Project Kesher Brings its Gender-focused Lens to Davos

Vlada Nedak represents Ukrainian women at World Economic Forum.

Project Kesher, the esteemed nonprofit organization that has been promoting the status of women, advancing civil society and rebuilding Jewish life since 1989, is representing and advocating for Ukrainian women at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The organization’s long-time leader Vlada Nedak, CEO of Project Kesher Ukraine and its charitable grantmaking arm, the Women’s Opportunity Fund, will be in attendance, discussing the crucial role of Ukrainian women—now and in the years to come.

The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting comes at a precarious time for Ukraine, as the country approaches the third anniversary of its latest conflict with Russia. Several sessions are dedicated to discussions surrounding the country’s future, including a special address by Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine.

“For nearly 3 years, Ukrainian women have served as the glue holding society together, compensating for the loss of working-age men, who are bravely serving in the armed forces,” said Ms. Nedak. “It is essential that these women continue to have a prominent voice in the future of the country, contributing their singular insights to conversations taking place at the highest levels, across institutions and industries.”

Among the issues Ms. Nedak will be raising at the meeting are the troubling funding gaps impacting Ukrainian projects that support women and girls. To illustrate, a March 2024 report published by the Institute for Journalism and Social Change showed that Ukrainian women’s rights organizations received only 0.05% of $29.4 billion in aid provided to the country in 2022.

“For far too long, women have been an afterthought among NGOs, funder groups and government bodies all across the world,” said Karyn Grossman Gershon, CEO of Project Kesher. “The future of civil society in Ukraine and globally depends on our ability to change this paradigm, examining all projects and processes through a gender-specific lens.”

Project Kesher has been operating on the ground in Ukraine for more than 30 years, providing gendered-humanitarian care, grantmaking tailored for women entrepreneurs, lifesaving equipment for healthcare facilities, and more.

For more information, please visit www.projectkesher.org.

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