By Anna Demchenko | Grant Manager
From Displacement to Empowerment: Girl Power Ukraine Reaches Refugee Girls in Wuppertal
For thousands of Ukrainian teenage girls, displacement did not stop when they crossed the border — it simply changed shape. New country, new language, new school, and the quiet, constant work of rebuilding a sense of self. Between September and November 2025, Charity Fund "Blagomay" brought its flagship Girl Power program to Wuppertal, Germany, creating a ten-week space where displaced Ukrainian girls could pause, reconnect with themselves, and grow — together.
Delivered in close partnership with the Kommunales Integrationszentrum Wuppertal and Kultur-Bildungszentrum "Fantasy" e.V., this cycle marked an important step for GPU: extending our trauma-informed, girl-centered curriculum beyond Ukraine's borders to reach girls navigating a second, quieter kind of displacement — cultural and social integration in a new country.
Quantitative Results (September – November 2025)
What the Girls Learned
Across eleven weeks, participants moved through a curriculum designed to address the specific needs of displaced adolescent girls — rebuilding confidence, understanding their bodies and rights, and preparing practically for life in a new country:
This blend of psychosocial support and practical life skills reflects what displaced girls consistently tell us they need most: not just information, but a space to feel seen, capable, and hopeful about their future — wherever that future takes place.
Why This Matters
Girls who fled Ukraine face a compounded set of challenges: the trauma of war and displacement, the disruption of school and friendships, and the daily work of adapting to an unfamiliar language and culture. Left unaddressed, this can translate into isolation, anxiety, and a loss of direction at exactly the age when identity and confidence are being formed.
The Wuppertal cycle showed what happens when that gap is met with consistent, structured support. Over eleven weeks, participants built not only new skills but a peer community — something displaced teenagers often lack most acutely. Facilitators observed girls becoming visibly more open, more willing to speak up, and more confident discussing their futures by the program's end.
Looking Ahead: Scaling Girl Power in 2026
The Wuppertal program was not a one-off — it is part of GP's ongoing expansion strategy. Since November 2025, Blagomay has been actively preparing the next wave of Girl Power courses across Ukraine, working with local partners to identify vulnerable girls, finalize venues, and secure participation materials ahead of each launch. As of mid-2026, the following courses are in active preparation:
Supported by ING Bank:
Supported by Mondelez International:
This pipeline includes, for the first time, two fully inclusive courses designed specifically for girls who are deaf or hard of hearing — continuing GP's commitment to reaching girls with disabilities alongside displaced and war-affected participants. For each upcoming location, our team is finalizing monitoring metrics, preparing program merchandise, and beginning outreach to recruit the next cohort of participants.
Our Gratitude
None of this work would be possible without the trust and generosity of our partners and donors. We are deeply grateful to Kommunales Integrationszentrum Wuppertal and Kultur-Bildungszentrum "Fantasy" e.V. for hosting and championing this program in Germany, and to the GlobalGiving community whose ongoing support allows Blagomay to reach girls wherever displacement has taken them — inside Ukraine and beyond.
Every gift keeps this circle of support alive: it is what allowed an 18-girl cohort in Wuppertal to find community and confidence far from home, and it is what will make the next nine courses across Ukraine possible in the months ahead. If you believe every displaced girl deserves a chance to feel strong, seen, and hopeful about her future, please consider standing with us again — through a donation, or by sharing this story with someone who might.
Together, we are proving that even displacement cannot stop a girl from becoming who she's meant to be.
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