Two women. Two wars. Two lives torn apart overnight.
Gloria fled brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo with nothing but the will to survive. Leokadia escaped the devastation of Ukraine, leaving behind her home, her stability, her certainty.
War forces women and girls to navigate heightened risks of violence, exploitation and poverty.
Right now, millions of refugee women are having to rebuild from nothing.
With ActionAid’s support, Gloria trained as a tailor in Uganda. Now she passes on those skills to other refugee women, helping them generate income and rebuild their lives. In Poland, Leokadia set up an academy so displaced Ukrainian women can use their skills to generate income and regain independence.
They refused to give up. But they should never have to rebuild alone.
You saw their strength in our TV appeal. Now they urgently need people to stand beside them.
ActionAid works with women-led organisations on the frontlines of crisis, providing safe spaces, practical training, and the tools women need to earn, recover and protect their families.
£10 a month could help provide a woman with the training, equipment and support she needs to rebuild her life after war.
When conflict forces women from their homes, the world must not turn its back on them. Donate to help refugee women rebuild today.
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With support from ActionAid, Gloria was able to retrain as a tailor to support herself and her community.
Frank Byaruhanga/ActionAid
From refugee to role model: Gloria’s journey
Gloria fled her home in the Democratic Republic of Congo and came to Uganda with nothing. No food. No income. No shelter.
My name is Gloria. I am a tailor, I am a refugee. If other women can, then I can do it.
There are more than 117 million forcibly displaced people in the world today, and women and girls are often amongst the most vulnerable.
Determined not to give up and with support from ActionAid, Gloria was able to retrain as a tailor to support herself and her community.
Stand with women like Gloria, across borders, beyond crisis, side by side. With your help we can provide them with resources and opportunities that allow them the choices to advocate for themselves, strengthen their communities and rebuild their lives.
Leokadia: Turning skill into opportunity
When Leokadia fled the war in Ukraine, she arrived in Poland determined to help other refugee women find their footing. Drawing on the skills they already had, she founded a training academy that teaches women to earn an income through confectionery and baking.
“Women from Ukraine are known for being excellent cooks,” Leokadia says. “Confectionery was the solution, a way for women to earn an income. They just needed the right knowledge.”
With ActionAid’s support, Leokadia’s academy provides women with training, equipment, and confidence to start their own small businesses.
We support them from the very first step and continue until they can stand on their own feet."
Around the world, ActionAid partners with women-led organisations like Leokadia’s to provide life-saving support, helping refugee women and girls rebuild their lives with dignity and strength.
Leokadia created a training academy to help other refugee women earn an income.
Agata Kubis/ActionAid
What ActionAid does to help refugees and displaced people
We work with women’s rights organisations to support refugees, especially women and girls facing heightened risks during displacement to provide both immediate humanitarian aid and long-term support to help people rebuild their lives.
In the short term we provide:
- humanitarian aid including food, safe drinking water, shelter and hygiene kits containing clean underwear, soap, menstrual products and other essentials.
- We're able set up safe spaces for women in displacement and refugee camps where they can breastfeed in private, seek counselling and access emotional support.
- We also provide services to monitor and prevent violence against women, and provide direct cash transfers that empower women to buy what they need the most.
In the long term, along with our partners, we help
- rebuild communities and strengthen their resilience. For example, we run training sessions for women to learn leadership skills and disaster preparedness, so they're better equipped to lead their communities in times of crises.
About ActionAid
ActionAid is an international charity that works with women and girls living in poverty.
Our dedicated local staff are changing the world with women and girls. We are ending violence and fighting poverty so that all women, everywhere, can create the future they want.
We operate in rural and urban communities across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
We're committed to ending the cycle of violence in communities around the world, enabling women's economic empowerment, and supporting women's and girls' rights during humanitarian crises.
This project is just one example of ActionAid’s work. Your regular donation may not go towards this project. It will be used where it is needed most to further ActionAid’s general charitable purposes.
Our privacy policy will tell you all you need to know about how we handle, store and process your data.
Page updated 28 April 2026