Name of the organization/initiative and year of foundation

Ukrainian Women’s Fund (UWF) was founded in 2000.

Mission

The Fund’s mission is to provide support including expert advice, capacity building, finance, advocacy, communications, etc., and encourage women’s NGOs and other CSOs to develop a vibrant and populated women’s movement that aims at ensuring gender equality and empowering women in all sectors of life.

Actions and projects in the context of armed conflict

The research project “Invisible Battalion” (2015 – 2016) aimed to amend laws and regulations that discriminate against women and hinder gender equality in the armed forces, study the best practices of women integration in the armed forces, raise public awareness, and improve the treatment of women in the armed forces. Conducted with the support of OAK Foundation and UN Women.

In 2016 – 2017 within the framework of the program by the UNDP and UN Women on “Restoration of Governance and Reconciliation in Crisis-affected Communities of Ukraine”, UWF was responsible for the project “Community Mobilization to Empower IDPs and Conflict-affected Women in Donetsk and Luhansk Regions” to build the capacity of those who suffer from the conflict on the east of Ukraine.

In 2016 – 2018 UWF implemented the project “Economic Opportunities for People Affected by Conflict (EOPAC)” under the USAID support. The Project aims to provide assistance to people affected by the conflict in Eastern Ukraine to get jobs or gain new skills that will be useful to provide for themselves and their families, to establish or to move their business. With the help of this project, the Center for Microbusiness and Self-Employment Support was established in the Kharkiv region.

There are also other UMF projects that are currently being implemented – “Equality for Security” (aimed to promote women’s contribution to peace-related and conflict prevention processes by supporting local stakeholders in developing, implementing, and monitoring local action plans on UNSCR 1325 and “Economic Opportunities for Women from Eastern Ukraine” (the goal is to support women from eastern Ukraine through business development, the establishment of jobs, etc.).