On 24 February 2022, the people of Ukraine awoke to find themselves in a war zone.
These five stories, produced by our media partner Suspilne (Public), profile women who have risen to become leaders amid the conflict - including a doctor who braves minefields, a teacher who left her job with children to defend their lives on the front line, a director of a rehabilitation centre who fights for an equal society, and a community leader who is creating change in her community.
In the stories of these women, the life of the country is reflected....One of the heroines protects us on the front line, and another fights for equal rights for everyone in Lviv. War limits us and makes us crave revenge, but these women do not forget dignity and love. They inspire.β
The first story is about Dr. Natalia Lelyukh. The gynaecologist combines work in a private health clinic in Kyiv with weekly trips to villages near the frontline. Sometimes under fire, sometimes between mined fields, Natalia provides medical assistance to people unable to make the still-dangerous journey for treatment and medicine.
(These are) honest stories of women who have a voice in their own country during the war. These are documentary essays about what we are like now, how we toughen up and fight for the future."
Zoreslava Lyulchak is a teacher, a director and mother of a child with autism. She was able to involve local authorities and international partners in the development of an inclusive space called Dzherelo, a rehabilitation centre for people living with disabilities, in Lviv.
The film series, Yes, I Am a Woman, portrays women in leadership and decision-making positions in Ukraine. It aims to inspire audiences in Ukraine to better understand the diverse needs of women and the value they bring in the humanitarian response, to peace-building and in society.
These and other stories of women leading in wartime are on Suspilne's news channel on YouTube, including , a teacher who joined the National Guard, , a colonel, and , a local politician (links go to a third-party site).
The Yes, I Am a Woman series was created by the film company "Dobranichfilm", commissioned by Suspilne (Public), formerly UA: PBC, working in partnership with ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Media Action. This initiative is part of a project implemented by the National Democratic Institute with the financial support of Global Affairs Canada.
Suspilne is a ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ Media Action partner β find out more here.