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
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЛИСТОПАД 2011 15 WHAT CAN WE DO SO THAT OUR DAUGHTERS AND GRANDDAUGHTERS UNDERSTAND THAT BEING A UKRAINIAN WOMAN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH VARENYKY , CROSS - STITCH, OR KOZACHOK ? T HE UNWLA, UCU AND AN E NDOWED G ENDER S TUDIES P ROGRAM UNWLA has many achievements, most so far not fully documented and many not recognized by our own Ukrainian community in the United States. Among the latter is the extent of UNWLA support of the major projects of our community, such as the erection of the statue of Shevchenko in the nation’s capital and support of the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. Even the founding and initial critical suppo rt of the Ukrainian Museum in New York is frequently overlooked within our broader community. It is enough for us to know the true measure of our work, and usually that recognition is adequate. We know we make a difference through our program of kindergart ens, we made a difference with the Lesia Ukrainka statue in Cleveland, and we made a difference through our publications and the financial help offered in the first years of Ukraine’s renewed independence. Through the years, Ukrainian women’s organizations and individual philanthropists have done much to promote the understanding of women’s role in the historical development of Ukraine. With a clear conscience we can claim that we have demonstrated that feminism is not a so - called “Western” import, but rath er an organic development within Ukrainian societies. The books and conferences we have supported helped Ukrainian women become aware of this. Natalia Danylenko has even established a Women’s Studies Center at the University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. Is the community aware of these achievements, of the thousands of hours we spend on various projects, of even the physical effort that goes into our work? Are our own daughters aware of the battles their grandmothers and mothers fought so that they could make the choices they now take for granted? What have we, as women of Ukrainian heritage in the United States, done to ensure that this heritage not be subsumed exclusively under a simplified male interpretation? What can we do so that our daughters and granddaugh ters understand that being a Ukrainian woman has nothing to do with varenyky , cross - stitch, or kozachok? Of course, those skills are good, but will they get us to be the CEO of Google? Let’s review some basics about women’s organizations. We all know that there is no “woman question” as such. There are societal issues, which the society, for whatever reasons, has not addressed. So women’s organizations are often practical and address the needs of the whole society. In a society such as ours, where we still have to assert, if no longer struggle for, our national identity, women’s organizations turn toward support of educational and cultural activities of the whole society, putting our own needs way back, off the stove completely. Welfare, child - care, children ’s publications, health support, elder care — all of these are noble pursuits, none of them self - serving, yet none directly contributing toward the ambitions of the giver, except to give more. To provide really effective support in these fields, we need majo r funding, which, of course, we do not have. So we support individual projects in Ukraine, we support students who were unable to gather other scholarship money with small scholarships, we provide minimal relief to the elderly, and we support this or that part of a hospital. Nothing wrong with that picture, but is that the most effective way to use the little funding we have? We give fish, but for all our holy intentions, we are not Christ, and the fish do not multiply. The consummate women’s welfare societ ies — our religious orders — struggle for
Page load link
Go to Top
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 
