A Testament to Women's Faith and Resilience

A Testament to Women's Faith and Resilience

Through this conflict, 6.7 million women urgently require life-saving aid, including shelter (UN,2025). Yet, their resilience shine through.  

The story of Svitlana and her colleagues illustrates how courage and determination played a role in their choices to stay in Ukraine.

Svitlana shared: 'We could not abandon people without medical care. I did not even want to try to leave because I knew I had to be here; I am needed here,'  

“First, we lost the dates and then the days of the week. It felt like one long day which would never come to its end,” Svitlana recalls.

Svitlana is a 57-year-old head doctor of the Primary Health Care Center (PHCC) in a small town of 20,000 people located 30 kilometers from the Russian border. Her office is neatly equipped and smells like medicine. There are several flowerpots on the window and a medical symbol decorate the wall. At first, she is smiling and joking, but as we talk about the last few months, her voice begins to tremble.  

“On the 24th of February, I was on my way to work, when my phone rang. It was my colleague. She said that the conflict had begun,” Svitlana says. “I knew that it might start some day, but I refused to believe it.  I quickened my pace, and I noticed several columns of tanks in the street, dead soldiers lying on the road, and the lifeless bodies of entire families in their cars. I ran immediately to the Primary Health Care Center, where my colleagues were collecting all the medications and equipment so that we could help people and save their lives. We decided that doctors would work from home,” says Svitlana.

Despite the fear, we held onto hope, knowing that our community needed us more than ever.

Svitlana and her colleagues never considered leaving their town. ‘’We could not abandon people without medical care. Since this happened on the first day of the conflict, no one had enough time to get out. I did not even want to try to leave because I knew I had to be here. I am needed here,” Svitlana says, looking out of the window.

Svitlana pauses before continuing her story. There were so many tanks that she stopped trying to count them. There were no more deliveries of food to the town; people were sharing whatever they already had. Families were staying at home for fear of the conflict, but Svitlana and her colleagues continued to go out. heir determination helped them conquer any fear. She became a light of hope for the people around her.

"We didn't know how to save people whose lives depended on insulin. A pharmacy near the railway station was damaged during fighting, and suddenly a crazy idea came to mind.”

After gaining permission from the owner of the pharmacy, Svitlana and her colleagues sneaked into the destroyed store. They took all medications and diapers they could find. However, the medicines didn’t last long enough. Eventually people were dying.  

But we refused to give up, believing that every life saved was a victory.

“At our clinic, newborn babies with their mothers could also receive medical support. I was most worried about them. There were two young mums who didn't live in the town and they had just given birth. These women walked 6 kilometers with their newborn children to our doctors because there were no buses. It was dangerous to move around the town because you could be hit by shelling at any moment. All the time I was praying that they would be able to get home safely.” Their courage inspired us at Medair to keep going, to keep hoping.

After the fighting stopped in the town, Svitlana and her colleagues began assessing the damage to the health facilities. Nearly all of the buildings had damage. The windows of the X-ray clinic had all broken, and the roof had caved in. Melting snow had caused a flood. Repairs had begun, and Svitlana asks us if we would like to see the progress.  

Each repair is a step towards healing.

We walk to a yellow two-story building, which is visible from the window of Svitlana's office. At this point, I understood why she was looking out of the window during our conversation. With great pride, she opens the door for us to go inside.

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"When the children's outpatient clinic was destroyed, 5,000 children living in this area were left without a place to get medical care. The building was in ruins. We’ve decided to rehabilitate this building and set up a children's outpatient clinic here. When Medair agreed to help us, one of my dreams came true. Finally, our pediatricians will be able to receive children in comfortable conditions," said Svitlana.

This clinic is a symbol of our resilience and our faith in the future.

Medair has been on the ground in Ukraine since the conflict began. Medair’s Shelter team repaired the roof, replaced windows, and restored the heating in the building. Office and medical equipment were purchased, and soon the clinic will open or receiving patients. For Svitlana, she now mostly dreams of peace. She wants to live without bombs that can destroy what she and other community members have been building lovingly for years.

Svitalana’s courage inspires us all at Medair, to keep faith, to keep going, and to stand with the women who sustain life through crises.  

By supporting Medair, you can help ensure that people like Svitlana continue to receive the support they need to help their communities. Donate now to Medair and join the effort to bring hope and restoration to communities affected by conflict. Together, we can make a meaningful difference in the lives of those who need it most."

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The services Medair provided to this PHCC was funded by PMU and Swiss Solidarity.

This content was produced with resources gathered by Medair field and headquarters staff. The views expressed herein are those solely of Medair and should not be taken, in any way, to reflect the official opinion of any other organization.