We refuse to stop

Despite intense challenges, we continue in motion—physically: between cities, marches, campaigns, interventions; emotionally: between grief, heartbreak, hope—always hope. We know we cannot pause. 

There must be consistent, unwavering solidarity for those whose rights are being violated, whose lives are being destroyed by the violence we are witnessing. There must be ceaseless action as silencing is normalized. We refuse to stop. I personally refuse to numb. Every single day, I wake up with the same goal: to find the emotional and practical resources to carry this work forward—even when the world doesn’t make space for it. I have found that I can only keep going by staying compassionately present—to what is here, right now. What can I do in this moment? Who can I reach with compassion? Who can I love better? 

September holds much---including global gatherings where we will not only advocate for an end to violence, authoritarianism, racism, sexism, homophobia, but where we hope to meet with you, and together continue the often unseen work of holding each other up in the midst of so much disintegration.  

In this final quarter of the year, we are stretching every resource we have to imagine what has not yet been built, and to try, against all odds, to bring it into being. 

This year marked both the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women  and the 80th year since the founding of the United Nations. The theme—“Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights”—feels distant from the grief and brutality we witness daily. And yet, we will be there. We will speak of what is unraveling, and what must still be possible. 

Today, we mark the International Day of Peace. This year’s theme is “Act Now for a Peaceful World"   emphasizing the role that we all can play in creating a more peaceful world. Last Tuesday I attended an event at the International Peace Institute. 

Since 1996 Yoko Ono has invited people from around the world to write personal wishes for peace and tie them to a tree branch. I wished for “Peace Always with Justice”, and reinforced my conviction that compassion will win.

Calls for peace are urgent. We can all see conflict is on the rise; the United Nations Secretary-General’s report on the protection of civilians highlights that more than 120 armed conflicts were ongoing globally at the end of 2024 and into 2025. 

These conflicts have led to millions being killed, displaced, and forced to endure extreme suffering. While the physical health impacts of war are widely recognized, studies also consistently highlight the profound and lasting harm armed violence causes to mental and emotional health. Today, over 600 million women and girls live in conflict-affected areas.

Trauma from armed conflict not only affects immediate wellbeing but can also trigger cycles of further violence fueling inter-generational anger and perpetuating suffering across communities. People affected by violent conflict may witness traumatic events, be displaced from their homes, separated from their families, exposed to physical and sexual violence, or forced to take up arms as a combatant.

It was in rapid response to this emotional and psychological toll, and the urgent need for accessible, life-saving information, that we launched FemSMS at the start of Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine. From the beginning, it was designed as a trauma-informed intervention—delivering critical updates and resources to women in all their diversity, LGBTQIA+, and vulnerable communities navigating crises, set in a yoke of compassion that honored dignity, care, and our deep need for connection. 

Today, with our steadfast partners at Project Kesher, FemSMS is the first of its kind trauma-informed, compassionate messaging intervention built from direct conversations with women, feminists, and queer communities on the frontlines—through interviews, speaking clubs, surveys, and collaborative research—a truly human-centred design. Together we have now reached over 12,000 people across platforms and delivered over 30,000 messages. 

On September 24–25, because of the deeply generous sponsorship and long-time support of Natasha Müller Impact, who have championed FemSMS since its earliest days, we will attend the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. We have been invited to join the roundtable hosted by the Coalition for Mental Health Investment, of which Natasha Müller is one of the Principals. This conversation centers the urgent need for coordinated action across the global mental health landscape and is deeply aligned with our work. 

The erosion of mental health is not just personal—it is political. It isolates, disempowers, and can make it harder to resist the dismantling of the connections and communities that hold us. We believe that caring for minds and spirits is part of how we keep our democracy alive. Later this month, we begin testing the new FemSMS app—a secure, multilingual mobile version of the service in Ukrainian, French, and English. We will be running field workshops and user refinement sessions, with a public launch planned for October. The app is a reminder of our presence, and every message, even now, still matters. 

For updates about our progress and how you can join us in our advocacy, follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn.

As always, I need you to know: none of this work exists without you. We are able to refuse despair - to keep building, keep showing up - because you are with us. Thank you profoundly for believing in what we know to be true: compassion is a force of change. We are here, building with grit, vision, and fierce tenacity. We’re not stopping. And so we ask - not for someday, but for now: be here with us, support our work for peace and justice through compassion, in every way that you can. This is how we keep going. 

As ever,
Yours, with grace, and in service,
Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton and all of us at Footage