions on how to act in a crisis situation (explosion, occupation, mental health, and much more); lists of official information channels and other useful information during the war. You can find these resources here: http://wicc.net.ua/en/category/viyna.
WICC also operates a network of coordinators and volunteers who work with individual inquiries from women and women with children affected by the war. These are mostly related to the provision of urgent necessities such as medicines, hygiene and food. Part of these expenses are covered from international donors, such as the fundraising through WAVE, and part of it is covered through volunteers at humanitarian aid sites. The WICC takes on an additional logistical functions to ensure that the right direction is provided to those who need it most.
In addition to all these activities, WICC is also actively looking into the future. WICC continues to work on the United Nations Women, Peace and Security agenda. They analyse the existing national action plan and work with the government to make crucial changes. This important work couldn’t be more relevant during this moment in time.
Find out more about the Women’s Information Consultative Center (WICC) here.
Support women and women’s human rights defenders in the Ukraine and in neighbouring countries here.
