Financial News
Ukrainian messaging service offering support to women in conflict zones secures funding to expand reach
July 15, 2024 at 03:00 AM EDT
FemSMS, a compassionate messaging service that provides critical resources for women and girls affected by war and forced displacement, has received funding to reach those at risk of gender-based violence.
NEW YORK, NY, July 15, 2024 /24-7PressRelease/ -- FemSMS, a compassionate messaging service that provides critical resources for women and girls affected by war, gender-based violence, and forced displacement, has received generous funding to expand its reach. First launched in Ukraine in 2022, the project has supported more than 900 women in the country with 13,000 trauma-informed messages and social connections.
Originally conceived by the non-profit organisation, Footage Foundation, and launched with initial seed funding from the international non-profit Project Kesher, this vital service has now secured significant funding for the next 18 months. This renewed support is part of Project Kesher's commitment to funding a portfolio of initiatives that deliver significant benefits to individual women and girls, families, and communities across Ukraine and has been made possible through funding received by Project Kesher from Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) aimed at providing a larger gender-based response to the war in Ukraine.
The additional funding will enable a team, led by Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, to conduct ethnographic research, including human-centered design workshops online—during July—and inside Ukraine, in September this year. Dr. Eglinton will work with diverse users of the service, including new mothers, pregnant women, girls, LGBTQIA+ communities, and those most vulnerable to gender-based violence during conflict. The workshops seek to identify and develop bespoke technology, including creating a special FemSMS app, to share wellbeing and safety information in wartime Ukraine.
Feedback data indicates that FemSMS is poised to continue eradicating information inequality in conflict areas through trauma-informed methods. This novel approach of connecting women in real-time during war and crisis is unparalleled in its impact.
"This funding is invaluable support for FemSMS Ukraine," says Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, executive director and co-founder of Footage Foundation. "It recognizes the importance of FemSMS in equipping women with trusted information using compassionate language to end information poverty, increase resilience, and build a sense of belonging.
"It ensures the sustainability of the initiative and allows us to expand our program to reach thousands more women with this wellness-focused, life-saving information."
"FemSMS is well-placed to make a real difference to women, in all their diversity, and future development in Ukraine. Several NGOs, feminist, and human rights networks are interested in customizing the service to meet the unique challenges faced and in anticipation of future needs to rebuild and support women's resilience. This includes initiatives such as developing targeted text campaigns for women peacekeepers and human rights awareness, as well as providing compassionate, text-based support services for women seeking help in local shelters.
"We aim to serve and expand to support at least 5,000 women and vulnerable community members over the next eighteen months, focusing on those impacted by gender-based violence and forced displacement due to the war in Ukraine, as well as individuals displaced in Moldova, Poland, and the surrounding region. Through human-centered design and collaboration, we envision FemSMS becoming a central hub for vital information, fostering community engagement, and serving as a platform for education, healing, and support," says Dr. Eglinton.
Karyn Gershon, CEO of Project Kesher and instrumental in securing the funding, has played a pivotal role ensuring FemSMS continues. "The funding will significantly bolster essential mental wellbeing support for girls and women amidst this ongoing conflict," she emphasizes. "Through our collaborative endeavor with Footage Foundation and Project Kesher Ukraine, we will expand crucial support as the country endures its third year of conflict. We are committed to advancing pioneering research with Footage and Dr. Eglinton to enhance the physical and emotional health of women most affected by war, gender-based violence, and forced displacement, while fostering our compassionate communication efforts."
About Footage Foundation: At Footage our vision is a world where every person feels seen, heard, and worthy. We are a feminist organization raising voices to elevate lives through creative research, wellbeing interventions, and advocacy—all advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda, and Feminist Foreign Policy principles. Footage has received ten Public Diplomacy awards from the U.S. Department of State to design and implement programs focusing on gender-based violence. A nonprofit organization founded by five women PhD colleagues at Cambridge University, Footage uses narrative and expressive research approaches empowering women, LGBTQIA+, and marginalized groups around the world to connect as agents of social change. Our programs provide connection — a community for those on the frontlines of gender inequality where their ideas matter and their voices count. We have a particular focus on forced displacement and gender-based violence and believe compassion and connection are as important to sustainable development as food and water.
FemSMS is part of a range of projects and campaigns delivered by non-governmental organization, Footage Foundation (Footage). The Ukrainian service is run and delivered by a group of young Ukrainian women who themselves have been displaced and affected by the ongoing war.
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