Russia-Ukraine War: Rise of female chaplains offering emotional support in tough times|Oneindia News
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion, millions of Ukrainians have been uprooted and countless others called up to fight for the first time. DW met up with Kateryna Semenyuk, a mother of five, whose own moment of need turned into a life-changing mission.
#Russiaukrainewar #Femalechaplains #Ukraine
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#Russiaukrainewar #Femalechaplains #Ukraine
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Transcript
00:00 Luka was born weeks before his due date, by emergency caesarean.
00:06 Not only that, but his mother Katerina had just seen and heard the first Russian missile
00:10 strikes on her city when she went into labor.
00:13 It was February 24th, 2022, the first day of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
00:20 "That picture of us in the bunker went around the world.
00:24 We had people calling us, asking if they could help, asking me if we needed nappies.
00:28 I told them that we were doing okay as a family, but that the country needed help.
00:33 Suddenly all these boxes just arrived in Ukraine addressed to Katya.
00:36 A truck came with 20 tons of supplies, and each box just had Katya on it.
00:42 I was getting calls, 'there's another shipment here for you, lots of boxes.'
00:46 I couldn't get my head around it.
00:48 What was I going to do with all that baby formula?"
00:51 What started as an improvised response to a wave of support from across the world has
00:55 now become a professional operation.
00:58 Dozens of volunteers coordinate tons of supplies, arriving weekly from donors across Europe.
01:04 Formula and nappies are still in demand, but now there are new needs.
01:07 "These are the best tourniquets you can find.
01:12 We send them straight to the units fighting.
01:15 One of the paramedics said to me, 'each one of these is a life saved.'"
01:19 With millions of people uprooted by war and many called to fight for the very first time,
01:24 Kateryna realized many people needed more than material support.
01:28 They needed to talk.
01:30 She decided to train as a chaplain.
01:32 "Most of what we do is just talking to people.
01:36 They message us from the front lines.
01:38 It can be as simple as them asking us to pray for them when they come under intense fire,
01:42 or thanking us for keeping them in our prayers.
01:44 We check in with them, remind them we have their backs, we're waiting for them.
01:48 We tell them they don't need to worry about their families.
01:51 We'll look after them.
01:53 They just have to hold on."
01:58 Not all of Kateryna's work is done over the phone.
02:00 Visits to civilians and soldiers on the front lines are also part of the job.
02:05 "Of course there are dangerous situations.
02:10 There are drones in the sky, grenades, and mortars that don't distinguish between civilians
02:14 and soldiers, men and women.
02:17 I get lots of pushback from people who say, as a mother, I shouldn't be going anywhere
02:21 near the front lines."
02:27 She says that criticism isn't always about the real risks involved.
02:31 Her team travels with security and armored cars.
02:34 She says it's about her gender.
02:37 "Many people can't get their heads around the idea of a female chaplain.
02:42 Our society is conservative.
02:44 But there are groups who only we, as women chaplains, can reach.
02:48 Women who have lived under occupation, who've been tortured or experienced sexual violence.
02:54 They would never go and talk about all of that to a male chaplain.
02:58 It's not the chaplains' fault.
03:00 It's just that the barriers are still very much there.
03:04 Female chaplains are still a rarity.
03:07 But there are more of us all the time."
03:14 And the country is certainly going to need every one of them.
03:17 More than a third of Ukrainians say they personally know someone who has been killed or wounded
03:23 in the fighting.
03:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]