• Coordinated and helped underwrite 9,000 evacuations focusing on women traveling with children/elderly;

• Distributed 351 cash grants to displaced women totaling more than $110,000 and worked with recipients on evacuation plans;

• Purchased and distributed with partners:

  • 300 generators, hundreds of power banks and flashlights for warming and food distribution centers including synagogues/JCCs and a hospital in Kyiv https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/24/world/europe/ukraine-power-outages-hospitals.html;

  • 600,000 pounds of food; 

  • 5,500 menstrual cups and launched a social media campaign to make cups more mainstream in Ukraine (seeking to do 25,000 total); and 

  • 1,000 Plan B kits for women in the war zone and 500 dignity kits for women in the military and in IDP camps.

• Underwrote a Workshop on preventing and responding to Conflict-related Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Ukraine, centering the voices of leaders of Ukrainian run women’s NGO’s and bringing in leaders from the UN, the future Ukrainian woman Nobel Peace Prize winner and one of the original “Janes'' to talk about accessing abortion in key refugee countries. After the workshop, the primary organizer was hired by the World Health Organization to oversee refugee efforts in her region of Europe.

• Launched: 

  • an English language track for the leadership of Ukrainian run women’s NGO’s so that they can effectively advocate for women’s needs and resources; 

  • a women’s mental health initiative called Survivors’ Truth in partnership with the founders of the successful Liberian initiative that centered women in the truth and reconciliation process. Facilitators are trained to help women frame their narratives as tales of resilience and heroism, as opposed to victimization.  The experience in Liberia is that this process is essential to healing;

  • In partnership with Dr. Kristen Ali Eglinton, FEMSMS, a text messaging initiative (with 98% positive feedback) to provide compassionate communication to women during wartime which was featured at the UN in March.  PK provided funding and PKU content; and

  • 24 shows on women’s health issues on Ukrainian public radio.

• Beta tested a mental health app, TraumaBrace, recommended by the global women’s mental health team at Columbia University. 99% of the 200 women tested concluded that they did not have PTSD but were “simply” living through war, allowing us to identify those with greatest need.  It is currently being adapted to Android to reach more users;

• The Women’s Opportunity Fund in Ukraine and made 75 grants to women owned small Ukrainian businesses, with the next round of grantmaking scheduled this month - additional funding required; 

• Gave 10 women full scholarships for advanced IT training in Ukraine that will enable them to be employable;

• Created a website for women refugees providing vetted information for key countries on how to avoid trafficking and get benefits and support (100’s of visitors/week).  This content is being scaled up through a UN grant. Women are directed to the website by social media and through a partnership with the largest cell phone company in Ukraine;

• Provided an online Visiting Mom’s initiative and a Telegram channel that supports hundreds of pregnant women daily navigating the war with content from professionals;

• Conducted over 500 online programs on:

  • English for women in Ukraine and refugees in Europe;

  • Jewish holiday celebrations and Rosh Chodesh in Ukrainian;

  • How to talk to children about war and handle panic attacks through breathing and meditation;

  • How to prepare your home for the war; and

  • 16 Days to End Violence Against Women

• Translated key Jewish prayers and services into Ukrainian including Tefilat Haderech;

• Launched an online Rosh Chodesh group for Ukrainian Jewish women leaders;

• Issued the first Ukrainian language haggadah in March with original illustrations by Zoya Cherkassky Nnadi, the Ukrainian Jewish women artist who has had a solo show at the Israel Museum.  It was downloadable on phone, ipad and computer for 2023 and will be published in 2024. 

1. Working Group to Address the Needs of Ukrainian and Russian Women Immigrants in Israel

In response to The Times of Israel article on the abuse of immigrant women from our demographic, PKI launched a working group in February 2023 staffed by an expert facilitator. The initial goals of the working group are to set forth a grassroots plan of action for addressing the issues raised in the article (social change strategies, possible joint activism, opportunities for collaboration, etc); attract support for the work; and collectively advocate for improved conditions.  The first meeting was in March and this initial work is being underwritten by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago.

2. LGBTQ Immigrant Needs

PKI anticipated having 40-50 immigrants needing its programs providing Jewish education, emotional support and legal assistance.  Currently, more than 400 LGBTQ immigrants have enrolled in its programs because one or both partners have been denied the right to stay in Israel or to get benefits.  PKI has put together a coalition including leading LGBTQ centers, social workers, health care providers, lawyers and activists to respond to the needs of this community.  With the new government in Israel, we believe the situation will only worsen. Funding for this project has been turned down by multiple foundations and we are now talking with A Wider Bridge to see if we can get some traction together. 

3. Ulpan (HEBREW LANGUAGE COURSES)

For 2022-23, PKI budgeted for one ulpan class and with the encouragement of the PK leadership delegation in November, currently has 5 active classes (total 115 participants).  Note: for a variety of reasons often related to their citizenship status/paperwork, many immigrants cannot access government funded ulpan groups.  Some basic Hebrew is critical for daily life and avoiding exploitation.

4. New PKI Groups

PKI has groups throughout Israel where Russian-speaking women immigrants (Ukrainians arriving in Israel are speaking Russian and are choosing to do so to function in israel) gather to learn about living in Israel and find support.  Five new PKI groups have organically emerged in Modiin, Haifa, Ashdod, Ramat Gan and Dimona as a result of the influx of new immigrants.  Each group requires a coordinator to help the immigrants navigate Israeli bureaucracy, learn about benefits/banking/resources, etc. The groups have a series of tracks including day trips to key cities - like Jerusalem and Tel Aviv where they see important sites, learn the history and learn about Israeli culture, business and politics. Most importantly, PKI knows that women who have a support system are less vulnerable to exploitation.