FemSMS marks third anniversary of compassionate messaging in Ukraine
What began as five trauma-informed, compassionate messages—on trafficking, gender-based violence, mental and physical health—launched during the first days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, has grown into a lifeline with thousands of compassionate messages sent to hundreds of subscribers.
The messages sent via Footage’s FemSMS service provide hope, solidarity, support, and build community in war, exile, and uncertainty.
Built with Ukrainian women and gender-diverse folks, FemSMS has become a platform, a voice, and a circle of care. From those initial five messages the service has grown to meet an essential need.
Our partners in FemSMS Ukraine, Project Kesher and Project Kesher Ukraine, believed in FemSMS from the very beginning. With their trust and seed support, the project took flight and today, they continue to lead with vision, as our central funders.
Growing FemSMS significantly, in 2024, Karyn Gershon, CEO of Project Kesher, played a pivotal role in securing funding support from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) aimed at providing a larger gender-based response to the war in Ukraine.
"The funding will significantly bolster essential mental wellbeing support for girls and women amidst this ongoing conflict. Through our collaborative endeavor with Footage Foundation and Project Kesher Ukraine, we will expand crucial support as the country endures its third year of conflict. We are committed to advancing pioneering research with Footage and Dr. Eglinton to enhance the physical and emotional health of women most affected by war, gender-based violence, and forced displacement, while fostering our compassionate communication efforts,” she said at the time.
Speaking from within Ukraine at the launch of FemSMS in 2022, Vlada Nedak, Executive Director of Project Kesher Ukraine said: “Being on the ground in Ukraine I feel privileged to be able to ensure that the SMS messages speak to women where they are and in ways that are not intimidating while being accessible. This project is urgently needed to give women access to safe havens and ensure that they can turn to a trusted network in times of danger.”
To mark this third anniversary of the project, our program leaders, Alyona and Iryna, went out onto the streets of Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi to ask women about their experiences after more than three long years of war and its impact on their health and wellbeing. They asked what the compassion and solidarity of women around the world means to the women and their ability to cope with daily stress, the constant fear and threat of bombardment, sleep deprivation, and anxiety about their family and loved ones. The interviews form part of a video series titled “FemSMS Voices of Resilience”.
Questions asked included: “What does compassion mean to you?”, “What does solidarity mean to you?”, “What would you like the world to know about your life in Ukraine?” and, “How does it feel to know that people around the world care about you, about Ukraine, about Ukrainians?”.
The women’s answers offer deep insight into the emotional and psychological impact of the war.
One woman said: “You know, it’s very hard because so many families are separated now—my husband is in the military too. And you just forget what it’s like to live without war…”
Another said: “...we are fighting for our freedom, will, independence. We want peace, victory, for the right side to win. It’s not easy for us because every day we have missile danger, we have air raid alarms, we have power outages…We are united. And this is our strength.”
Reflecting on the human propensity and desire to live normally despite war, another interviewee said: “I want the world to know that we continue to live — myself included. During the war, which is still ongoing, I gave birth to my son in Kharkiv. At that time, there were active shellings, but that didn’t stop me from giving birth in love, in acceptance, with joy. In other words, I keep on living.
“We Ukrainians continue to meet our loved ones, build families, have children, and dream. Our lives go on. Yes, we have adapted to these conditions, but we continue to live because we understand the value of life, the value of each day and every moment.”
One woman replied to the question about knowing that people around the world care about Ukraine: “It is a very warm feeling because we know that we are not alone fighting for our freedom, fighting for it and for our life, that we have support…Always grateful and always thanking.”
Another reflected how living for the moment and valuing life, is a key lesson. “We began to truly value life here and now, not postponing it for later, not making plans for five or ten years ahead, but instead understanding that this moment, this day exists—and how important it is to live it happily, to enjoy this day, to enjoy the sunshine, to enjoy the Spring that has come.”
The messages sent via Footage’s FemSMS service provide hope, solidarity, support, and build community in war, exile, and uncertainty.
Built with Ukrainian women and gender-diverse folks, FemSMS has become a platform, a voice, and a circle of care. From those initial five messages the service has grown to meet an essential need.
- 15,000+ messages sent
- 12,000+ reached
- 70+ women and gender-diverse participants took part in our design research.
- 13+ events and conferences held, creating community and healing spaces.
Our partners in FemSMS Ukraine, Project Kesher and Project Kesher Ukraine, believed in FemSMS from the very beginning. With their trust and seed support, the project took flight and today, they continue to lead with vision, as our central funders.
Growing FemSMS significantly, in 2024, Karyn Gershon, CEO of Project Kesher, played a pivotal role in securing funding support from the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) aimed at providing a larger gender-based response to the war in Ukraine.
"The funding will significantly bolster essential mental wellbeing support for girls and women amidst this ongoing conflict. Through our collaborative endeavor with Footage Foundation and Project Kesher Ukraine, we will expand crucial support as the country endures its third year of conflict. We are committed to advancing pioneering research with Footage and Dr. Eglinton to enhance the physical and emotional health of women most affected by war, gender-based violence, and forced displacement, while fostering our compassionate communication efforts,” she said at the time.
Speaking from within Ukraine at the launch of FemSMS in 2022, Vlada Nedak, Executive Director of Project Kesher Ukraine said: “Being on the ground in Ukraine I feel privileged to be able to ensure that the SMS messages speak to women where they are and in ways that are not intimidating while being accessible. This project is urgently needed to give women access to safe havens and ensure that they can turn to a trusted network in times of danger.”
To mark this third anniversary of the project, our program leaders, Alyona and Iryna, went out onto the streets of Kyiv and Khmelnytskyi to ask women about their experiences after more than three long years of war and its impact on their health and wellbeing. They asked what the compassion and solidarity of women around the world means to the women and their ability to cope with daily stress, the constant fear and threat of bombardment, sleep deprivation, and anxiety about their family and loved ones. The interviews form part of a video series titled “FemSMS Voices of Resilience”.
Questions asked included: “What does compassion mean to you?”, “What does solidarity mean to you?”, “What would you like the world to know about your life in Ukraine?” and, “How does it feel to know that people around the world care about you, about Ukraine, about Ukrainians?”.
The women’s answers offer deep insight into the emotional and psychological impact of the war.
One woman said: “You know, it’s very hard because so many families are separated now—my husband is in the military too. And you just forget what it’s like to live without war…”
Another said: “...we are fighting for our freedom, will, independence. We want peace, victory, for the right side to win. It’s not easy for us because every day we have missile danger, we have air raid alarms, we have power outages…We are united. And this is our strength.”
Reflecting on the human propensity and desire to live normally despite war, another interviewee said: “I want the world to know that we continue to live — myself included. During the war, which is still ongoing, I gave birth to my son in Kharkiv. At that time, there were active shellings, but that didn’t stop me from giving birth in love, in acceptance, with joy. In other words, I keep on living.
“We Ukrainians continue to meet our loved ones, build families, have children, and dream. Our lives go on. Yes, we have adapted to these conditions, but we continue to live because we understand the value of life, the value of each day and every moment.”
One woman replied to the question about knowing that people around the world care about Ukraine: “It is a very warm feeling because we know that we are not alone fighting for our freedom, fighting for it and for our life, that we have support…Always grateful and always thanking.”
Another reflected how living for the moment and valuing life, is a key lesson. “We began to truly value life here and now, not postponing it for later, not making plans for five or ten years ahead, but instead understanding that this moment, this day exists—and how important it is to live it happily, to enjoy this day, to enjoy the sunshine, to enjoy the Spring that has come.”
One interviewee said, when asked about the meaning of compassion: “Compassion is when you feel pain for another person…Compassion changed during the war. It became deeper, more painful, sharper. It became unbearable and it shakes you like never before. We never felt the way we do now. Perhaps it’s only possible to feel like this when a tragedy such as the one happening now in Ukraine occurs?”All the women believed that solidarity meant meaningful support and standing together.
Acknowledgements: As we mark this third anniversary, we would like to our dear friends and core partner Project Kesher and Project Kesher Ukraine; and express grateful thanks for ongoing support and collaboration to Feminist Workshop in Lviv, our field partner and colleagues. In addition, our work would not have been possible over the three years without the support of dear friend and partner Sharon Kathryn D’Agostino and SayItForward.org; our dear friends and partners Natasha Müller and all at Kokoro Change; our dear friend and supporter Ilma Nausedaite. To our families and friends and all the many extremely generous private donors giving to FemSMS since 2022, you make this work possible; to our yearly and monthly supporters (we see you!); our dear friends Katherine and John Sellery and family, our friends at Forix Foundation, our gratitude to the repeated funding from a private family foundation in the USA (anonymous 2022-2024). We are indebted to each and every one of you.
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