Over Mother’s Day weekend, the Vancouver Ukrainian diaspora showed solidarity for the grieving mothers who lost their children since the beginning of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
On Saturday, Vancouver-based Ukrainian non-profit Maple Hope Foundation (MHF) hosted a film screening at Holy Eucharist Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in New Westminster.
The foundation showed Mama’s Voice, by director Ganna Yarovenko, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Poland with her children and mother.
MHF CEO Svitlana Kominko says the audience of Ukrainians who fled to Canada could not stop themselves from crying while watching the movie.
She says the movie is about grief and loss of personal identity, comfort zone, friends, and cultural identity.
“It’s also being separated from your loved ones in many cases,” Kominko said.
She says the movie also sheds light on the loss of home.
“It’s not about the building itself. It’s about losing a sense of home, everything that brings you that stability that you once had back in Ukraine.”
Kominko says the proceeds from the film screening will be used to support ‘Source of Strength,’ a program that offers mental health support for Ukrainian women.
The program connects psychologists, who also lost their children during the war, with mothers who need professional help.
Kominko says the program offers group therapy and recreational activities, such as art classes and excursions to museums.
During the film screening, Kominko says her foundation earned $220 out of the minimum $550 that is needed for just one individual to join the bereavement program.
On Sunday, the Ukrainian community gathered at Canada Place for a silent protest called ‘Motherhood Stolen by Russia,’ wearing black outfits and holding signs that showcased the death tolls of soldiers and children.
MHF, along with two other Ukrainian advocacy groups, hosted the demonstration. Kominko says the purpose was to show the scale of losses in the war.
“Behind every killed child, soldier missing in combat, Ukrainians that die in Russian captivity or on the occupied territory, there is a mother who actually experienced the total crash of her world,” said Kominko.
“Ukraine is losing its children, and mothers are losing everything as a result of that.”
Kominko said events, such as the film screening and the protests over the weekend, offer Ukrainians a chance to heal and feel that they are not alone in their grief.
In a press release, MHF said Sunday’s rally was also done as part of a humanitarian campaign called ‘Heal a Mother’s Heart,’ which raises awareness for supporting Ukrainian mothers and widows with children affected by the war.
Liliia Ratushna, who lost her brother during the war, said she wants the world to pay attention to the crimes that Russia is committing against Ukrainian families.
“Thousands of Ukrainians have been killed. Thousands of mothers will never again receive a Mother’s Day greeting from their children,” she said. “But we can still surround them with warmth, remembrance, and support.”
According to the United Nations (UN), 775 children out of 15,364 civilians have been killed, and more than 42,000 have been injured since the war began, with actual numbers estimated to be higher.
“The suffering and destruction caused by the war in Ukraine can never be justified. The longer the war exists, the deadlier it becomes, with growing risks to regional and international security,” said Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N.’s Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs.
On Thursday, MHF will be hosting an online webinar called ‘A Mother’s Grief in War,’ hosted by Joanne Steen, a therapist and author on military loss and traumatic grief.
The foundation said the funds raised will be used to provide psychological support programs, similar to the activities that took place on the weekend.
“In times of war, a mother’s grief is often hidden beneath statistics, headlines, and political narratives,” said a post to social media.
As an immigrant herself, Kominko, who moved to Canada 21 years ago with her daughter, says she feels responsible for supporting mothers whose children want to defend Ukraine.
“It’s a privilege, and it’s a responsibility at the same time,” said Kominko.
While urging her fellow Canadians to support Ukrainians who are paying the “highest price,” she said every donation counts, big or small.
“I do believe that Ukraine has a chance for post-traumatic growth as a nation when this war is over, but only when we heal our people back home,” she said.
“If our people won’t be healed, it would be very difficult to rebuild Ukraine.”