Anna is a young woman from the village of Stepove in the Mykolaiv district, which belongs to the Stepivska community. She is a social worker in the village council and raises her four-year-old daughter, Nastia, on her own. Anna's husband is currently serving in the army, and her anxiety about him accompanies her every day. She lives in constant stress, balancing work, household chores, and raising a child. She has no time or energy left for herself, which only intensifies her guilt towards her daughter and herself. Taking care of others every day, Anna almost forgot what it means to take care of herself.
One day, she attended an event organized by the mobile team of the NGO “Divchata” (“Girls”). There, Anna allowed herself to stop and look at herself from the outside for the first time in a long while. An individual consultation with a psychologist became a turning point. It was then that she was able to release the pain and anxiety that had been accumulating inside. “It was as if I felt alive again and realized that I had the right to care for myself, my emotions, and support,” Anna says.
At the same time, a social worker from the NGO “Divchata” assessed the family's needs and helped the woman find resources to improve her emotional state and restore her sense of control and dignity. Thanks to the comprehensive approach, Anna felt greatly relieved, and for the first time in a long while, she had a desire to change her life.
She began to devote more time to her daughter, organizing her life so that she had at least some time for herself. And most importantly, she stopped blaming herself for being tired and emotional. "I am incredibly grateful to the NGO “Divchata” for the support they have provided me. You gave me the strength I thought I had lost forever. You became light at the time when it seemed that there was only darkness around me," says Anna.
Today, she shares her story openly because she believes that even one sincere conversation can be the beginning of change for another woman. Anna says, “I want every woman who feels exhausted and lonely now to know that she is not alone.”
This story is an example of how timely and responsive help can change lives. Thanks to the NGO “Divchata” within the framework of the project “Strengthening Access and Service Provision for SRH Support and GBV Prevention among Conflict-Affected Women and Girls in Eastern and Southern Ukraine” in cooperation with the international humanitarian organization CARE, with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office, another woman found the strength to live on, believe in herself and take care not only of others but also of herself.
