The Between Us Women project includes free six-week face-to-face support groups for women with the participation of experienced psychologists, with a special focus on domestic and sexual violence during the war.
The aim of the project is to strengthen women’s knowledge and skills in identifying and responding to violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, in times of the war.
As part of the project, free face-to-face support groups for women will be held for six weeks at the Oplich HUB community centre, established by the Saving Lives humanitarian initiative of Metinvest Group and the UN Global Compact Ukraine in Zaporizhzhia, with the participation of experienced psychologists from Tysha NGO. The programme is aimed at women who have experienced violence and women from potential risk groups.
Tetiana Petruk, Director on Sustainable Development and People Management of Metinvest Group:
“Domestic violence in Ukraine has not disappeared or become less important during the war, and the problems associated with it remain the same as in the peacetime. And the war is not a reason to leave this issue for later, because a person’s mental health is no less important than their physical health. Metinvest Group continues to support initiatives aimed at providing psychological support to Ukrainians. The new Between Us Women project will help women from potential risk groups or survivors of violence to overcome the consequences of this traumatic experience, feel supported and cared for, and gain skills to counteract violence. Our goal is to create a safe haven where every woman can feel more calm and confident.”
The programme will pay special attention to the issues of domestic and sexual violence caused by conflict situations, restoring inner resources and peace, as well as a deeper understanding of the difference between conflict, toxic relationships, psychological or other violence.
Viktoriia Chernova, psychologist at Tysha NGO:
“The Between Us Women programme will provide women with the necessary knowledge to overcome the trauma of violence or to identify it in the future and take timely measures to save their lives, physical and mental health. Professional, qualified psychological support will help women develop resilience, build skills to distinguish between conflict and violence, and develop skills to calm down and ground themselves. Experienced psychologists will help to analyse case studies related to violence, psychological traps and necessary actions in case of violence – psychological, economic, physical or sexual.”
The support groups will be held every Saturday in a two-hour meeting format at the Oplich HUB centre at 7 Dobroliubova Street, (Metallurgiv Palace of Culture), Zaporizhzhia. You can register for participation in support groups within the Between Us Women project at the link Registration for 6-week psychological support groups (tally.so). The meetings are confidential and free of charge for everyone. For the convenience of visitors, the centre has a separate children’s room with a social worker.
As reminder, in April 2023, the Saving Lives humanitarian initiative of Metinvest Group, the UN Global Compact Ukraine and the Zaporizhzhia Regional Council established a psychological rehabilitation and support centre for civilians affected by the war – Oplich HUB. Oplich HUB is a safe, inclusive space where visitors are offered individual psychological counselling, group art therapy for adults and children, yoga, lectures, workshops, and legal advice.