Anzhelika Bielova

Anzhelika was born and raised in Zaporizhzhia in a mixed-heritage family.{{cite web|url=https://point7.org.ua/people/anzhelika-byelova/|title=Анжеліка Бєлова|website=Point 7}} The Romani side of her family belongs to the Servitka Roma ethnic group.

Her great-grandparents, Hryhorii Dmytrovych Padchenko and Mariia Andriivna Padchenko, were nomadic Romani who settled in the village of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region in 1908. Later, they bought a house in Zaporizhzhia, where they raised five children.

Anzhelika's great-grandfather, Andrii Hryhorovych Padchenko (1907–1985), worked at the National Roma Kolkhoz named after Dimitrov. During World War II, he was involved in procuring horses for the army. When Zaporizhzhia was occupied by the Germans, his family faced persecution due to their Romani heritage and was forced into hiding.{{cite web|url=https://youtube.com/0MfroqmZa18?si=T0q5XTjB2GjJRys_|title="Найстрашнішим було – загубити маму". Історія ромського геноциду (1939 – 1945)|website=Suspilne. Uzhhorod|date=2023-08-01}}{{Dead link|date=May 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

Anzhelika's grandmother, Mariia Andriivna Semak (born 1938), is a Romani leader and an engineer. She worked for over 50 years at the Bureau of Technical Inventory in Zaporizhzhia, assisting the Romani community in obtaining legal documentation for land ownership.

Since 2015, after receiving a grant from the Roma Education Fund to continue her studies, Anzhelika has been actively involved in Roma activism. She initially worked as an executive director at a local Romani organization, where she implemented over 20 projects aimed at improving access to education, employment, and legal services for Roma people.{{cite web|url=https://www.errc.org/cikk.php?cikk=5384|title=Anzhelika Bielova, Human Rights Consultant for Ukraine|website=ERRC|date=2018-02-20}}

In 2019, Anzhelika survived an attempted femicide — a gender-based attack — when a man with a knife assaulted her in the entrance of her home. The Zaporizhzhia regional police later determined that she was a victim of a serial attacker who had targeted other women.{{cite web|url=https://www.unian.ua/incidents/10730718-vdariv-nozhem-u-serce-u-zaporizhzhi-napali-na-vidomu-aktivistku.html|title=Вдарив ножем у серце: у Запоріжжі напали на відому активістку|website=UNIAN|date=2019-10-24}}{{cite web|url=https://lb.ua/society/2019/10/24/440584_zaporozhe_ranili_nozhom_romskuyu.html|title=У Запоріжжі поранили ножем ромську активістку|website=LB.ua|date=2019-10-24}}

In 2020, Anzhelika Bielova founded the Romani women's organization, Voice of Romni, and became a regional representative of the Ukrainian Women's Congress, actively advocating for gender equality and the protection of women's and girls’ rights in Ukraine.{{cite web|url=https://genderindetail.org.ua/season-topic/dosvidy-viyny/anzhelika-belova.html|title=Анжеліка БЄЛОВА: «Моє завдання на майбутній рік – підтримувати внутрішньо переміщених осіб, жінок у складних життєвих обставинах»|website=Gender in details|date=2022-11-22}}{{cite web|url=https://ukrainky.com.ua/ukrayinska-romka-anzhelika-byelova-liderka-gromady-shho-rujnuye-tradyczijni-stereotypy/|title=УКРАЇНСЬКА РОМКА АНЖЕЛІКА БЄЛОВА: ЛІДЕРКА ГРОМАДИ, ЩО РУЙНУЄ ТРАДИЦІЙНІ СТЕРЕОТИПИ|date=November 2021 }} With the escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the organization has focused on humanitarian aid and assistance to internally displaced Romani women in Ukraine.

She is a member of the advisory board of the EVZ Foundation and the Interagency Working Group on coordinating the implementation of the Strategy for Promoting the Rights and Opportunities of the Roma National Minority in Ukrainian Society until 2030, under the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Affairs and Freedom of Conscience (DESS).

Anzhelika is also an alumna of the U.S. Embassy's IVLP program.

Bielova works across five regions of Ukraine: Kyiv, Zakarpattia, and three frontline regions — Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Dnipropetrovsk.{{cite web|url=https://book.artarsenal.in.ua/guest-2023/anzhelika-byelova/|title=Анжеліка Бєлова|website=Arsenal Book Festival}} Her key areas of focus include humanitarian response, economic empowerment of Roma women and other vulnerable groups, early childhood and extracurricular education for children, as well as leadership development and advocacy for the rights of Romani women and the Romani community at international, national, and local levels. A core priority of her work is the prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV) and the promotion of gender equality within Roma communities.{{cite web|url=https://eca.unwomen.org/en/stories/feature-story/2024/04/i-want-to-build-a-network-of-powerful-roma-women-and-girls-anzhelika-bielova-on-roma-womens-activism-and-leadership-in-ukraine|title="I want to build a network of powerful Roma women and girls" – Anzhelika Bielova on Roma women's activism and leadership in Ukraine|website=UN Women|date=2024-04-05}}

Since 2020, Bielova has implemented economic development projects for Romani and internally displaced women, helping over 300 women acquire professional skills and find employment. 

In 2022, following the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, Anzhelika Bielova continued to coordinate her organization's efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Roma men and women in southeastern Ukraine (Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv regions) and in the western region (Zakarpattia). Since the beginning of the war, Voice of Romni has provided support to more than 105,000 Roma individuals and other vulnerable groups. Currently, the organization operates four regional offices in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kryvyi Rih, and Uzhhorod, with plans to open a representation in Kyiv.{{cite web|url=https://50vidsotkiv.org.ua/tag/anzhelika-byelova/|title=Місце сили в Ужгороді: як жіноча громадська організація підтримує переселенок|author=Martha Konyk|date=2023-04-17}}{{cite web|url=https://suspilne.media/uzhhorod/799837-na-zakarpatti-provodat-tabir-dla-zinok-ta-ditej-z-rodin-pereselenciv-vijskovih-ta-malozabezpecenih-simej/|title=На Закарпатті проводять табір для жінок та дітей з родин переселенців, військових та малозабезпечених сімей|website=Suspilne|author=Mykhailo Pylypko, Ruslana Hostiuk|date=2024-07-26}}

Voice of Romni also implements educational projects for Roma children, developing preschool and extracurricular education programs, as well as psychological support initiatives. The organization is actively working on expanding a network of Romani initiatives, supporting Romani activists by providing training in project management, fundraising, and human rights. Additionally, Voice of Romni helps activists implement socially significant initiatives to benefit their communities.{{cite web|url=https://zaborona.com/voice-of-romni-organizacziya-yaka-dopomagaye-romkam/|title=«Ми стикаємося з мультидискримінацією — за те, що ми ромки, і за те, що ми жінки». Voice of Romni — організація, яка допомагає ромкам здобути освіту. Ось інтервʼю з її засновницею|website=Zaborona|date=2023-08-03|author=Polina Vernyhor}}

Anzhelika Bielova advocates for the rights of the Romani community in Ukraine and Romani refugees at the international level.{{cite web|url=https://espreso.tv/suspilstvo-prezidentka-go-golos-romni-belova-potrebi-romiv-povinni-buti-vklyucheni-v-plani-vidnovlennya-ukraini|title=Президентка ГО "Голос Ромні" Бєлова: потреби ромів повинні бути включені в плани відновлення України|website=Espreso TV|author=Yulia Yulina|date=2025-01-30}}{{cite web|url=https://www.ukrinform.ua/rubric-society/3955944-romska-strategia-mae-vidobrazati-potrebi-miscevih-gromad-prezidentka-go-golos-romni-belova.html|title=Регіональні плани Ромської стратегії мають відображати потреби громад - президентка ГО «Голос Ромні» Бєлова|website=Ukrinform|date=2025-02-04}} She actively participates in high-profile events such as the UN Forum on Minority Issues, the Council of Europe Dialogues with Roma Civil Society, the Ukrainian Women's Congress, the Icelandic Women's Congress, the Feminist Foreign Policy Forum in the Netherlands, the UN Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, and the Women Leaders for the Future of Ukraine Summit in Warsaw, among others.

Bielova, together with the Voice of Romni team, conducted a study on gender practices and experiences of gender-based violence (GBV) within the Romani community, titled Identity, Gender Aspects, and Traditions. This research highlights the urgent need for a systematic approach to preventing violence and supporting survivors.{{cite web|url=https://voiceofromni.com.ua/en/research/|title=Research: "Identity, Gender Aspects, and Traditions"|website=Голос Ромні|date=19 February 2025 }}

She also initiated and led a comprehensive study, The State of Roma Communities During the War in Ukraine, which outlines key recommendations requiring coordinated efforts from government institutions, civil society organizations, and international partners.

At the initiative of Anzhelika Bielova, the first National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy: Valuing Diversity was held in Kyiv in 2025.{{cite web|url=https://m.censor.net/ua/photonews/3533166/romska-strategiya|title=Представник Кабміну Лоссовський: представники місцевої влади мають бути більш активними у питанні реалізації Ромської стратегії. ФОТОрепортаж|website=Censor.net|date=2025-01-30}}{{cite web|url=https://loda.gov.ua/news/127723|title=Львівська ОВА взяла участь у Національному форумі з реалізації ромської стратегії|website=Lviv Regional State Administration|date=2025-01-31}} The forum gathered ambassadors and diplomats, government representatives, Roma activists, and members of civil society and charitable organizations. The event was officially opened by Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. As a result of discussions on the first day of the Forum and the productive work of expert groups on the second day, a joint resolution was developed. This document includes recommendations for the government, international partners, and civil society organizations aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the Roma Strategy's implementation and ensuring its alignment with the challenges of wartime and the prospects for Ukraine's post-war recovery. Further in-depth work will continue in the regions, with a focus on nationwide coordination of working groups and annual national meetings to advance the strategy's implementation.{{cite web|url= https://voiceofromni.com.ua/en/resolution-based-on-the-results-of-the-national-forum-on-the-implementation-of-the-roma-strategy-valuing-diversity/|title=Resolution Based on the Results of the "National Forum on the Implementation of the Roma Strategy. Valuing Diversity"|website=Voice of Romni|date=2025-03-05}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1995 births

Category:People from Zaporizhzhia

Category:Ukrainian Romani people

Category:Romani activists

Category:Anti-racism activists

Category:Ukrainian women activists

Category:Ukrainian women's rights activists

Category:Ukrainian feminists

Category:21st-century Ukrainian people

Category:21st-century Ukrainian women

Category:Romani women