Mariam Mughdusyan is an artist and social entrepreneur based in Yerevan, Armenia. Through painting, performance and community-based projects, she explores women’s roles in society and brings overlooked stories into public space. Her work connects history with everyday life, showing how creativity can gently shift perceptions and open new ways of seeing. A cancer survivor, Mariam often draws on personal experience in her work. Photographed alongside her series of paintings dedicated to women living with cancer, she reflects on the resilience and strength found in these stories.

As Mariam Mughdusyan prepares a theatre performance about prominent Armenian women, she works closely with actors, shaping not only words and movement but also the meaning behind them. Each gesture and each scene carries quiet symbolism. For Mariam, these women are not distant figures but living presences. Through rehearsal, she brings their voices back into the room, making space for them to be seen and heard again. She uses art as a language for social dialogue, opening space to question stereotypes and women’s roles in Armenian society.

With her mother and her daughter, Mariam Mughdusyan sees how much can change within just a few generations. What was once taken for granted is now questioned, and new possibilities for women and girls begin to feel natural. “For me, creating art that questions stereotypes is a way to shift how women are seen—not as subjects, but as voices,” Mariam says.

Zaruhi Batoyan is a Member of the National Assembly of Armenia and a long-standing advocate for disability rights, gender equality and inclusive policies. As a woman with a disability in public office, she challenges assumptions about leadership, working to make public spaces and institutions more accessible for all.

In the corridors of the National Assembly, surrounded by colleagues, Zaruhi Batoyan moves through a space she once had to fight to enter. Public buildings were not designed with people with disabilities in mind—not in the city, and not in government. Today, being here reflects persistence and serves as a reminder that inclusion does not happen on its own; it is pushed, negotiated and insisted on.

At the National Gallery of Armenia, Zaruhi Batoyan takes a moment away from the pace of political life. It is a different kind of public space—one that invites pause, where being present feels just as important as being heard. “In politics, we work to create space and ensure our voices matter. In art, we see more quietly—but just as powerfully—that being seen and heard is central to who we are and how we connect with the world,” she says.

Laura Aghajanyan is a Programme Officer at the World Council of Churches Armenia Inter-Church Charitable Round Table Foundation in Yerevan, Armenia. She works on initiatives to prevent gender-based violence, where much of the effort begins with listening—to communities, to institutions and to the gaps in between. In traditionally male-dominated religious spaces, she works to ensure prevention efforts are better aligned with the needs of women and communities.

Alongside her programme work, Laura Aghajanyan is pursuing a PhD at the Gevorgian Theological Seminary, exploring how social work systems are shaped in Armenia. “I am passionate about studying social systems—understanding how we can respond to people with greater dignity and care, and how to build systems that are truly attentive to human needs,” Laura says.

In dialogue with clergy, Laura Aghajanyan engages religious communities in conversations on gender equality and the prevention of violence.

Madona Okropiridze community leader from Koda, Georgia, has turned the suffering of displacement caused by war into a force for collective action. Originally from the Tskhinvali Region / South Ossetia, Georgia, she was forced to flee her home during the 2008 conflict. Photographed in the women’s club in Koda, Madona stands beside an embroidered landscape of the Orbodzala mountains- an image of the homeland she lost, yet continues to honor through her work and resilience.

Photographed with members of the women’s club in Koda, Madona Okropiridze leads a space of support, solidarity and resilience for women in her community. She has long believed that women’s unity brings positive change.

Madona Okropiridze holds one of the few surviving photographs of her husband—among the only possessions she managed to take while escaping the shelling. Yet, her life had been scarred by conflict long before the August 2008 war. In 1992, her husband, then Gamgebeli (local leader) of the Qsuisi Community, was captured and killed during the conflict. "That day, I swore that I would continue the work for which he gave his life.”

Lia Ukleba from Kutaisi, Georgia, is a feminist artist whose work challenges deeply rooted gender norms in Georgian society. Photographed in her studio, Lia holds a painting she associates with the fear of motherhood—a feeling rooted in her own experience. As a young schoolgirl, she was abducted and forced into marriage, a practice that still persists in some rural areas of Georgia.

Lia Ukleba’s work quickly drew national attention. In 2012, her painting “Virgin Mary with a Toy Pistol” sparked widespread backlash, leading to threats and persecution in her hometown of Kutaisi. Despite this, Lia continued her artistic and advocacy work, becoming a prominent voice for women’s rights. In 2015, she was awarded the Kato Mikeladze Award in recognition of her contribution to advancing gender equality in Georgia.

Lia Ukleba captured in a place that mirrors the emotional landscapes she explores in her work—spaces of memory, resilience and quiet strength. “I am not afraid of mistakes—I know each one is a unique experience. I paint, I feel, I fight and I keep going, because my story is still being written,” she says.

Mari Varamashvili from Tbilisi, Georgia, is a lawyer at the non-governmental organization Sapari, where she has been working for the past five years to defend women’s rights. Much of her work focuses on cases of sexual violence, providing legal support to survivors and advocating for justice in a system that often falls short. “For years, I have worked on the most difficult cases involving women and children who are victims of violence. I strive to be the voice that was taken from them. For me, this is never just a case—it becomes part of who I am. It is my fight,” Mari says.

Mari Varamashvili at her office. In recent years, she has been at the forefront of addressing cyber violence (abuse carried out through digital technologies), which disproportionately targets women and girls. As these forms of violence continue to evolve, Georgian legislation is still catching up, leaving significant gaps in protection and accountability.

Photographed in front of the Ministry of Justice, Mari Varamashvili advocates for stronger legal protections for women facing new and evolving forms of violence. “I know I do not have the right to disappoint a child who holds my hand and asks me to bring their perpetrator to justice. I am their only hope—and that trust means everything to me. That is why I always strive to be a worthy advocate for them in every battle. This is the purpose and essence of my profession.”

Irina Revin is a disability rights advocate and President of the Association of Entrepreneurs with Disabilities of the Republic of Moldova—European Abilities Without Limits, an organization she co-founded more than a decade ago. Now in her fourth term as president, she works to advance the rights of women from vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on women with disabilities.

In Moldova, approximately 160,000 people live with disabilities—nearly half of them women. These women face overlapping forms of discrimination and violence shaped by both gender and disability. Research conducted by Irina’s organization among 2,700 women and girls with disabilities reveals the scale of the issue: nearly 60 per cent reported physical violence, over a quarter experienced sexual abuse, and an overwhelming majority—92.6 per cent—reported psychological or emotional violence. More than half also faced economic abuse, with many experiencing lasting health consequences.

Photographed during a community walk, Irina Revin advocates for connection and collective strength. “It is very hard to fight alone,” she says. “Within a community, alongside those who can support you—even simply by listening—the fight becomes easier.”

Irina Rîngaci, a world champion in freestyle wrestling from Chișinău, Moldova, has built her strength through years of discipline and hard work. In the training hall, alongside a teammate, she prepares her gear. Every movement reflects perseverance and mutual support in a sport still often perceived as “for men.” For her, wrestling has no gender—only rules, ambition and courage.

Holding her belts and medals, Irina shows more than trophies—they represent determination in a field where women have long been underestimated. Each medal is a statement against stereotypes. “I never fought to prove that a woman can. I fought because this is who I am,” she says.

Beyond the mat, Irina serves at the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Moldova as a lieutenant in the National Army. In a different uniform, she carries the same discipline and focus, shaped by responsibility, routine and commitment.

Diana Guțu Zamfir is an educator, entrepreneur and community leader from Ștefan Vodă, Moldova. After surviving domestic abuse, she rebuilt her life through education and went on to found Progress Academy—an educational centre that combines English language learning, dance and well-being programmes for children. For Diana, education is more than knowledge—it is a pathway to freedom, confidence and independence. “A woman with education and financial independence has more than just an income: she has a voice, the freedom to choose and the power to walk away from where she is being hurt,” she says.

Since its founding in 2021, more than 600 children have studied English at the academy, while many others have built confidence and discipline through dance. Diana Guțu Zamfir also supports women affected by violence by creating employment opportunities through her initiatives. “Lack of income and dependence on the abuser force many women to endure abuse,” she adds. “That is why combating domestic violence must also include economic empowerment.”

Photographed at home with her children, Diana Guțu Zamfir has built a life grounded in safety, independence and new possibilities for her children.

Alisa Kovalenko is an award-winning Ukrainian documentary filmmaker, human rights advocate and veteran. Her work focuses on war, resilience and the lived experiences of Ukrainians affected by conflict. She is a survivor of conflict-related sexual violence, which she experienced during captivity in Donbas. Alisa became the first woman in Ukraine to speak publicly about this experience, transforming personal trauma into advocacy and a call for accountability.

Following the full-scale invasion in 2022, she joined the armed forces and served in an assault unit. Alongside her military service, she continues her work as a filmmaker, documenting stories of war and survival. At a memorial in Kyiv, Alisa Kovalenko searches for the portrait of a fallen comrade, covered by fresh snow. Many of those she served with did not return from the front line.

During a blackout in Kyiv, Alisa Kovalenko reads to her son Theo by flashlight. As a result of attacks on energy infrastructure, electricity was limited to only a few hours a day. With her son, she balances motherhood and the lasting realities of war—holding space for both care and memory.

Yuliia Savchenko is a psychologist in Kharkiv supporting people affected by war-related trauma, including survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, she has provided thousands of psychological consultations to civilians, veterans, former prisoners of war and women rebuilding their lives after violence. Having survived violence herself and lost her husband while he was defending the Kharkiv region, Yuliia transforms personal loss into care for others. Today, she is raising their nine-year-old son while continuing her work on the mental health frontline.

Photographed at her husband’s grave, Yuliia Savchenko holds the frozen Ukrainian flag marking his resting place. He was killed in combat just four months earlier while defending the Kharkiv region. “I have learned what it means to keep going despite deep personal loss,” she says. “This experience has reinforced my responsibility towards those I serve every day.”

Photographed with her son, Yuliia Savchenko navigates motherhood and frontline psychological work, holding space for both personal grief and the responsibility to care for others. “I believe that femininity is a source of strength that endures even in the darkest times. It is the ability to hold the world together for those around you and to refuse to let pain define the future.”