FROM EMPOWERMENT TO EMERGENCY RELIEF: HOW WOMEN’S NGOS IN UKRAINE RESPONDED TO DISPLACEMENT DURING WARTIME

Abstract

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has profoundly reshaped the role of civil society organizations, compelling them to move from advocacy and long-term empowerment strategies toward emergency humanitarian responses. This article examines how women’s NGOs adapted their missions, priorities, and organizational practices under wartime conditions, focusing specifically on their engagement with internally displaced persons (IDPs). Drawing on seven semi-structured interviews with leaders of women’s NGOs, the study applies a conceptual framework that combines civil society theory with feminist organizational analysis. Methodologically,
it adopts a participatory qualitative approach, involving NGO representatives as both interviewees and co-thinkers, thereby centering
their lived experiences, adaptive strategies, and perceptions of displacement-related challenges. The findings demonstrate that the war constituted a critical juncture, producing rapid humanitarianization of women’s NGOs. Organizations that previously specialized in advocacy, education, and women’s empowerment shifted to delivering food aid, temporary shelter, legal support, and psychosocial
services. Interview data highlight five interrelated dynamics: the humanitarianization of missions; the gendered dimensions of psychological trauma among displaced women; the reliance on volunteerism and donor-funded rapid-response mechanisms; strained cooperation with state institutions; and the marginalization of long-term advocacy goals. Despite resource constraints and institutional tensions, women’s NGOs exhibited resilience by mobilizing solidarity networks and leveraging their experience in gender-sensitive service delivery. However, their strategic capacity for policy influence and gender advocacy has been curtailed, raising concerns about the sustainability of feminist agendas in post-war reconstruction. The article contributes to debates on civil society under crisis, NGO-ization, and feminist organizational practices. It argues that women’s NGOs in Ukraine embody both resilience and fragility: indispensable as frontline humanitarian actors, yet vulnerable to donor dependence and the sidelining of advocacy work. The study underscores the importance of supporting women’s NGOs not only as service providers but also as agents of long-term social transformation in Ukraine’s reconstruction.