We are thrilled to announce that Ewa Hofmańska, President and Co-Founder of Foundation Sounflowers that runs Project Sunflowers, has been honored with the esteemed Epiq Woman Award for Justice and Advocacy during the 5th Annual International Law Conference On the Status of Women, organized by the New York City Bar Association.

Ewa’s dedication to supporting communities affected by conflict, particularly in Ukraine, has been instrumental in driving our mission forward. As part of the Project Sunflowers, she has spearheaded initiatives to collect information about evidence of international crimes committed in Ukraine and victims of the war, organise open webinars to discuss the legal and social aspects of armed conflict, expand the network of organisations supporting Ukrainian refugees in the countries covered by the Project, and search for centres of professional psychological support for survivors of the war in Ukraine.

Her recognition with this award underscores the incredible impact of her work and serves as a testament to her unwavering commitment to justice and advocacy. As an organization, we are immensely proud to have Ewa leading our efforts and congratulate her on this well-deserved honor.

On the 8th March 2024 Hanna Kuczyńska, Board Member of the Project Sunflowers, took part in the meeting organized by the UNHCR Mental Health & Psychosocial Support Network. MHPSN it is a growing global platform for connecting people, networks and organizations, for sharing resources and for building knowledge related to mental health and psychosocial support both in emergency settings and in situations of chronic hardship. This meeting’s focus was safety of refugees, allocating appropriate resources and considering including mental health and psychosocial support in the NGOs’ programs (e.g. psychological first aid training), key concepts and best practices in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

In the meeting active participation took: Przemysław Marszał from UNHCR, Katarzyna Nowakowska from Feminoteka, Elena Wasylew from Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Olia Kotsiuruba from Fundacji Opora, Hanna Kuczyńska from Project Sunflowers and Anna Rzym from International Rescue Committee.

During the meeting supporting efforts for justice for victims were discussed, such as providing information to investigative authorities in Poland and Ukraine as well as to the ICC, giving voice to refugees who wish to testify about the injustices they have experienced, historical memory, raising awareness in Poland about the consequences of crimes and their impact on the lives of victims and entire communities (Physical health, psychological consequences, economic situation); disseminating land to ensure access to the justice system and the identification and rehabilitation of victims; documenting organizations: Lemkin Center; Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, Opora, Project Sunflowers.