How to Support and Stand with Women in Ukraine

4 min readMar 16, 2022

In the days since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine, more than 2.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country. Prior to this invasion, 2.9 million people in Ukraine were already in need of humanitarian assistance; now those numbers have tripled.

This military invasion is having a particularly significant impact on the lives of women and girls.

As men stay back to fight against Russian forces, the majority (two thirds) of the people seeking refuge outside of the country are women and children. We know that families who are separated need extra protection, and that gender-based violence increases in times of crisis. Experts are already warning that Ukrainian women are facing increased risk of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Health workers, too, are concerned for expectant mothers. The UN estimates that 80,000 women will give birth in Ukraine over the next three months, and many will not be able to access the critical maternal health care they need. Without it, childbirth could be a life-threatening experience, as the majority of maternal deaths in the world occur in humanitarian crises.

Ukrainian women — as well as people who are LGBTQ, women of color, and people with disabilities — need our support and solidarity more than ever, because systems of aid were not built with their specific needs in mind. And less than 2% of charitable donations from the U.S. make it to organizations supporting women and girls.

As a philanthropy advisor who helps others consider how they can make their greatest impact, it pains me to see people give to celebrity-endorsed companies who will helicopter into a crisis, rather than investing in locally-led organizations with deep roots in the communities they serve.

We can use our money to heal by moving it to where the hurt is the worst. Here are three simple ways you can center the needs of those who are bearing the brunt of this crisis so your donation reaches the people and places where it’s most needed.

1. Give to Locally-Led Women’s Funds.

Women’s funds are one of the best, and often untapped resources, to channel funding to the specific needs of local communities. In a crisis, the frontline healthcare workers, unpaid caregivers, and community mobilizers are typically women. They have relationships in the community and can get aid where it’s needed most. Here are several women-led organizations you can support:

The Ukrainian Women’s Fund (The only women’s fund in Ukraine)

Women’s Perspectives (Lviv-based nonprofit addressing GBV)

Divchata (Led by girls and supporting reproductive health services)

Urgent Action Fund (With a local team, they are able to move funds within 48 hours)

2. Center Those Who Are Disproportionately Affected.

During a crisis, women, girls, gender nonconforming people, people of color, people with disabilities and other marginalized communities bear the brunt of armed conflict. Aid workers in Ukraine have reported women of color, especially migrants and those from African countries, being discriminated against when trying to leave the country, as well as members of the transgender community being denied safe passage due to their gender identity. Many individuals with disabilities have been trapped and unable to find transportation to get to safety. There are several organizations supporting these communities. You can support:

FightForRightNGO (Supporting people with disabilities)

Everybody Can (Supporting children and elderly individuals with disabilities)

Africans Rising (Working to help Africans in Ukraine cross the border to safety)

Black Women for Black Lives (Newly created to support Africans in Ukraine)

Roma Women & Children Fund (Supporting the Roma community in Ukraine)

Sphere (Supporting queer youth in Ukraine)

NGO Insight (providing psychological and legal support to the LGBTQI community)

Cohort NGO (Helps trans people in Ukraine cross the border)

Fulcrum (An LGBTQ+ organization evacuating queer Ukrainians)

Nash Mir LGBT Human Rights Center (Supporting those unable to leave Kyiv)

OutRight Action International (An LGBTQ+ human rights helping to support local queer and trans people in search of shelter, as well as long-term legislation for equality)

Rainbow Railroad (A Canadian non-profit helping LGBTQ people escape violence and persecution)

3. Remember That There Will Be Recovery Needs, Too.

Giving urgent support is vital. Remember that there will be early and long-term recovery needs, too. Providing a small monthly donation to a local organization that provides housing, for example, can help a family quickly get back on their feet rather than remaining in a shelter. It is important to support communities after war and humanitarian crises fall from the headlines. You can support:

Thank you for your actions. The antidote to violence is care.

List informed by the Gender Funders Co-Lab, the EDGE Funders Alliance, the Human Rigts Funders Network, ARIADNE, Prospera, and Nino Ugrekhelidze and used with great appreciation.

How to Support and Stand with Women in Ukraine

Written by Radha Friedman