Nearly a year has passed since Russian forces arrived in Ukraine, sparking one of the largest military conflicts since the end of World War II. Civilian suffering is by far the greatest casualty of this war; the United Nations estimates that 17.6 million people in Ukraine will require humanitarian assistance in the coming months.
Over half are women and girls.
Photo courtesy of CARE.org
Honestly, it makes sense: it is women who are tasked with fleeing from their war-torn homes with children and elderly family members in their care. In times of crisis, it is women who are called to hold together the tattered shreds of civilization, to create a home from a dank basement or a trench, to maintain some sense of normalcy in the middle of trauma. Women and girls are especially susceptible to starvation when food is scarce—they often eat less, and last.
Women are the ones who keep families moving forward despite the devastation of war, which is why CARE, a global leader within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty, is so focused on giving them a voice.
Ukrainians face a multi-generational challenge to rebuild their lives in the wake of conflict. While working tirelessly to meet the immediate humanitarian needs of the conflict, the global community cannot lose sight of the long-term impacts on jobs, education, human rights, and social norms.
"This conflict is not just testing the mettle and resilience of the Ukrainian people, both of which they have shown in spades over and again,” said Michelle Nunn, CARE President & CEO. “This is a conflict that will test the resilience of the global community as a whole – the countries hosting displaced Ukrainians, to those facing famine, global donors and policy makers, and humanitarian, development, and civil society organizations."
Your CARE Package gift can help provide the most urgent needs.Photo courtesy of CARE.org
As the conflict enters its second year with no signs of abating it is imperative that the global community redouble its efforts and renew its will to support conflict-affected communities, both now, and in the future. So far, CARE has reached over 960,000 people across Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Georgia, and Germany, mostly through local partners with protection and psychosocial support, cash assistance, food, water, sanitation & hygiene assistance, health services, support for accommodation, protection against gender-based violence and education.
Keeping women and girls as the focus, CARE is working to support locally-led women’s organizations in Ukraine through grants, logistical support and expertise to rural grassroots led women’s organizations to help them deliver humanitarian assistance such as accommodation, advocacy around women’s rights and equality, relief items and relocation services.
They have also begun to work actively to restore homes and provide psychological assistance to civilians who are impacted by the trauma of war. Together with partners, CARE is opening safe spaces for women and girls, which provide the most necessary counseling, training, and qualification for women. However, the number one priority is food, and they need all the help we can muster to funnel in resources to keep these people alive.
Equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty. Your $75 donation can give a displaced family fuel for heating and cooking, or support determined and brave women with emergency cash to purchase things like flashlights, food, and blankets or secure shelter.
For the price of a meal out, you can give Ukrainians dignity, hope, and a future.
Amal, an OYE wellness guide and non-binary TikTok influencer from Medellin, Colombia leads a meditation on the nature of balance.
As a happiness activist from Colombia, I’ve long believed that wellness is about how you feel on the inside – not how you look.
With anxiety levels surging around the world and the number of therapists and healers in short supply, the need for affordable tools for inner work has never been greater.
As CEO of OYE, the bi-lingual emotional wellness app I co-founded with global superstar J Balvin and creative futurist Patrick Dowd, I have seen firsthand how culture and technology can help address the growing global need for self-healing and inner exploration.
For the price of a cup of coffee, a monthly membership to OYE gets you access to a diverse range of meditation and movement practices in Spanish and English along with personalized content recommendations that support self-healing and personal growth.
With so many wellness resources available in the world today, the things that make OYE different for me are its emphasis on mind-body connection, affordability, and inclusivity.
The diversity of practices and practitioners you will find in the app, from Mexican shamans to Colombian perreo dancers, show that wellness doesn’t have to look one way: it can reflect your unique culture, style, and vibe.
OYE CEO Mario Chamorro, Paula Duran, and New York Times bestselling author Yung Pueblo at the United Nations Latino Impact Summit
At a recent event at the United Nations, I spoke alongside New York Times Bestselling Author Yung Pueblo about the importance of using technology to facilitate self-healing in ways that honor and celebrate the diverse cultural perspectives that shape our world.
As Yung Pueblo writes: “The global conversation about mental health is now being elevated into taking action and finding ways to heal…Healing is becoming part of the dominant global culture.”
I couldn’t agree more.
My encounters with the OYE community have shown me just how big of a cultural phenomenon inner work and personal transformation are becoming around the world.
From Medellín to Miami, I have personally observed the emergence of self-exploration and healing as a defining characteristic of post-pandemic urban culture.
In Mexico City, seeking inner transformation is a hallmark of urban youth culture.
At a recent OYE event in Mexico City, diverse attendees in their 20s and 30s gathered to transform their fears into creativity through meditation, dance, and journaling.
Talking openly about feelings and personal challenges – particularly in LatinX communities – has long been taboo, but our culture is changing, and so is the world.
As self-healing and inner exploration become more mainstream, our relationship to technology and media is changing as well.
We don’t want to spend the rest of our lives staring at screens.
We want to look inside ourselves.
We want to grow.
To try OYE for free, visit www.oye.co
Mario Chamorro is a guest contributor to Upworthy and founder and CEO of OYE.
