GIVING TO WOMEN OF UKRAINE THIS IWD & BEYOND.

Written by Kirsten MacDonell, Co-Founder
Graphic designed by iliustra

This IWD hits different and for many reasons. It’s been hard to “celebrate” in a whirl-wind of countless moments of discourse we are aware (and maybe not aware) of when it comes to the advancement of gender equality around the world and here at home over the past 2-3 years. The direct and secondary effects the Pandemic has had on women are especially cruel. Gender-based violence spiked. Economic security advancements heavily vulnerable. Inclusive leadership advancements also vulnerable to impact. These are just a few bruised societal advancements effecting women. Here are just a couple of statistics that paint a picture here in Canada. “Women accounted for 63% of the 1 million jobs lost as of March 2020, and 70% of losses by workers aged 25 to 54.” Our recovery rate since March 2020 is lagging as jobs come back to the market. “Women make up 60 per cent of those in Canada who are economically “struggling”, meaning that they report difficulty covering basic expenses and may need pay day loans or food banks to get by.” Source -www.canadianwomen.org. Furthermore, evidence shows that BIPOC communities are disproportionately impacted by these pandemic outcomes.

Now, imagine, your country has been attacked and an active, cruel and unprovoked war is now occurring on your door-step. You are fleeing, sleeping on trains while sharing a seat with a stranger. Crammed in cars with signs taped to the windows stating “children inside”, carrying all of what you could fit and leaving the rest behind.. You are a daughter saying good-bye to your father, a volunteer civilian soldier who only recently learnt how to use an assault weapon. You are the mother of children you had to peel off of their grandfather and their dad as you said good-bye to escape the danger. You are the aunt doing your best to put on a brave face to entertain your baby niece or nephew while in a bomb shelter you can barely stand up in… You are a woman who only as of weeks ago, is serving your country on the front lines with artillery strapped to your back and while wearing donated military gear…

Today, I saw a viral video of a little girl named Amelia singing “Let It Go” in a Kyiv bomb shelter. Instantly, it brought me to tears. My daughter, only a year or two younger than she, is also named Amelia (spelt “Emilia”) and she also sings “Let It Go” as it is her favourite movie. The relatability of it all was just too much and emotion took over. Today in Edmonton, I took Emilia with me as I offered my time and support to friends who are compiling a fundraiser to #standwithukraine. This all lead me to think this: It’s time we as mothers, daughters, sisters, nieces, granddaughters, do what we know best - CARE for others. SUPPORT others. Support and care for these families enduring terrorizing moments that are going to forever change their lives and leave an imprint of trauma and devastation that will undeniably shape their futures.

Reaching out to Ukrainian-Turkmenian entrepreneur and fellow WorkNicer member, Daria Venkova, we learnt the following ways to act now and show our care for our fellow sisters and brothers of Ukraine this IWD.

Drop off a donation package to your local MEEST office: Click this link to see how you can send 2 boxes per day for FREE or $5.00 per kilogram by air.
- Meest is also accepting your Amazon orders. Direct the address to Toronto’s Meest Head office and note HUMANITARIAN AID FOR UKRAINE on the package. Check out this list of needed items. Medical supplies such as pain killers, antibiotics, gauze are just to name a few top of the list as of now.

What makes me so proud to be an Edmontonian, an Albertan, and a Canadian is our “drop-everything and show up for others when the need it” spirit. I see it all of the time in our community. I know you see it too. It’s a beautiful thing that makes us unique and in my opinion great leaders in the world setting an example for many. We hope you find this blog post compelling enough to show more acts for caring. Caring for on another is what we, as women, are so damn good at… Just read every single mothers day card for sale right now and you won’t be able to deny that..

If you’d like to share more ways to get involved with our community, please reach out to hello@ybbconnect.com