Martynka: Support for Self Organising Ukrainian Women

In Poland Wadi is helping a very unique project organized by Ukrainian women.

Vorstellung von Martynka

We were contacted by Ukrainian women who wanted to organize themselves to help others.

One of these groups is called Martynka and offers a 24/7 helpline and bot service on Telegram and Instagram. The idea, according to co-founder Nastia Podorozhnia, is best summed up as a “trusted friend” for Ukrainian women in Poland:

“Wherever you are and whatever you are experiencing, whether on the train, at the border, with the police or in a Polish city: you have a friend who accompanies you: Martynka. And you can see it in the picture: Martynka has a sword to protect you.”

The Martynka app has other features as well. She can also help with translations. “You”, i.e. a Martynka employee, can virtually accompany women to visits to the doctor or to the police. She can arrange contacts ranging from medical, psychological and legal advice to support in finding a job. Martynka also provides important information about Polish laws on abortion and contraception in Poland. While abortion is legal in Ukraine, it is largely illegal in Poland.

And now our partners face a very difficult challenge:

“More and more women who have been raped by Russian soldiers are turning to us. We are therefore building a network with psychologists to look after these women and offer them help,” Nastia Podorozhnia writes to us.

And she has a message that we love to convey: “Whatever happens, we don’t want you to see us as poor victims, needy refugees. Ukrainian women are strong and Martynka represents this strength. We want you to help us as weorganize ourselves!”

This is the message from all Wadi partners in all countries where we work. And so we have many plans to continue supporting Martynka in the future. So far we have been able to finance flyers and stickers that are now being put up in Lviv, at the border and in Kraków wherever there are women from Ukraine.

All these programs and projects run in Polish, Ukrainian and English under the hashtags #safeaid and #helpresponsible.

We would like to sincerely thank the American Jewish Committee and Solingen hilft e. V. for their support.

You too can help this campaign with your donation using the keyword #SafeAid: