New beginnings: Older women displaced by war in Ukraine rebuild confidence and independence through UNFPA support

KYIV, Ukraine – When war reached the Donetsk region of Ukraine, 60-year-old Iryna* was forced to flee the home and community she had built throughout her life. 

Displaced to Kyiv, Iryna struggled to find work, leaving her almost entirely dependent on her husband. Employed and able to access his pension, he controlled Iryna’s finances, providing her with just 100 Ukrainian hryvnia (US$3) a week for food.  

Around the globe, conflict and catastrophes are driving record levels of displacement, which heighten women’s and girls’ vulnerability to gender-based violence – including economic violence, which in Ukraine can disproportionately affect older women like Iryna. The country has the highest proportion of older people affected by conflict anywhere in the world, and nearly nine in ten households with an older adult report severe or extreme needs tied to issues like health and financial security. 

“When conflict and disaster force women and girls to flee their communities and homes, they face grave danger. As livelihoods and safety nets vanish in emergencies, rates of gender-based violence can skyrocket,” said Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.

“Every survivor of gender-based violence deserves protection, quality care and access to justice.”

Somewhere to turn

The crisis in Ukraine has driven 10.4 million people from their homes. Approximately 3.6 million are internally displaced. 

Many are living in communal shelters where privacy is limited and risks of gender-based violence intensify. “Older women who might have quietly endured abuse in peacetime are now at even greater risk, especially in overcrowded shelters or unstable housing,” psychologist Olena Shevchenko told UNFPA.

“Displacement has stripped them of their networks. Without targeted support, they have nowhere to turn.”

Through her work as part of a UNFPA-supported psychosocial support team, Ms. Shevchenko provides survivors of gender-based violence with mental health services and connects them to specialized care. More than 100 of these mobile units have been deployed across the country since the conflict began, an invaluable resource in a context where hospitals and other healthcare facilities have come under consistent and devastating attack. 

Standing tall

After providing Iryna with psychological counselling, Ms. Shevchenko referred the older woman to two UNFPA-supported programmes where she could access further support.

At one of UNFPA’s women-friendly spaces, many of which are called Vilna Centres in Ukraine, Iryna took language, dance and aerobics classes, and connected with other women in support group sessions.

The centre also helped Iryna navigate the complicated process of claiming her pension as an internally displaced person. And with the money she made conducting makeup workshops and cosmetic consultations at the space, she became more financially independent.

Newly empowered, Iryna considered splitting from her husband, but changes he has made since she stood up for herself – offering her newfound respect and helping her care for her sick mother – have woven their lives back together. 

Today, Iryna too works at a Vilna Centre, helping other women access resources like psychosocial counselling and skills training.

* Names have been changed.