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The UNWLA Scholarship Program: A Concise History Luba Bilowchtchuk, Anna Krawczuk and Dr. Theodozia Sawycka. Yonkers, NY, 1992. Introduction The UNWLA, Inc., Scholarship/Children-Student Sponsorship Program was established in 1967 to enhance and create opportunities through education and to preserve Ukrainian cultural heritage within and outside of the United States of America. Development of Scholarship Program: financial assistance to pupils and students From the beginning of its history, the UNWLA has understood the importance of education. In the early years, the main emphasis was on promoting edu cation by awarding scholarships to UNWLA members. Individual branches also awarded scholar ships to countries outside of the United States. In 1932, UNWLA Branch 28 of Newark, New Jersey, began assisting students in Ukraine. After World War II, with Ukraine behind the Iron Curtain, the UNWLA turned its attention to aiding Ukrainian students in Poland. The political and economic situation in Poland was such that their efforts and funding had to be secretive; the funds were sent under the general classification of “Scholarships to Europe.” UNWLA Branch 28 and UNWLA Honor ary Member Sophia Andrushkiw were instrumental in this effort. Mrs. Andrushkiw first served on the UNWLA Welfare Committee with Maria Chymy- nec in 1967; she continued her outstanding work under the chairmanships of Dr. Theodozia Sawycka and Anna Krawczuk. In 1983, Mrs. Andrushkiw resigned and Vera Mycio took over this important function. By 1990, the political situation in Poland had changed dramatically, and the secret system of educational funding could be abandoned. By 1991, open assistance to students in Poland was fully integrated into our program. Since 1967 we have focused on one student—one sponsor at a time. It was in 1967 that the UNWLA, Inc., Scholar- ship/Children-Student Sponsorship Program first learned about Ukrainians in South America, es pecially those living in Brazil and Argentina, and their dedication to educating young people of Ukrainian descent. Since then, our program began awarding scholarships to orphaned and disadvan taged children in these countries. As the program in South America evolved, the criterion grew to in clude older students who needed financial assis tance while pursuing studies in secondary schools and beyond. Because funding has always been a matter of great concern, a special sponsorship program was established for this purpose. Program chair Dr. Theodosia Sawycka (1971-1981) visited Ukrainian communities in re mote villages in Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay. Returning to the United States, she developed her master plan: individual sponsorship coordinated through networks of UNWLA branches and membership. Organizational centralization became the key factor of this coordinated endeavor. To ensure transparency, accountability, and the trust of contributors, all scholarship recipients were re quired to maintain routine correspondence with their respective sponsors. Anna Krawczuk, who chaired the program from 1981 to 1993, traveled to Brazil, Poland, Yugoslavia, and Ukraine to assess the needs of young students in those countries. By 1990, we were providing assistance to approximately 1,000 students annually in seventeen countries, each of them individually sponsored by UNWLA branches and/or members, organizations, and people of good will who believed in the ideals of our program. For coordination purposes in Ukraine, a partnership with Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine was established.
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