Written by: FEBA
Article source: JOY! Magazine
In a war-torn city in southern Ukraine, a group of women gather. They are the wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters of men who are currently serving in the military, and they are here for FEBA Ukraine’s Embrace project.
Under pressure
Ukraine’s divorce rate has skyrocketed since 2022. Soldiers and their partners are under constant pressure. While the men face the horrors of war, the women live with a different burden: the fear of losing their loved ones, the responsibilities of keeping their homes and businesses running, and the inability to talk to anyone about it. When their husbands return home, they are often so changed that their wives barely recognise them, and the couple’s communication breaks down. At first, these women’s struggles went largely unnoticed. Christian organisations in Ukraine were focused on helping soldiers, working for the frontlines, and helping with food and clothing for displaced people. That changed in 2024, when FEBA Ukraine’s Radio M launched the Embrace project.
A time to embrace
“The goal of the project is to embrace each woman and her child who need support at the moment, and to bring them to Christ,” says Emma, who runs the project with fellow broadcaster Inna. “Our goal is to protect their families … We need to give them skills and tools, and help them become part of the church, so that they will be equipped to fight for their relationships and families.”
Emma and Inna host a weekly podcast, alternating interviews with a psychologist and guests who share how God answered their prayers, protected their loved ones, or restored their families.
The two broadcasters also travel to cities all over the country to host Embrace meetings in collaboration with local churches. These meetings bring women into a space where they can see that they are not alone. In addition to meeting others who share their experiences, they also have sessions with a psychologist and a full-time chaplain, who understands what soldiers go through and can give advice on how to communicate with them. During the coffee break, volunteers from different churches exchange contact details with the women.
More than psychological support
From the beginning, Embrace was not simply about offering psychological support, but to guide people to church. However, it quickly became clear that people were not staying in church, because churches were ill-equipped to pastor military personnel or their families.
“I thought, if I work with such specific, wounded kinds of people, I need to teach churches how to serve these people,” Emma explains. “So we created an online course for churches, ministers, and volunteers who work with this layer of our society.” Radio M’s counsellors, who have a wealth of experience dealing with war-related trauma, provide training in person or via Zoom on how to help those who have lost someone or who are military wives. Government social workers have also begun to participate in the training to improve their skills.
A ripple effect
The Embrace project keeps growing, thanks to the women. Christina, who lives close to the frontlines in Zaporizhzhia, attended an Embrace gathering. She was initially cautious, but gradually started joining in on the conversation, and eventually came to love the Lord based on what she learnt. Now, she organises Embrace meetings all over the city.
Reaching loved ones too
The project’s effects are also felt by those around the women. Every evening, the women of Embrace gather on Zoom, where volunteers teach them how to pray for loved ones on the frontlines and at home. During one such call, a woman shared that she had planned to skip the call that day and do chores around the house, until her son said, “Mommy, please put on your prayer call, because I want to hear it. It helps me to sleep.” She decided never to skip a call again, even though she never prays, but only listens.
Families of fallen heroes
The Embrace project is aimed at the wives of active soldiers or veterans. Emma would like to hold separate meetings for widows, because they have different needs, but there are no funds at present. Still, even though the project clearly identifies its target audience in advertisements, widows keep attending. “Sometimes they sit quietly,” says Emma. “They just want to be part of this atmosphere.”
One widow attended a meeting and said, “My husband died three months ago, but I came here because I want to support other women who are going through these things, because no one was with me when I needed this support.”
The Bible tells us that there is a time for every activity under the sun. Right now, it is a time for war in Ukraine, but for believers, it is also a time to embrace.
This article is featured in the January issue of JOY! Magazine. Read a digital version of this magazine here: joygifts.co.za
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Date published: 29/12/2025
Feature image: Image for illustrative purposes only.
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