Still, we keep prevailing: women’s resilience amid war in Ukraine

”My work at the Ukrainian Women’s Fund is not my first experience in the public sector. Yet it has given me my first glimpse into the bigger picture: the chance to look beyond my city or region and see how our struggle unfolds across the country. To truly witness the fight for liberation, for peace, and for the future we actually deserve.” – Valeriia Pysanko, first Ukrainian recipient of the 1325-scholarship in memory of Zaida Catalán.

The Zaida Catalán 1325 Scholarship was a blessing for which I am deeply grateful. At the same time, I often feel privileged compared to so many women who have far fewer opportunities. Not only Ukrainian women, either. My heart goes out to all whose lives have been irreversibly altered by war, and to those who never even had the chance to experience peace.

This is why I believe this initiative matters so much. It gives visibility, opportunity, and hope to women who deserve to be seen and heard. Many of them, perhaps, even more than I do.

It is dystopian, disorienting, and it makes you realize how fragile and complex the idea of “security” really is.

I was born in Zaporizhzhia. Today, parts of this region are occupied, while others lie in ruins. We moved when I was a child, so what remains are fragments: memories and photographs of our old home. I will never see it as it once was; when it is rebuilt, it will be a different city from the one I remember.

Still, life in Kyiv feels fuller, busier. It is the heart of so many efforts, a place where you truly feel part of meaningful change. Through my work with the Ukrainian Women’s Fund, I meet women from every walk of life: activists, community leaders, artists, and public officials. Yet even amid this energy and purpose, Kyiv remains a constant target for strikes.

Many people imagine war as life buried under rubble, isolated and broken. That is one face of it, for sure. But the other side is much more surreal: a “normal” routine that persists despite everything.

People go to work, shop for groceries, attend parties, and post on social media, all while air raid sirens wail and drones fly overhead. It is dystopian, disorienting, and it makes you realize how fragile and complex the idea of “security” really is.

Still, living in Ukraine is about resilience. What does not kill us makes us stronger. Recently, we held a major event dedicated to the UN Security Council Resolution “Women, Peace and Security,” the National Forum 1325 Strengthens the Country. What stuck with me most was the pre-event, our “art event.” It reflected what we value as Ukrainians: creativity, freedom, and unity.

Representatives from the public sector, regional 1325 coalitions, and government officials gathered to express their vision of UNSCR 1325 and sister resolutions through art. During both the drawing session and the presentation, the electricity went out due to emergency blackouts.

Only a few years ago, that would have brought everything to a halt. Now we find ways to continue, to bring light, to keep working… and even share a warm cup of coffee.

For me, that kind of light symbolizes what the Ukrainian Women’s Fund brings to the table. Women must be heard and have access to opportunities, but in our realities, it always comes with a price. That is why we keep calling out: help, support, and fund. And that is exactly what the Ukrainian Women’s Fund does: it sustains women’s initiatives and leadership throughout Ukraine.

I am grateful to my colleagues, often overworked and rarely recognized, for making these changes possible. As a recipient of the Zaida Catalán 1325 Scholarship, I am glad to contribute by bringing a fresh perspective and learning across various areas, including project management, fundraising, and communications.

This experience has reminded me that resilience is not only about endurance, but about how women create meaning, connection, and solidarity even in times of uncertainty. And more than ever, I remain deeply thankful to our international partners who stand alongside Ukraine and continue to support Ukrainian women in rebuilding their lives and our shared future.