NGO Girls

Our Mission

About NGO Girls NGO Girls ( ) is a Ukrainian national women-led non governmental organization committed to empowering women and girls in crisis affected communities. Founded in 2019, it operates with a mission 'Girls and women in Ukraine plan all pregnancies, build life strategies, and are self-sufficient and satisfied'. The NGO works to promote gender equality, advocate for women's and girls' rights, and provide comprehensive support to those affected by the large-scale invasion and subsequent humanitarian crisis. NGO Girls addresses the needs of women, girls, and children through mental health and psychosocial support, and through educational initiatives that promote sexual health and prevent gender-based violence. The organization operates 10 WGSS across Ukraine, empowers women by fostering leadership and economic independence, and strengthens local NGOs to build a sustainable humanitarian response system. It operates in 12 Ukrainian regions, with a focus on most affected territories in the North, East and South of Ukraine, and has a headquarters in Kyiv. The core team is about 50 people, mostly based in Kyiv, and the regional teams include over 250 people. In 2022-2023, the NGO's programs covered 400 000 people. Expertise in Humanitarian Response Since the first days of the large-scale invasion in 2022, the NGO Girls has stepped into the humanitarian role, although it has been engaged mostly in development before that. In the last 2 years, it has implemented more than 40 projects, most of them targeted at women and children, particularly IDPs, but also host communities representatives. As of 2024, the NGO is most actively engaged in the child protection and GBV response, including SRHR. Through strategic partnerships and community-driven initiatives, we have implemented a wide range of programs providing essential services such as shelter, education, protection and livelihood opportunities, ensuring a comprehensive response to the multifaceted challenges on the ground. The NGO 'Girls' has specialized expertise in Mental Health and Psychosocial Support, recognizing the critical importance of addressing psychological well-being in crisis-affected populations. Our team of 100+ trained psychologists, psychotherapists, psychiatrists and counsellors works under the supervision of the MHPSS coordinators to deliver culturally-, gender-, age-, and trauma- sensitive MHPSS services to women, men, girls, boys, families and groups. They also work through mobile teams in the East and South of Ukraine. Expertise in Humanitarian Coordination NGO Girls is actively and prominently represented across key coordination structures in Ukraine's humanitarian landscape. As part of the Humanitarian Country Team, our Director contributes to shaping national-level humanitarian action. Within the Humanitarian NGO Platform, the Director serves as Head of the Steering Committee. As a co-founder of the Alliance of Ukrainian CSOs, we play a critical role in empowering local organizations in humanitarian efforts. Our presence in the Protection Cluster includes active engagement in sub-clusters such as GBV, Child Protection, and Mine Action, as well as regional working groups in Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, and Zaporizhzhia. In the Education Cluster, we work on MHPSS in education and enhancing teacher support, while in the Health Cluster, we address sexual and reproductive health and scalable psychological interventions. As co-chair of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG), NGO Girls advances gender integration in humanitarian programs. We are also part of the PSEA Network, focusing on preventing and responding to sexual exploitation and abuse. Our representation extends to the Advisory Board of the Ukrainian Humanitarian Fund, guiding resource allocation, and the Cash Working Group, contributing to cash assistance programs. Additionally, NGO Girls supports inclusivity through the LGBTIQ+ Technical Working Group, ensuring equal treatment in humanitarian action, and participates in the Expert Working Group on Conflict-Related Sexual Violence, working alongside the Office of the Prosecutor General and JurFem to address CRSV. Our widespread involvement across these structures highlights our commitment to effective, inclusive, and gender-sensitive humanitarian coordination.