Two Ukrainians are on BBC list of 100 most influential women

The BBC has revealed its annual list of the world's 100 most influential women for 2024, and two Ukrainian women are on it – Olha Rudnieva and Olha Olefirenko.

Source: BBC

Details: After Russia’s full-scale invasion started, Olha Rudnieva co-founded the Superhumans rehabilitation centre in Lviv, where Ukrainians injured in the Russian Federation's war can receive prostheses and help with rehabilitation.

Olha said she wanted to help those wounded in the war. Many people have lost limbs on the battlefield, making them "victims" in the eyes of society, but Olha Rudnieva believes they are "superhumans" who deserve help.

Quote: "Resilience is to wake up morning after morning to air sirens and keep fighting for your country. It’s rediscovering your ‘what for?’ instead of being stuck at ‘why me?’ It’s finding ways to do more, having less every day," the Superhumans founder shared.

During its first two years, over a thousand people benefitted from the centre's services.

The Superhumans Centre and Olha Rudnieva were nominated for Ukrainska Pravda’s Best Social Project in 2023.

This year, the centre’s founder was one of the winners in UP 100.The Power of Women and the UP100 in the Society category.

Olha Olefirenko made the list of the world’s most influential women after she fulfilled the dream of her military father, who was killed on the front lines in 2015.

Initially she bought livestock and started her own farm, but she ran into financial difficulties and was forced to sell all the animals.

But Olha refused to give up on her father's dreams. In 2023, she came up with a business plan and obtained funding from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund.

Olha restarted her farm and now focuses on modernisation and the implementation of new agricultural technologies. She creates jobs in the community, where she is regarded as an inspiration and a leader, the list's compilers say.

The BBC 100 Women project began in 2013. Every year, notable women are chosen from around the world to be featured in interviews, stories and documentaries.

The BBC's 2023 list included the writer Oksana Zabuzhko, Iryna Stavchuk, a climate policy expert, and Olena Rozvadovska, founder of the Voices of Children humanitarian foundation.

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