This International Women’s Day, the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) and our partners Women in Media are proud to continue their joint programme supporting the health and well-being of women working in Ukrainian media, and to announce a new open call for health check-ups.

Why does this matter? According to the 2025 Gender Profile of Ukrainian Media, compiled annually by Ukraine’s National Council of Television and Radio Broadcasting together with Women in Media, women now make up 57% of all media staff, and for the first time outnumber men across every professional category. They account for the vast majority of journalists, hosts, and editors, and are more likely than their male colleagues to hold multiple roles simultaneously due to staff shortages and the ongoing mobilisation of men.

Yet structural inequality persists. The higher the leadership level, the fewer women. Many newsrooms lack health insurance. Salaries in the sector remain low. And the emotional and physical demands of covering a war, day after day, leave little room for self-care.

The consequences are tangible: chronic stress, burnout, and conditions left undetected and untreated. This doesn’t just affect individuals, it weakens the media ecosystem at a moment when Ukraine needs it most.

Through this programme, selected participants receive financial reimbursement for medical consultations, diagnostic tests, psychological support, and other healthcare services tailored to their needs, with a special focus on women’s health.

Below, we share an open call for the new wave of applications, followed by testimonies from past participants that speak for themselves.

The programme is made possible through the SAFE / Voices of Ukraine project, implemented together with six media organisations including Women in Media, within the Hannah Arendt Initiative and with the support of the German Federal Foreign Office.

‘Don’t Put Yourself Off Until Later’: How the Take Care of Your Health Programme by Women in Media Supported Media Women This Winter

The autumn–winter wave of the programme run by Women in Media brought together 60 participants from different regions of Ukraine and various types of media. The program was made possible through a partnership with the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) within the Hannah Arendt Initiative and was funded by the German Federal Foreign Office.

Attention and a sense of being needed

“I stayed in Kherson throughout the entire occupation and continue to work here after the city’s liberation. Daily stress, constant tension, shelling, and my husband’s death have taken a serious toll on my health. I started losing my eyesight rapidly, I have persistent headaches, and high blood pressure. But I didn’t have enough time or money, and everything was compounded by fear of getting to a hospital — Russian forces attack medical facilities very often,” says Tetiana Savulia, a participant in the autumn–winter wave of Take Care of Your Health and a correspondent for the My-Ukraina TV channel in Kherson.

The programme, she adds, became a turning point that helped her pull herself together and start caring not only for her loved ones but also for herself. Thanks to the programme, she was able to undergo MRI scans of the brain and cerebral arteries, consult a gynaecologist, and complete the necessary medical tests.

“I am endlessly grateful for this support. Thank you for the attention and the feeling that I matter. It inspires me to keep working, not give up, and prepare with renewed strength for filming stories about the liberation of the Left Bank of the Kherson region and Ukraine’s Victory!”

Among this year’s participants is also Olha Tsyktor, a journalist and managing editor at the Antykoruptsiinyi Vymir media outlet from Odesa.

“For me, the programme was necessary and, most importantly, timely. On the one hand, I had health issues that require regular monitoring; on the other, there was a constant sense of fatigue and exhaustion. And as so often happens, I put myself and my health last, because there is always work, family, and urgent matters. Sometimes I lacked time, sometimes the financial resources I was ready to allocate specifically for these needs,” the journalist notes.

As a result, the Take Care of Your Health program proved extremely helpful for Olha Tsyktor. Both the financial support and the requirement to complete medical check-ups by a set deadline played a role — there was no room left for postponement.

“In fact, I haven’t even started treatment yet, but I already feel an incredible relief. Because now I know exactly what is happening with my body, what can be improved, and where to go next. What’s more, I feel comfort and genuine pleasure from having taken care of myself. I am deeply grateful that such a programme exists, one that helps women care for themselves at a time when they are caring about so many things around them: family, children, daily life, their media outlets, their texts. I know how multitasking media women are today, but without support for one’s health, coping with all these tasks is incredibly difficult.”

Halyna Davydova, editor-in-chief of the online outlet Gard.City from Pervomaisk in Mykolaiv region, used the programme to purchase a blood pressure monitor and a supply of glucose meter test strips. “I’m grateful. And there is one more thing that matters no less, and perhaps even more, to me than material support: feeling that you are part of a community that truly cares,” she says.

Daryna Trunova, a host at Channel 24 from Kyiv, also took part in the programme for media women. Within the programme, she completed the necessary medical tests. She describes the project as “mega valuable,” noting that women’s health check-ups are always from the ‘I’ll do it later’ list, especially when a woman is not only a journalist, but also a mother and the wife of a serviceman, and it can be hard to even catch one’s breath amid the sheer number of tasks and responsibilities.

“Girls want presents from St. Nicholas, women want a full health check-up. And that’s not entirely a joke, because if you don’t want to fall apart and want to keep your health at least at a level that allows you to live normally, you have to invest in it. But it is incredibly nice when part of those needs can be covered for you,” says Daryna Trunova. “Thank you to Women in Media for having programmes like this, and not only this one. Peer supports groups, rest and recovery programs. It’s all there. Girls, I encourage you to join. Because no one will help us except ourselves. Take care of your health here and now.” 

War, loss, and professional triggers

“‘Then it might be worth thinking about another profession’ — I once said this honestly to young women during a meeting, in response to a question about what to do if you work in media and cannot cope with the news you read or with your own emotional state. It may sound harsh, but it’s true. Part of the profession is learning how to handle the news, how to cope. Yes, all of us have our own self-protection rules and moments of detox,” notes Iryna Slavinska, executive producer at Suspilne, in her feedback on the programme.

She adds that she already knows which topics trigger her to tears and tries not to work with them neither as a media professional nor as an expert, host, or moderator. She also speaks about a parallel strategy: nurturing herself and her inner strength.

“I personally have never managed to attend any retreats, and that’s not really a regret… What I do regret is that it was not possible to organise anything like that for the team, such is the imperfection of the donor market. Against this background, any basic self-care becomes especially valuable. Sports, meditation, simple walks, sleep — everyone has their own recipes. Solidarity and support within the community also matter. Beyond support from colleagues and mutual care among those closest to us, institutional support matters too.”

At the end of 2025, Iryna Slavinska was supported by the Take Care of Your Health programme run by Women in Media. She emphasises that both the ease of participation and the speed of help were important and meaningful to her.

“Support can be very timely and appropriate—and this was exactly such a case. Colleagues, thank you for this,” says Iryna Slavinska.

The Memorial Memory Platform is an online resource that preserves the stories of people whose lives were taken by the war. Natalia Khvesyk from Lutsk works as a journalist and social media editor for Memorial. This autumn, she became one of the participants in the Take Care of Your Health program.

“When you write about war and loss every day, it is crucial not to lose touch with yourself. Because everything happening to you feels insignificant compared to what is happening in the country. And yet it is important to recognise in time that you no longer feel the way you used to, that everything affects you and leaves a mark. At some point, everything starts to fall apart. The working day feels endlessly long. Tasks become harder and harder to complete. All the spreadsheets and chats merge into something you just want to close and never open again. In the end, nothing brings relief — neither rest, nor creativity, nor sports. In such a state, everything runs so much on inertia that it takes time to admit you need help,” Natalia Khvesyk says.

She thanks the organisers for the opportunity to receive support through the Take Care of Your Health programme:

“It’s wonderful that there is a community of media women that cares about journalists. This programme worked like a snowball: once I managed to get myself to one doctor, I ended up visiting others as well. As it turned out, the reason for this condition was not only the difficulty of working with the topic of death. Ferritin, vitamin D, and a few of their ‘friends’ had simply abandoned me.” 

The journalist adds that if you have been waiting for a sign to devote time to your own health — this is it. Not when you can no longer get out of bed, but when you feel the very first warning signs.

“I feel this war with my body. And it’s not just about sleeping badly, feeling anxious, or getting angry. It’s really about events that physically imprint themselves on me and my life. We live with an enormous amount of stress, and that stress often comes out sideways. During the full-scale war, in addition to all the horror we have had to endure, I also received a few extra ‘bonuses’,” shares Tetiana Mylymko, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Service of Information and a correspondent for the German outlet TAZ, reflecting on her health.

She recalls how, in the summer of 2022, she was bitten by a tick for the first time in her life and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease. At the time, she barely knew what it was: her bones ached intensely, and she developed a high fever. Timely treatment and the right medication helped, and the illness receded until Tetiana Mylymko went on a short holiday with her children to Valencia, Spain, to visit her godmother. There, she was stung in the sea by a local jellyfish, which she suspects was a Portuguese Physalia physalis. Within hours, her body developed burns, severe pain, and a high temperature.

“The day after the sting, I received the divorce papers. Of course — when else would they be sent? When you’ve taken your children on holiday. For me, these stories became a reminder of how the body experiences everything that happens in life. A tick bite — inhumane attacks; family breakdown — burns all over the body. I could associate all this myself, given my vivid imagination, but it played out for me very strongly on a symbolic level,” Tetiana Mylymko says.

Understanding that Lyme disease can return and that jellyfish burns may lead to heart complications, the journalist knew she needed a full medical check-up. But she kept failing to find the time.

“The programme appeared just in time. When there were sleep problems, depression, financial strain, and a bit of paranoia. I thought: I should try. Making up illnesses for yourself is not a great game. It’s a one-way street. The programme covered the cost of my tests, a heart examination, and an ultrasound. So there I was, waiting for the results, thinking they would surely uncover both the jellyfish and the tick. But gradually the results came in. And I saw that at 42, my indicators were better than when I was 25. Even vitamin D and iron levels were normal,” Tetiana Mylymko notes.

She encourages journalists to protect their health and not put themselves off until later, because today an enormous amount of information passes through us and “there is so much stress that no body can withstand it.” And being healthy is a wonderful feeling, one in which even breathing feels easier.

A timely opportunity

Khrystyna Kotsira, publications editor at hromadske, admits that she has never applied for journalist retreats, always feeling that “someone else probably deserves them more.” She recalls walking around Lviv last year with Olia Myrovych, head of the Lviv Media Forum, when Olia mentioned the health support programme run by Women in Media.

“I promised her I would apply, but I only did so this year. And thanks to that, I finally ‘put the oxygen mask on myself,’ because somehow it never worked out, I always put it on the children first. Here, the organisers set a clear deadline: by this date, you have to get examined, do the tests, and consult a doctor. I did what sensible, reasonable people are supposed to do at least once a year. And I finally understood that my fatigue was not only because it was the end of a hard year, days were short, the streets were grey, my soul felt heavy, and work was a mess with zero satisfaction — but also because my body was severely lacking vitamin D and iron,” Khrystyna Kotsira says.

Sometimes insomnia, irritability, and lack of energy have completely mathematical explanations — and they lie in numbers, she adds, because the blood must contain certain levels of specific elements. That is why timely check-ups are so important.

“I constantly postpone taking care of myself ‘until later’ because of work, shoots, deadlines, life, ‘I’d rather buy a new bag,’ and so on. I can plan examinations for months, but then something comes up at work, and the cycle repeats. Women in Media and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF) offer a great opportunity for media women to take care of themselves. Through the Take Care of Your Health programme, you can receive funding for tests and medical consultations. Thanks to this initiative, I finally completed examinations I had long been planning and received specialist consultations. It really helped me understand my health condition and highlight the areas that need attention,” shares Khrystyna Dovbnia, journalist and host at Suspilne Sumy, reflecting on her participation in the project. She describes it as “a story about an opportunity that arrived at exactly the right time.” 

What Khrystyna Dovbnia especially values about the programme is that each participant can choose what she needs most at that moment — whether it is hormone tests, an ultrasound, or a consultation with a mammologist. “This is about freedom of choice and genuine care for women in media, who often work in high-stress conditions. I am truly glad I joined.” 

For Lesia Lazorenko, editor-in-chief of the Kremenchuk Telegraph newspaper from Kremenchuk, the support she received through the Take Care of Your Health program was not merely financial compensation, but “the right to pause, the right to care for herself with the same attentiveness she applies every day to texts, people, editorial decisions, and information security.”

“In our profession, we rarely ask ourselves how we are feeling. But someone asked that question for us. For me, this support meant one thing: at a moment when I was expected to take care of everyone else, someone took care of me. And that is a lot. It is a sense of a shoulder beside you, without pathos, but with a weight that cannot be measured by a grant amount or the cost of a pair of glasses,” Lesia Lazorenko notes.

The programme helped cover her visit to an ophthalmologist and the selection of glasses with the correct lenses. Journalism is a profession in which people quite literally “work with their eyes,” and vision can easily deteriorate due to heavy workloads and constant use of digital devices. Soon, the media professional will pick up her new lenses.

“They will allow me not just to see better. They will allow me to see more clearly — texts, people, details, decisions, the world, myself. And perhaps, for the first time in a long while, without the habit of squinting. It is wonderful when not only you, but someone else too, says to you: take care of yourself, we are here.”

Since 2022, Women in Media has regularly organised programmes aimed at supporting the mental and physical health of Ukrainian media women, including peer support groups, a retreat for journalists and their children in the Carpathians, individual psychological support programmes, reimbursement of medical examination costs, and more.

What the program covers

Within the program, we reimburse selected participants for expenses up to 8,000 UAH per person for:

• preventive medical check-ups;
• doctor visits and medical examinations (ultrasound, X-ray, gastroscopy, etc.);
• laboratory services;
• psychotherapeutic support;
• rehabilitation and recovery (including massages);
• ophthalmology services and prescription glasses.

We place particular emphasis on women’s health, including menstrual health, menopause-related issues, hormonal and oncological screenings, breast cancer prevention, and gynaecological consultations — but the program is not limited to these areas.

This program is not only about targeted financial support. Our goal is also to highlight that systematic care for the health of women media professionals should become the norm rather than the exception.

We call on media organizations to:

• initiate social insurance programs;
• allocate funds for medical and psycho-emotional support in their annual budgets;
• extend such opportunities not only to staff members but also to freelancers;
• consider the health of their teams as a key component of institutional resilience.

Media outlets cannot be resilient if their teams are exhausted, if journalists must pay for treatment out of pocket, or if they postpone medical check-ups for years.

Reporting requirements

After receiving services, participants must provide receipts or invoices confirming that they visited a doctor or received a medical service. In addition, selected participants are asked to publish a short feedback post on their social media (without disclosing any medical information).

Important: Your application must include a specific list of services with an approximate cost estimate. Applications with general wording such as “8,000 UAH needed for treatment” without details will not be considered. We aim to support as many media professionals as possible, so we ask applicants to approach their calculations responsibly and realistically. We do not ask you to disclose your health condition and guarantee confidentiality.

How to apply

Applications can be submitted until March 16, 2026, by filling out the form via the link.
Confirmation emails will be sent only to selected participants. Unfortunately, we cannot support all applications, but we are working to expand the program’s opportunities.

For any questions, please contact the Project Manager Oleksandra Horchynska at: gor4inska@gmail.com