Victoria Demydenko is one of tens of thousands of women who have lost their husbands in the war in Ukraine. Her life is divided into a before and an after. Victoria’s husband was called up as an army reservist on the very first day of the war. Just a few months later, on September 5, 2022, Vadim died fighting to liberate the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region. A time of grief and anger began for Victoria. She wanted to talk to like-minded people, to find people who understood her pain.
Hardly any support for the bereaved
In Ukraine, there are hardly any programs for women who have lost their husbands in the war. According to official figures, at least 45,000 Ukrainian soldiers have died – the number of unreported cases is probably twice as high. Tens of thousands of women live in uncertainty about the fate of their partners. In addition to the emotional burden, there are often existential worries: financial instability, lack of prospects and responsibility for children who have lost their father.
STELP expands psychosocial support
Together with the aid organization #WeAreAllUkrainians initiated by Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, STELP supports its Ukrainian partners from Zhyva Nadiyawho, together with Victoria Demydenko, have set up an aid program for war widows. Around 500 women from various regions of Ukraine, including Kiev, Zhytomyr, Rivne and Vinnytsia, receive psychological help, access to self-help groups and support with professional reintegration.
“No matter who I talk to in Ukraine, the people are at the end of their tether,” says STELP founder Serkan Eren. “The country has been stuck in a never-ending nightmare for three years,” Eren continues.
Relief supplies for the frontline regions in Ukraine
In addition to psychosocial aid, STELP is continuing its humanitarian aid missions in contested areas. In 2024, 75 aid shipments with several hundred tons of food and hygiene products were sent to Ukraine. “We must not forget the civilians in the embattled areas. They are waiting in dark cellars without safe supplies,” explains Eren.
