Woman 4 Woman – a project that raises awareness of the long-term effects of domestic violence through personal stories and provides support to victims – wanted to create a new website. The current website was hosted on a Russian platform that could be shut down at any time. The NGO also wanted to improve its UX and UI and translate the website into English to reach a wider audience. We talked to digital consultant Taya Gerasimova about how this project came to life with the help of Tech To The Rescue and Webnomads Webflow experts.
Hi Taya. Could you give us a brief overview of the digital help Woman 4 woman needed?
Of course – our project is about raising awareness about domestic violence and connecting women who need help with women who can offer help. We created our first website ourselves, but it was on a Russian platform, and we were increasingly concerned about information security. We were also aware that with the war going on, there was a risk that it could be shut down at any time.
That’s why we turned to Tech To The Rescue for help. We wanted to transfer the website to a new platform, including some basic changes to UX and UI to make it more user-friendly. Finally, we also wanted to create a new English language version of the website.
Could you tell us a little bit about your role and how you support the foundation on a day-to-day basis?
I am a digital consultant, and this is one of the projects I am currently working on. I also work with a number of other Ukrainian NGOs, mainly in the area of women’s rights.
How does Women for Women support those who suffer from domestic violence?
This is done through various channels. There is a women’s shelter and psychological support, which is very important for women who have been victims of domestic violence. We want to make access to our services as easy as possible, so we have a form on our website that anyone seeking support can fill out. There, they can provide their contact information and any relevant information about their current situation. For example, they can attach medical records. This way, we can make sure that every woman gets the right support. If we get consent from individuals, we can also publish the personal stories of some women to show other victims that they are not alone and that there are other people who have had similar experiences to theirs.
How did you find out about Tech To The Rescue?
Actually through another NGO that I work for. We had originally contacted Tech To The Rescue for assistance in redesigning the website for a Women’s March platform. That ended up being a second project we wanted to work on, but it ended up coming first in the queue.
Great, so where did you go from there? How did you start working on the project?
Jacek, one of the founders of Tech To The Rescue, got in touch with us directly and matched us with Webnomads. I had a phone call with their team, which was essentially a kick-off meeting – I presented our product to them and told them our requirements. They got to work and created some mockups, which they then shared with the team, and we were all able to provide feedback. I have to say that the communication throughout the process was excellent and everything was delivered on time. We were all very happy with the end result and the process was super fast. The entire project was completed in less than 2 months.
Excellent. Now that the website is online, what will happen next? Do you have any plans to promote it?
Yes, we definitely want to promote it, especially the English version. So far, we have only been able to support Ukrainian people, while now English version gives us the opportunity to reach benefactors (women who can offer help and donations) all over the world. We are still at the very beginning, as the website has literally just been launched, but we are confident that it will have a really positive impact.
We hope so, too. Was there anything that particularly impressed you about working with Tech To The Rescue and Webnomads?
Sure. One of the things I was pleasantly surprised by was the choice of technology. Even before we got in touch with Webnomads, I had Webflow in mind as a great platform for our website. And then it turned out that the team at Webnomads are specialists in Webflow – so we were on the same page technologically before we’d even met! Of course, it’s also great to see how much support Ukrainian NGOs receive from software houses around the world – Webnomads is a prime example here.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Yes. I think the problem many NGOs have is that they do not necessarily know what technological support they need. They may be using a tool or platform that they think is OK, but in reality may be quite outdated. Perhaps there are many newer and better alternatives on the market that would be better or more efficient for them. That’s why it’s valuable for them to talk to Tech To The Rescue and explain their overarching goals – then they could be put in touch with a local technology company that would help them think strategically about how to achieve those goals.
Thank you, Taya, and good luck with your platform!
