Today, each of us needs support. We live in a time when terrible daily events overlap with personal and work problems, literally draining our energy, strength, and desire to fight and move forward. Each of us knows what it’s like to give up. We know too. However, we also know how support can turn lowered hands into wings, and the right word is to erase the “less” in the word “powerless.” But often there is no one around to say: “You are important,” “Your efforts matter,” “You have the right to be tired.” That’s why we’re here—the Masha Fund.
“I often say to myself: If someone had reminded me at 16, 25, or even 40 that I had the right to love myself, to rest, to doubt, I wouldn’t have spent so much time devaluing my incredibleness,” says Masha Efrosynina, co-founder of the Masha Fund. “Today I’d like every woman to hear: You are important, you are special, you deserve to be treated better. And if even one word from our campaign helps you feel it, we have already done something meaningful.”
The Masha Fund, together with GIZ, is launching the 100 Words of Support campaign to support all Ukrainian women and to remind them: you are not alone, your pain is real, your emotions are important, and taking care of yourself is not selfish—it is strength.
As part of the project, posters with words of support will appear across the country—online and offline —such as “You are important,” “Your efforts matter,” and “Self-care is strength, not selfishness.” Each poster has a QR code that leads to an online test to check one’s emotional state. If the test reveals an unsatisfactory condition, everyone who passed it will have the opportunity to sign up for a free consultation with a psychologist or for group classes at the Unbreakable Mental Recovery Center, provided by the Masha Fund.
“At a time when exhaustion has become part of our reality, support is not a luxury, but a necessity,” says Tetiana Muratkina, director of the Masha Fund. “We want every woman in Ukraine to know: she is not alone. Together with GIZ, we are expanding access to psychological support for women affected by war.” A large-scale online and offline campaign in Dnipro and Kryvyi Rih will help thousands of Ukrainian women assess their emotional state and access professional help. We believe that the strength of our country lies in mutual support and unity.
The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about the importance of mental health, reduce the stigma surrounding psychological help, and give every woman the opportunity to feel: support is nearby, and reaching out for it is not just normal, but necessary.
Take a short online test on mashafund.com, learn more about your emotional state, and, if you feel the need, fill out the questionnaire for a free consultation with a psychologist from the Unbreakable Mental Recovery Center.
And remember: Taking care of yourself is not a weakness. This is the strength that allows you to move forward.
The Masha Fund implements the project Expanding Access to Psychological Support for Women Affected by War within the framework of the GIZ Ukraine project Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Ukraine, funded by the German government.
