MTV today announced three resilient female changemakers who are fighting for the care and shelter of those impacted by the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine will be honored with the 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award,” as part of the “MTV EMAs” 2022 in Düsseldorf. MTV Entertainment Group, a division of Paramount, has selected the “MTV EMA Generation Change” honorees in partnership with Choose Love, the leading humanitarian non-profit organization that provides aid to, and advocacy for, refugees around the world. This wide-reaching partnership will continue MTV and Paramount’s commitment to utilizing its Content for Change initiative to further diversity, equity and inclusion around the world.
The 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” awardees’ work includes providing shelter for refugees, evacuating and caring for families raising children, adolescents, and young people with disabilities, providing art and group therapy for women and families who have been separated from their loved ones, and more. The recipients will be honored during the MTV EMA Red Carpet show broadcasting live on MTV globally and streaming on MTVEMA.com on Sunday, Nov 13th.
“We, at Choose Love, are so grateful to be partnering with MTV and to have the opportunity to honor the phenomenal work of three brilliant women dedicating themselves to supporting people whose lives have been devastated by the invasion of Ukraine. We are constantly inspired by the commitment and courage of the grassroots partners we work with all over the world. They really do give hope for a brighter future for humanity.” Josie Naughton, Co-Founder, and CEO, Choose Love.
“Over 7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since the country was invaded earlier this year, with millions more internally displaced, seeking shelter and safety from the unjust conflict that surrounds them every day,” said Kelly Bradshaw, SVP, MTV Entertainment Brands International, Paramount. “Through MTV’s partnership with Choose Love, we’ll use our platform to amplify the crucial, on-the-ground work they’re doing to relieve the global refugee crisis and bring humanitarian aid to those in Ukraine.”
The 2022 “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” honorees include:
· Lina Deshvar – Ukraine – Lina was born in the Luhansk region and spent her school years in the Kherson region. At 19, she decided to volunteer in orphanages and help the children who lived there, because she herself had spent her entire life in similar institutions. She currently works with a nonprofit organization, Seeing with the Heart, that believes “childhood has no disability.” The organization develops projects for socializing children, teens and young people with complex developmental disorders. Over eight years, the organization supported over 2,500 families raising children, teens and young people with disabilities. Since the beginning of the full scale invasion of Ukraine, Lina has been visiting military hospitals and delivering humanitarian aid to families with children navigating developmental or physical disabilities and those in difficult life circumstances. She also aids in evacuating these families and children from Ukraine.
· Anna Kutova – Ukraine – Anna was born in the Poltava region in Ukraine. Back in 2017, Anna volunteered in a shelter and saw firsthand how people from the Luhansk and Donetsk regions had to flee their homes and seek refuge in Poltava due to conflict. Looking into the eyes of people who lost their loved ones and their homes, Anna vowed that she will do everything possible to help them. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Anna, like millions of Ukrainians, took action. With the team at the Light of Hope charity fund, she worked to open five shelters for over 400 internally displaced people, LGBTQI+ people, women suffering from addiction, people living with HIV, and more. Through Anna and the team’s fundraising efforts, Light of Hope became a humanitarian center for everyone.
· Anfisa Yakovina – Ukraine – Anfisa was born in Crimea and studied psychology at Taurida National University. After the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014, Anfisa moved to Warsaw, Poland and continued her work and studies towards psychological and socio-cultural adaptation of migrants. Anfisa is a psychologist at the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, which works for the rights of migrants in Poland. She currently practices prenatal psychology, which includes support for parents-to-be during pregnancy, labor and after childbirth. In the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, she leads childbirth preparation classes for refugees and support groups for moms of newborns from Ukraine. She also counsels and delivers psychological aid for refugees, most of which are single women. She also leads support groups for Ukrainian mothers who are struggling to adjust to life in Poland with young children, or families who have been separated from loved ones through activities like group talk therapy, art therapy, and more.
Since the invasion of Ukraine, Choose Love has raised over $14 million for their crisis response work and supported over 100 local grassroots organizations in Ukraine and in neighboring countries, including Seeing with the Heart, Light of Hope and the Polish Migration Forum Foundation, the organizations that the “2022 MTV EMA Generation Change” honorees are involved with. This support has reached over 2 million people. Since its launch seven years ago, Choose Love has raised over $80 million to support nearly 4 million refugees and has created a movement of people putting love into action around the world. The non-profit goes where the need is greatest, finds local organizations doing the most effective work, and gives them what they need to help, whether that’s funding, material aid or volunteers. Through this model they’re able to provide refugees and displaced people with everything from lifesaving search and rescue boats to food and legal advice. Choose Love elevates the voices and visibility of refugees and galvanizes public support for agile community organizations, providing vital support to refugees along migration routes globally.
Launched in 2018, the “MTV EMA Generation Change Award” has honored fearless, original young people who are tackling the world’s toughest problems through music, storytelling or digital media. To date, MTV has awarded youth activists across issues such as climate change, racial justice, systemic inequality, gender equity, LGBTQ+ rights, and more. As part of the award, MTV makes monetary donations to each honorees’ organizations or non-profit organization of choice and elevates their powerful stories across the brand’s social and digital platforms in more than 170 countries. In 2021, the “MTV Generation Change Award” awarded five, trailblazing change makers from around the world for their powerful work on the frontlines of the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ policies.
