The book Steel by Victoria Pokatis was published in Ukraine. This is a continuation of the book "Unbreakable". It contains stories of Ukrainian women from the beginning of the war, UNN reports.
"In the first days of the war, we saw not only the determination of our men to go and defend the country, we saw the activity and leadership of women who took up arms, started to bring cars for the military, and understood military ammunition and grants to receive international aid for our vulnerable population, children, pregnant women and hospitals. We have even already heard the recognition that when a woman is in a unit, it is better equipped. Over the two years of war, the initiatives of Ukrainian women have not only not disintegrated, they have grown into national and international foundations and public projects that are now addressing the rehabilitation of veterans, taking care of children who have lost their parents because of the war, treating people in the de-occupied territories, and still not leaving the diplomatic front. It is important to list all the areas that Ukrainian women are currently engaged in," the dedication reads.
The author of the book points out that all the heroines have several things in common: they were able to overcome their fear and make the right decisions for themselves, their families, and their country in the first days of the war, they were able to unite and bring together similarly proactive people, and they found their "niche" where they are most useful. And these are not all the qualities of true women's leadership during the war of our Ukrainian women.
"In the first days of the invasion, we were able to document their subjectivity during the war and their impact on the war in the first book, Unbreakable; in the third year of the war, we tried to explore their resilience and the resilience that allows them to be as active and act strategically in the second book," the author emphasizes.
One of the characters in the book "Steel" is Olena Sosedka, who is included in the ranking of the 50 Most Influential Women in FinTech as a co-founder of the first Ukrainian fintech ecosystem ConCord Fsintech Solutions, which creates ready-made fintech solutions and IT products for financial services.
"Olena is a mother of six children, philanthropist and co-founder of the DobroDiy Charity Exchange, which she has been running with her sister Yulia since 2014. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the main focus of her charity, in addition to helping seriously ill children, has been to support the Ukrainian army," the book says.
Olena says that she and her team have clearly established a value that was there before but not formulated - "we earn to give back.
"Another new value is to believe in ourselves, because, if you remember, starting with many Western politicians, we were told that Ukraine would be captured in 3-4 days (...) Everyone now has pride in their country, military, and commanders," says Olena Sosedka.
In the book, she shares not only how the business has changed or the focus and scope of charitable assistance has shifted, but also her own feelings and experience of adapting to new realities.
"...When the air raid alarm sounds at night, I just turn over to the other side and continue sleeping. The only thing I think about in winter is that I need to wear some warm pajamas so that I don't freeze if the building collapses. I think this thought haunts everyone....," says Olena Sosedka.
She also shared which day was one of the hardest during the war and what keeps her going.
In addition to Olena Sosedka, the book's protagonists include other well-known and successful women, including Olha Harlan, Yulia Payevska (Taira), Hanna Malyar, Maria Todorchuk, Iryna Mykorak, Daria Korniychuk, Olena Malytska, Natalia Leliukh, Natalia Podoba, Hanna Derevyanko, Tetiana Honcharova, Tetiana Volochai, Iryna Mudra, and many others.