Rights, Justice, Action: How the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO supports women during the war in Ukraine

Olena Biletska, Head of the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO. Borodianka, Kyiv region. February 2026. Photo: WPHF / Valentyn Kuzhan.

8 March is International Women’s Day, a day of advocacy for women’s rights. In the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion, this date in Ukraine carries not a symbolic meaning, but a very concrete one. For Ukrainian women, it is about the right to safety, justice for survivors, and action, meaning access to essential services and the ability to rebuild their lives amid war.

This year, 8 March is marked under the theme “Rights. Justice. Action. For all women and girls.” UN Women emphasize not only the importance of rights, but also the need for concrete action and justice, in law, in practice, and across all spheres of life. For Olena Biletska, Head of the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO, these words are directly linked to what Ukrainian women experience and do every day.

She explains: “Rights are about freedom and safety. Justice is when those responsible are held accountable, and women’s losses are not dismissed or devalued. Action is the daily work of those who volunteer, work, and care for their families, communities, and the country.”

The war in Ukraine has changed perceptions of women’s roles

Olena is originally from Vinnytsia region, but she has been living in Kyiv for more than 20 years. In civilian life, she is a lawyer, and since 2014 her main mission has been the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO. The organization helps women strengthen their safety, economic self-reliance, and leadership skills, gain new knowledge, and access psychological support.

Today, Olena says, the full-scale war has made it especially clear how flawed the stereotype of a “traditional woman’s role” is, limited only to household work, home, and caregiving. In her words, women not only support their families, but also volunteer, work, start businesses, help their communities, and take on new areas of responsibility.

“A woman in Ukraine does any function and task that her country needs. She has not become weaker, but stronger. Ukrainian women are a role model for women all over the world,” Olena says.

Why a just future is impossible without women’s participation

In Olena’s view, the war in Ukraine does not отменяє women’s rights, but it makes their realization and protection far more difficult. This is especially true for the right to safety, psychological recovery, economic stability, and the ability to plan for the future. Women who have lost their homes, jobs, and loved ones, and who live under constant stress, feel this most acutely.

“Justice is when losses do not become just dry statistics, when the state helps restore housing, return to work, access support and treatment, and get a chance for a new start. Justice is also when crimes do not go unpunished,” Olena emphasizes.

At the same time, she stresses that a just future for Ukraine is impossible without women’s full participation in decision-making. The full-scale invasion has once again shown that women take on an enormous share of responsibility, and that roles and tasks that were often considered ‘men’s work’ are now carried out just as confidently and professionally by women.

“When decisions are made in a community without women’s participation, it is unfair. Because a woman lives in this community, she builds this community, and she is responsible for what happens here,” Olena says.

This is the approach behind the work of the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO, strengthening women’s roles, their participation in decision-making, and their economic empowerment.

How the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” supported women in Kharkiv region

In 2024, with the support of UN Women in Ukraine and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), the organization implemented a project for women in Kharkiv region, a frontline area that lives with daily danger.

“That year was extremely difficult and exhausting. All women lived one day at a time and did not know whether they would wake up in the morning,” Olena recalls. She says women carried not only their own переживання, but also full responsibility for their families, daily life, and finding money to survive.

The project aimed to strengthen women’s economic self-reliance, financial literacy, legal awareness, and resilience during the war. More than 2,000 women applied to participate, and 100 participants were selected. They completed training on launching and developing their own businesses and received mentoring, psychological support, and safety training, including basic paramedic skills.

“To date, 36 businesses have already been launched. Over the course of the project, our women received more than UAH 3 million to grow their businesses. These results are a very strong indicator,” Olena notes.

In addition, the project delivered more than 70 sessions with psychologists, as well as safety trainings for women from Kharkiv region who live every day under the risk of shelling.

Olena Biletska at the office of the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO. Borodianka, Kyiv region. February 2026. Photo: WPHF / Valentyn Kuzhan.

Why women’s organizations also need support

However, support is needed not only for women, but also for women’s organizations themselves and their teams. Local women’s organizations best understand the challenges women and girls face in their communities. They work close to people, see needs in everyday life, and can find solutions faster.

Today, the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” continues this work with the support of WPHF and UN Women in Ukraine. Through the project, they can develop the organization’s strategy, strengthen their team, and support its mental wellbeing. This is especially important when exhaustion has become part of everyday life, and many staff members and volunteers have themselves experienced loss, trauma, and years of living under constant stress.

Olena Biletska and Tonni Ann Brodber, Head of the WPHF Secretariat, at the office of the “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO. Borodianka, Kyiv region. February 2026. Photo: WPHF / Valentyn Kuzhan.

“We live in realities that an ordinary person cannot withstand. And thanks to activities like these, we remind ourselves that we also need to take care of ourselves, our safety, and the fact that we need to survive and help one another,” she says.

For Olena, 8 March is also another opportunity to highlight the role of women today: “It is a day of decisions, a day of concrete commitments. It is a chance to show once again that we can be a united force and become responsible women,” Olena concludes.

This project is produced by “Ukrainian Women’s Guard” NGO, 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 is produced with funding from the United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF), however, the views expressed and content included does not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.