Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
cil of Women to hold its next General Assembly in Kyiv in 2006. Ms. Hewryk spoke about American schools. She described the exams that students have to take to get into colleges and the scores they must get to get into top schools. She also told the students about her personal story as a Ukrainian living in the Diaspora. After this session, we were invited to a concert that the students had prepared especially for us. At the con cert, a parent thanked the UNWLA for “milk and roll program” and presented us with a bouquet of flowers. The performers were wonderful; the songs they sang were newly composed by members of the Orange Revolution. Ms. Hewryk commented on the similarities between the young people in Ukraine and their counterparts throughout the world. After the concert, we visited the school library, a special treat for Ms. Hewryk who has served many years as a librarian. Noticing that the library collection did not include the series of Harry Potter books that have recently been translated into Ukrainian and are very popular with Ukrainian youth, she said she would make arrangements with the publisher to have the books sent to the school library. The UNWLA will fund the purchase of the books. Our last stop at the school was a luncheon that was very tasty and attractively presented. During our con versations with those attending the luncheon, we were saddened to discover that attendance at this Ukrainian school, which is staffed by qualified and dedicated teachers, is not very high. It is a problem that shows too clearly how decades of russification have had a detrimental effect on Ukraine and its people. Viktor Yanukovych's pres ence in the area during our brief visit was a coincidence that was neither pleasant nor reassuring. Later in the day, we were invited to the regional president's home to meet with other members of Soyuz Ukrainok. At the meeting, we learned about the group's charitable work in distributing parcels of needed items to the orphans and the poor in the community. Since Luhansk is afflicted with ecological problems, many children are bom with disabilities and the mortality rate among young men is quite high. Other problems abound in the area. After dinner, we were escorted to the train station and returned to Kyiv where we were once again met by MP Hryhorowych. On Monday, Lila hosted a reception for us at her home and invited several members of the Board of Soyuz Ukrainok. The following morning she made an appointment for us with the mayor of Kyiv, Olek- sander Omelchenko. Our meeting was brief, but the Mayor was happy to see us and was enthusiastic about the General Assembly of the International Council of Women, which will be held in Kyiv in 2006. He assured me that everything will go well. Before we parted, Mayor Omelchenko presented each of us with a watch and a book about Kyiv, which he autographed. Following this meeting, Mr. Hryhorovych drove me to the airport. I would like to end this report with words of thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Hryhorovych for their hospitality and the wonderful agenda that they prepared for our visit to Ukraine. We are also grateful to Mykola Kravec, director of the Ukrainian airline Aerosvit, for his kindness towards us and his professional assistance. Notes from an Election Observer by Robert McConnell Although Ukrainian issues have been a part of my daily life almost since the founding of Rukh (the independence movement, not the political party), I had not been to Ukraine in years. I had never been east of Kyiv. That all changed as a consequence of the presi dential revote in December. Well over a year before the 2004 elections the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation had submitted to the United States Agency for International Development an unso licited proposal for a campaign and election program the components of which involved a number of Ukraine-wide activities starting a year ago. One com ponent of that comprehensive proposal that eventually was funded was an observer program focusing not only on the days of voting but the presidential cam paign as well. The Foundation’s basic idea was simple and straightforward. The validity of an election is not based simply on the behavior of the candidates and the government on election day. The fairness and validity of an election also must be judged by the conduct of the campaign itself—comparative access to the media, tolerance for citizen involvement in campaign activi ties, availability of facilities and services, and the list goes on. The Foundation’s approach was to have a number of separate and staggered observer teams visit Ukraine during the campaign as well as to observe the voting itself. Another element of the Foundation’s ap proach was to associate with the United States Asso ciation of Former Members of Congress and through that Association involve former European parliamen НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 2005 13
Page load link
Go to Top