On December, 15 SEMA Ukraine held the event "CHRISTMAS MEETINGS"

16 грудня 2023


     On December, 15 an event called "CHRISTMAS MEETINGS" took place at VDNH that was organized by the NGO "SEMA Ukraine" with the support of the Dr.Mukwege Foundation. 

     In a warm and friendly atmosphere, we met with partner organizations, the ones that support our activities, and plan to implement future joint projects to provide comprehensive assistance to survivors of CRSV. http://surl.li/ojgaz

     Not everyone was able to join us, we thank everyone who came to our event. Tetiana Machabeli came from Uzhorod where our women participated in a pilot rehabilitation program for victims of CSA at the invitation of Olga Chuyeva. In April, there will be another such program in which our organization will participate.

Diane Brown, Head of the Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Unit at the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine, and human rights specialist Romana Lemishka, our good friends, came to the meeting with Christmas gifts for SEMA Ukraine members.

The Government Commissioner for Gender Policy Kateryna Levchenko

as always, supported us, assured us of further cooperation, and emphasized the importance of our organization's participation in covering the issues of CRSV.

     We are grateful to our colleagues and friends who always help and explain: Fedir Dunebabin, joint representative in Ukraine of the Mukwege Foundation and the Global Fund for Survivors of Violence;

Alla Skrypnyk, project officer of the Dr. Denis Mukwege Foundation, for her warm words of support and faith in us.

    At the event, we had the opportunity to hand over the books donated by our friends Оlha Herasumiuk, Pavlo Kushch, Аssosiation of Women Lawyers of Ukraine "YurFem", Каpranova Inna, Olena Suslova, director of the Verkhniotoretskyi educational centre  #vеrkhniotoretskyiedcentre Оlena Cherkashyna.

As soon as the town of Verkhniotoretske is deliberated, these books will be the first on the shelves of the library in the restored school.

      We had a lot to talk about with our old friends from the EUCCI, Vоlodymyr Scherbachenko who commented on the way our organizations have come and invited us to further cooperation.

    Such proposals were also made by our other partners, we thank Diana Babaian, representative of the Legal Aid Community Law Center, and Kateryna Busol, lawyer and international law specialist at YurFem,

 National Museum of History of Ukraine in World War II  and Iryna Kotsabiyk, Center for Civil Liberties / Центр громадянських свобод and Nаtaliia Yaschuk, and many others who supported us and offer to join further cooperation! 

     Throughout the evening, we screened fragments of documentaries created by talented filmmakers Alisa Kovalenko ,Tetiana Hanzha, and Zoia Domaskina. We are certain that these films will help society to see that the CRSV is a war crime of the Russian army against the citizens of Ukraine, and will show the strength and ability of Ukrainian women to turn trauma into post-traumatic growth.

     It was the tragedy and pain of the women who survived the SGBV that was shown in a video performance by a young talented director  Anastasiya Agafonova.

     But this event would not have happened without our strong, unconquered women: the head of the NGO SEMA Ukraine  Іryna Dovhan, People's Hero of Ukraine, who has been fighting for the rights of women survivors of CRSV since 2014. During her speech, she told about the history of the organization, its activities, and plans for the future.  Communications Director of SEMA Ukraine, human rights activist

Liudmyla Huseinova greeted the guests, and moderated the event with talent and professionalism.

Talented Daria Zymenko, especially for this event, made an author's postcard and each of our guests received it as a gift, and then gave a wonderful master class on coloring Christmas toys), our members who were able to attend the Christmas meetings:

Hаlyna Tyschenko and Elena Lazareva, our craftswomen, made embroidered napkins and knitted items with warmth and creative inspiration to give to our guests. Also present at the event were members of our organization,  Yuliia Dvornichenko  Оlena Apchel    Oksana Gerasimenko  Таtiana Vasylenko  Оlena Morozova  Alisa Kovalenko, they and all the guests present communicated in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

     "...SEMA Ukraine Sisters are powerful rays of light that not only help each other to recover, but also show the way to all of us."

(Kateryna Busol).