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Next on the agenda was a program conducted by women from Ukraine for the purpose of examining what the Congress should be doing during the next five years. The afternoon session included reports from the member organizations, including the UNWLA, which was the most important founding organization of WFUWO and had given up time from its own Convention to help create this world organization. Adhering to the Congress Chair’s mandate to limit reports to two minutes, UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj greeted those assembled and noted that the full text of her 5-page report was published in Congress book. Un fortunately, the presidents of other organizations did not follow suit and read their full reports, a situation that left the UNWLA at a distinct disadvantage. The UNWLA president requested that she be allowed additional time to speak about her organization, the request was granted, and Mrs. Kurowyckyj was able to speak more fully about the work the UNWLA, even about new projects and programs not included in the published Congress report. On the last day of the Congress, August 17, delegates voted on amendments to the by-laws, and resolutions were read and accepted. We unanimously elected new Board and reelected President Maria Szkambara for the next five years. She received a standing ovation from the delegations and was presented with flowers. The reelected president then presented her acceptance speech and the IX WFUWO Congress ended with a prayer and singing of the Ukrainian anthem. One can argue that this Congress lacked the ceremony that UNWLA members have become ac customed to at their own conventions: There were no presentations of flags, no raised dais for special guest to sit at. The room was small, and there was no air conditioning. Speakers had to make do without a micro phone. But one must admit that the absence of ceremonial accoutrements and amenities did not diminish the excitement of participating in the first WFUWO Congress held in a free Ukraine. What more can one wish for. The Annual Board Meeting of Ukrainian World Congress was held in Donetsk on August 21 and 22. The UWC is the highest ruling body of Ukrainian diaspora organizations, which comprise approximately 100 social, religious, educational, youth, and women’s organizations in 30 countries around the world. On Sunday morning, most of the delegates met at the Teachers Building in Kyiv to take a bus to Donetsk. The trip was long but very interesting because UWC Secretary General Mr. Pedenko hails from that part of Ukraine and was pleased to share his knowledge about various historical sites and events that had occurred in various locations we passed. The road we traveled passed the spot where Viachelsav Chomovil was killed; a monument has been erected at the site, and the delegates disembarked from the bus to pay homage to this modern-day hero. Along the way, we saw a lot of dried out trees and scores of sunflowers with heads bending low from the drought, a sad picture made sadder by the knowledge that Ukraine’s government offers little assistance to those touched by natural disasters or human disasters. In 2003, for example, when many coal miners in Dnipropetrovsk and Donetsk were killed, the newspapers published stories about how much help the miners’ widows and children were getting, including help from the UNWLA. I was in Ukraine with the late Barbara Bachynsky who was Social Welfare Chair at the time. When I apologized to some of the women we had assisted that our aid contributions were small compared to what they were getting from other sources, they replied, “We did not get any help from anybody.” Very little seems to have changed. In Donetsk, we stayed in Hotel Kyiv. Situated in lovely surroundings, the hotel unfortunately reflects Soviet architectural style and Soviet indifference to amenities. But we did have an air conditioning unit and it worked and we here very happy. The following day as we were getting ready to get on the bus in front of the hotel, young konsomoltsi wearing red shirts sporting the Soviet hammer and with sickle and holding matching flags protested our presence in the area; someone was holding a sign proclaiming “Famine a Myth.” Ignoring them as much as possible, we boarded the bus that was taking us to a monument honoring Taras Shevchenko. At the monument, we paused to lay wreaths. The first was placed by UWC President Dr. Askold Lozynsky; the second was from WFUWO President Maria Szkambara, UNWLA President Iryna Kurowyckyj, and UNWL of Australia President Christina Syvenka-Baily.
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