Vancouver non-profit aims to support women in Ukraine who have lost loved ones to war

“Mothers in Ukraine should not walk through their pain alone.”

Those are the words of a project lead for the “Heal a Mother’s Heart” campaign, organized by a Vancouver-based non-profit that aims to support mothers in Ukraine who have lost their loved ones to war.

The campaign, an international effort to raise awareness as well as funds, is dedicated to supporting Ukrainian women who will never be able to get a Mother’s Day gift from their children because they were killed in the war.

It is organized by the Maple Hope Foundation, a Canadian non-profit organization providing relief from the impact of war.

Olha Rudenko, one of the project leads, says the initiative raises funds for professional mental health care and specialized rehabilitation programs for grieving women in Ukraine.

“The campaign calls on Canadians and the global community to send warmth and care across the miles to Ukraine to mothers whose children were killed in the war,” Rudenko said.

The Maple Hope has been well received, with mothers of fallen heroes expressing gratitude and saying they felt seen, supported, and no longer alone.

In partnership with the Ukrainian brand Ne[hustka], they created two types of silk scarves that can be either bought or sent to a Ukrainian mother of a fallen hero.

“Small gesture, but it carries deep emotional meaning for them,” said Rudenko.

Liliia Ratushna said she decided to choose the second option because she understands that some Ukrainian mothers are left alone as their only children were killed.

Ratushna is a mom herself. She fled with two of her children to Canada after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

She lost her brother to war and is still in the recovery process.

“Before the war, he was a civilian, he had two kids, a wife, family, and his job, but when the war began, he became a soldier to save our homes, our families,” she said.

Ratushna participated in a healing program by Maple Hope before, and she says it helped her find a safe space.

“It was an emotional support group where I could start healing,” she said.

Her brother’s son was also fighting at the time. When her brother passed away, she was the first one in the family to find out and had to let others know, which was difficult for her.

“My mom just asked me one question: who?”

She says she helped everyone in the family, organized the funeral, and took care of her brother’s kids and wife.

“But after that, I understood that I also needed support,” Ratushna said.

After the charity sessions with psychologists, she realized that her mental health is important.

“I need, first of all, to care about myself as a mom.”

Rudenko said the main goal of this campaign is to collect money to fund healing sessions for Ukrainian mothers of fallen heroes.

“It’s not just about responding to trauma,” she said.

“It’s about creating space for healing and creating a community, knowing they are not alone in their grief.”

Rudenko is also a mom of two, based in Ottawa after the war. Her husband voluntarily joined the army in 2022. Since then, she has had to take on the responsibilities of both parents.

“I’m happy that he’s alive and healthy, but I still don’t know what consequences it will have on our family.”

Ratushna said that for their family’s loss, the most difficult part was her mother’s grief.

“It still continues to be difficult for her, even more than two years ago when it happened.”

Her brother always gave flowers to their mom on Mother’s Day when he was alive. But now she is preparing a present from both of them alone.

“Time doesn’t help,” Ratushna said about her mother.

“She said that her heart would be in pain every time.”

The Maple Hope Foundation will begin providing support as early as June, without waiting for their overall fundraising goal to be reached.

“Our fundraiser remains ongoing, as the scale of loss in Ukraine is immense and the needs for support are far-reaching and continuous,” said the foundation.