Supporting Ukrainian Women Through VOLYA

Note: The following contributions are personal impulses from Max Eckel. They represent individual reflections and are intended to stimulate discussion and further thought.

Four years ago today, many of us woke up to push notifications. Tanks rolling into Ukraine. Airports closing. A war in Europe that suddenly wasn’t history class anymore. And then the question that follows every shock like this: What can you possibly do from here? Most of us refreshed the news. Sent a few messages. Donated.

Anna Daftari (BSc 2019 / Unity33) got into a car and drove to the Ukrainian border. At the time, she was working at Project A. One of their portfolio companies redirected buses to help evacuate people fleeing the war. Anna helped on the ground. 

That’s where she met the first women who had just crossed the border. Women who had left husbands behind. Who didn’t know when they would see them again. Who had no idea how to rebuild their lives. She stayed in touch.

Later, she traveled to Ukraine herself. She interviewed soldiers. But she also started talking to entrepreneurs. SME owners. Startup founders. People trying to keep businesses alive while sirens were going off. And she told me she fell in love with that spirit. People had lost stability but refused to lose agency.

That’s the background of VOLYA. Together with Dr. Wladimir Klitschko, Tatjana Kiel and the team of WeAreAllUkrainians, Anna helped launch an initiative that aims to support more than 1,000 Ukrainian women in 2026 alone. “Volya” means willpower and freedom.

The idea is simple: If you strengthen women economically, you strengthen the foundations of society. At the center is a titanium bracelet, produced in Germany. 50% of the revenues flow directly into programs that help Ukrainian women rehabilitate, qualify and build their own businesses.

But this is not just a “buy and feel good” campaign. A core part of VOLYA is mentorship. If you join, you don’t just purchase a symbol. You can actively support female entrepreneurs in Ukraine with your experience, network and time. That’s very Anna. She decided to connect resilience with entrepreneurship.

Four years into this war, fatigue is real. But rebuilding does not start in parliaments. It starts with people who earn money again. Who start companies. Who create stability for their families.

If you want to learn more about VOLYA, buy a bracelet and get involved as a mentor: https://daftari.eu/

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