Dear John,

How does the struggle for a better world impact your mental health? For many feminist activists, this isn't a theoretical question—it's the daily calculus of a life lived fighting for justice, equity, and liberation.

With Mental Health Day just a few days behind us, we’ve been reflecting on the many mental health threats and challenges facing feminist activists in this era of increased and intense reprisals against them.

Many feminist activists live in constant fear for themselves and their loved ones, experience acute burnout, and have few spaces for safety and healing. This burnout is exacerbated by the fact that they have been socialized to prioritize their work and take care of their communities and families, but not themselves.

Meet Hana

Hana works to release activists arbitrarily detained by the government in her country. At a peaceful protest she joined outside of a courthouse, the police attempted to arrest and kidnap someone protesting for his father’s release, calling that person a terrorist. In a series of events that followed, Hana, one of her children, and several others experienced a great deal of trauma while trying to protect their fellow activist.

Ten days after the protest, Hana’s child became very sick. The doctor asked if the child “had suffered or witnessed something very frightening, because this can increase symptoms,” Hana said.

And Hana’s child isn’t the only one. Hana went on to say, “Lots of team members suffer from the things they see most, also through physical pain. When they see a doctor, it turns out it is the result of panic [and] anxiety, because we are exposed to all this violence and all these threats.”

Collective care is the antidote to the harms facing activists like Hana.

We asked activists like Hana what would protect them and help them heal from the reprisals they face. Many activists talked about the need for funds for psycho-social support, rest and respite programs, and peer support networks. All of these are examples of powerful collective care responses.

Collective care is at the core of our strategy for resourcing movements and activists at Urgent Action Fund. In 2024, 57% of our awarded funds supported collective care. Your generosity can help fund collective care practices for frontline activists like Hana and her colleagues.

The most dangerous place to be as an activist isn't always at the peak moment of a crisis—it's the days, months, and even years after when the trauma lives on. We are there for activists as they regroup and heal. If you can, make a donation today.