During another trip of the mobile team to a remote village in the Muzykivsk community in Kherson Oblast, specialists from the NGO Girls held a meeting with local women. The team's psychologist provided psychosocial support to the village residents through the event “Embrace Yourself: The Path to Self-Acceptance,” and the social worker organized an information session for them on “How to Prevent Domestic Violence: Support, Understanding, Safety, Types, and Prevention of Domestic Violence.”
It was during this meeting that the team met Svitlana, a 55-year-old woman who was forced to leave her native Antonivka after the start of the full-scale war. There, Svitlana experienced terrible events. Her nephew was tortured by Russian occupiers, and she was chased several times by a drone carrying explosives. It was only by a miracle that she managed to escape. The experience left deep psychological wounds that affected her daily life. An additional challenge was that Svitlana's husband had limited mobility and required extra care.
The couple lived in an old rented house in Kherson Oblast, which lacked even basic living conditions, such as hot water. The family constantly faced financial difficulties because Svitlana's psychological state prevented her from working and providing even the most basic necessities for her family.
The first step in supporting Svetlana was psychological aid from the NGO Girls. Thanks to the psychologist of the mobile team, the woman was able to begin psychotherapy. The consultations helped to stabilize her emotional state gradually, taught her to overcome stress, and cope with the consequences of the trauma she had experienced. As part of case management, specialists from the NGO Girls organized ongoing psychological support for Svitlana from a partner organization, helped her obtain humanitarian aid, and provided her with hygiene and special kits. The woman realized how important it was to take care of one's psychological health even in the most difficult times.
The next step was to refer Svitlana to other organizations, where she received financial assistance to purchase a boiler. Hot water in the old house became a real blessing for the family and gave them a sense of comfort.
The social worker from the mobile team also referred Svitlana to partner organizations that provided food for the dogs that the couple had rescued from the combat zone. This was a significant source of support for the woman, as it was becoming increasingly difficult to care for the animals on her own.
Now, Svitlana and her husband are gradually beginning to feel relief and find the strength to move on. They received not only material support, but also the feeling that they were not alone in their grief. This gave them hope and faith in the future.
Svitlana shares, “I wanted to thank you for your work. What you are doing on the ground means much more than it seems. You were able to find people like us, almost forgotten by society, with broken psyches, with illnesses from living in basements, without a home. We survived the occupation, then the bombing of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, round-the-clock shelling... And finally, you came, listened to us, provided assistance, and said the words that are so vitally important right now. You brought back our smiles and reminded us that we are still needed in this world.”
The assistance is provided within 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.
