Reading the news, it can feel like the world is falling to pieces. In Israel and Gaza, it literally is – rockets are destroying homes, hospitals, schools, families and communities. Just like in Sudan and Ukraine and so many other places.

Breaking news banners have been popping up on my phone screen and everyone else’s. Our social media feeds are flooded with footage and information – and plenty of misinformation too. It’s been overwhelming and horrifying and heart-wrenching to see. Amid this latest war, a tragic escalation of decades-long conflict, comment sections have turned into virtual battlegrounds and protesters are inciting violence on the streets. This is possibly the most politicised conflict on Earth, but we cannot forget our humanity.

Putting politics aside, here’s what we know: there are 27 armed conflicts happening in the world right now. People are dying. People are desperate. People are losing loved ones, losing hope and leaving everything they know behind. War and insecurity deepen pre-existing restrictive gender norms. All people suffer in war, and women face unique vulnerabilities that are too often forgotten or ignored. 

War brings out the worst in the world, in people. But it also brings out the best and the bravest. 

Women for Women International was founded in 1993 during the Bosnian war, when rape camps were built and up to 50,000 women were brutalised. Then, in Rwanda, an estimated 250,000 women were raped during the 100-day genocide in 1994. Time and time again, we’ve seen women in war become the targets of systematic rape and sexual violence, used as a weapon to terrorise and destroy communities. From Isis in Iraq to Boko Haram in Nigeria, there are countless examples of abductions, sexual slavery and forced marriage being used for political or military gain.

We’ve been seeing this play out in Ukraine, where we partner with the Andreev Foundation to support women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. We are offering a crisis hotline and counselling, raising awareness about post-traumatic stress disorder and providing skills training to support displaced women to find work. Our partner there, Iryna, says that from the moment Russia invaded, she knew she would not leave her country. When rumours that Russian soldiers were raping women in Ukraine were confirmed, the Andreev Foundation was born to support survivors.

Her work isn’t safe – she’s told us: “Last winter, our group sessions were disrupted several times when we had to shelter from missiles and drones being shot overhead. These are a constant threat to our safety.” But, she says: “Staying here is worth it when a woman begins to live again after the suffering she has endured.”  

When financial stress is high, food insecurity rises and violence becomes the norm in public spaces, it seeps into the home as well. For many women we serve – and millions of others like them – their experiences of sexual violence are at the hands of partners and civilians in their own communities. It sounds barbaric, but humanitarian crises disrupt family and social networks, change the roles played by different genders and break down protection structures. Over 80% of Syrian women refugees in Iraq live in daily fear of abuse. Nearly 90% of Afghan women experience domestic abuse during their lifetime. And the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has tragically become known as “the rape capital of the world”.

One woman we serve in Nigeria, Sunday, lived through horrendous violence at the hands of her husband. They struggled to make ends meet and she said: “My husband battered and abused me in more ways than I can count.” But after reclaiming her power in our programme, she says: “I have suffered a great deal in this lifetime, and I will be damned if I do not fight for others to have it better than I did.”

After training in leadership and advocacy skills, Sunday is a Change Agent in her community, committed to ending child trafficking. Parents desperate for money send young girls to cities to earn, but their bodies are often returned for them to bury. Sunday said it broke her heart every time, so she rallied other graduates of our programme to lobby the traditional ruler and police to enact a new law preventing this practice. Defiant, Sunday told us: “I have the dream to one day run for political office – to have a stronger platform to help women in my community. I want to prove to myself and to the world that with the right knowledge and resources, there is absolutely nothing a woman cannot achieve.” 

We also know that women are more likely to be forced to move with their children, either becoming internally displaced or refugees. Of the over 100 million people who have been forced into displacement, over half are women and girls. And while fleeing for safety, they’re at high risk of violence and abuse, sexual and labour exploitation, trafficking and abduction. Many also lose their livelihoods due to loss of land and livestock, and language barriers in their new home. And, in the absence of property titles, they’re likely to suffer loss of housing too.

Suzan is one of the women in our programme in South Sudan. She grew up during the second Sudanese civil war and didn’t get the chance to go to school. She lost brothers who left behind young children, whom she raises as her own, and she lost her husband in war as well. Without an education, Suzan tried farming and selling food at a local market, but it was impossible to make enough to support so many children. She’s been forced to move around the country a few times and has been very open with our team about the toll her trauma and daily challenges have had on her mental health. But joining our programme helped her find comfort in community and gain the skills and knowledge to improve her life. When her daughter became pregnant and her family tried to force her into early marriage, she vowed to do whatever it took to make sure her daughters could complete her education – so she could have a brighter future. And now, she works with other community members to solve the conflicts in their life.

Somehow, even in the most uncertain of times, hope and humanity shine through. We’ve served over half a million women in our 30 years and I have been lucky enough to meet some of them. Our new #SheDares campaign is a movement to galvanise support for women survivors of war who stand up for their rights when they’re on the line. These are women who have lost so much but continue to pursue peace, and who dare to dream of better days. It’s a celebration of the bravery of all women: our friends, our families, ourselves.

Even when it feels like the world is falling apart, women find a way to pick up the pieces and begin the process of rebuilding their lives. They support their families and they strengthen their communities. They hold each other close in sisterhood. Iryna in Ukraine said that if she could share one message with the world, it would be this:

“Follow the call of your heart. If at least one woman changes her life thanks to you, it will be a colossal contribution to the victory of humanity.”  

Women for Women International invests where inequality is greatest by helping women who are forgotten — the women survivors of war and conflict.

In areas at war, women learn skills to rebuild their families and communities through Women for Women International’s Stronger Women, Stronger Nations Programme. They form support networks, are equipped with the skills to earn an income and save, and gain knowledge and resources about health and their rights. Since 1993, our global community has invested in the power of over 550,000 women across 17 conflict-affected countries to create a ripple effect that makes the world more equal, peaceful and prosperous.

To learn more about the power of women, for women, visit womenforwomen.org.uk or follow @WomenforWomenUK on social media. To add impact to your inbox, you can sign up here to learn more by email. You can also donate to the cause through the Women For Women International website.

Images: Getty; Women For Women International