Consistency that brings about change: how systemic support and care can transform society

When Russia’s full-scale invasion broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, humanitarian aid became a lifeline for thousands of women with disabilities. That is why the project “Humanitarian Response and Recovery: Strengthening the Leadership of Women's Organizations with Disabilities,” implemented in seven regions of Ukraine with the support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine, is of strategic importance. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it not only provides targeted assistance but also enhances the capacity of local organizations of women with disabilities. This allows humanitarian support to be transformed into long-term empowerment of women in decision-making.

This project goes beyond the usual concept of humanitarian aid. It creates a continuum that leads from emergency support to development and systemic change: from food vouchers or legal advice to strengthened organizations, women's leadership, and advocacy.

Since June 2025, seven civil society organizations partnering with NAU have begun implementing local initiatives in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kirovohrad, Mykolaiv, Poltava, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions. Thanks to subgrants, 912 women and girls with disabilities received assistance in the first three months. And these are not just numbers, because behind them are the stories of women who were able to purchase necessary medicines and food, receive psychological support and assistive technologies. 

The most sought-after forms of assistance were food vouchers (364 recipients). This is because they allowed everyone to choose what they really needed. In crisis situations, this opportunity to make one's own choices restores a sense of dignity and autonomy.

The women also received food packages (175). In regions with disrupted logistics, these ready-made packages became an essential source of basic foodstuffs. 

The project also provided 113 certificates for hygiene products and 75 hygiene kits. This shows that even basic household needs remain a critical challenge for women in crisis situations. 

In addition, 50 women received the necessary assistive technologies to help them move around, perform everyday activities independently, and feel independent and confident. This is an investment not only in comfort but also in health.

In wartime, psychological support is just as important as medicine or food. Thirty-two women received individual counseling, where they were given tools to overcome anxiety and burnout.

Legal assistance is also of particular importance. Fifty consultations mainly concerned the rights of people with disabilities and the status of internally displaced persons. These are not just papers or certificates — they are the restoration of justice and access to rights that too often remained a formality.

More than 80 participants attended training events, art workshops, and seminars. There, they gained knowledge, restored their inner resources, and felt part of the community. This is a step from survival to development.

Regional examples show that sub-grantee organizations did not limit themselves to distributing aid.

In Mykolaiv, the NGO Victoria not only provided women with hygiene products and food, but also conducted an audit of the accessibility of public facilities. In Sumy, where shelling continues, humanitarian aid has become a matter of survival, but at the same time, the Slobozhanshchyna Initiatives organization provided women with visual impairments with audio tonometers, giving them control over their own health. In Poltava, the NGO Vira included 10 local organizations in the project at once, expanding the support network. In Zaporizhzhia, the focus was on psychosocial support for mothers of children with disabilities. And in Dnipro, the focus was on developing women's leadership, conducting training and advocacy activities.

In this way, humanitarian aid is transformed into a platform for leadership development and advocacy. The experience of this project shows that women with disabilities can be not only recipients of aid, but also drivers of change in their communities. After all, they are the ones who best understand the real needs of vulnerable groups and can respond quickly. And their involvement of authorities in local initiatives creates conditions for systemic change. In addition, increasing women's legal literacy and psychological resilience contributes to their greater participation in recovery.

During the first months of the Humanitarian Response and Recovery project, more than just material support was provided. This is a response model that focuses on women with disabilities as leaders, experts, and agents of change.

It is an approach that has a long-term effect: from humanitarian response to social integration and empowerment.
Humanitarian aid in the project is not just about meeting basic needs; it is an investment in development that changes the approach to traditional response models.

That is why this project is more than just numbers in reports. It is a sequence that creates change and proves that systemic support and care can transform society.

The project “Humanitarian Response and Recovery: Strengthening the Leadership of Organizations of Women with Disabilities” is implemented by the National Assembly of Persons with Disabilities of Ukraine, funded by The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) with technical support of UN Women Ukraine. The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) mobilizes critical support for local and grassroots civil society organizations working on women, peace and security and humanitarian action. WPHF is a flexible and rapid financing mechanism supporting quality interventions designed to enhance the capacity of women to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize key peacebuilding opportunities.

This publication has been prepared with the financial support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), which does not imply that the views and contents expressed herein are officially endorsed or recognized by the United Nations." 

The Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is the only global financing mechanism exclusively dedicated to supporting women’s participation in peace and security processes and humanitarian action. Governed by a diverse group of civil society, government, and UN representatives, WPHF is a multi-partner trust fund that mobilizes urgently needed funding for local, women-led organizations and works alongside women on the front lines to build lasting peace. Since 2016, WPHF has provided funding and strengthened the capacities of over 1,000 local women’s civil society organizations advancing the Women, Peace and Security agenda and delivering humanitarian action in 41 crisis-affected countries.

Oleksandra Perkova, Communication Manager of the Project project communication manager