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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЖОВТЕНЬ 2016 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 13 In the opening paragraph of last month’s (September 2016) issue of Our Life , I wrote that I would be “celebrating” Ukraine’s 25 th anniversary of independence in Kyiv with Roksolana Misilo but that we would be doing so with mixed feelings due to the persistent lack of reform in the government as well as to the ongoing war and turmoil in the country. This was not only our takeaway but also the general sentiment voiced by the representa- tives of the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations and the World Congress of Ukrainians at their annual meetings. Roksolana and I will be describing in detail our meetings, hos- pital visits, and other experiences during our Au- gust 16–31 trip to Ukraine in the November issue of OL; however, I would like to cover a few inci- dents in this issue. We also invite you to read the account (written in Ukrainian) by Lidia Bilous, Chair of our Social Welfare program, about her May 2016 visit to Ukraine and the intense work ac- complished while in Ukraine (pages 4-8). The first subject I must address in this is- sue pertains to the recognition bestowed upon di- aspora organizational leaders at an event held at the Taras Shevchenko National Opera House in Kyiv on August 22. To our great dismay, WFUWO was ignored in the introduction of world umbrella organization gatherings in Kyiv, nor was there any formal recognition of WFUWO as an umbrella or- ganization of 30 women’s organizations in 20 countries during the ceremony bestowing medals of recognition to organizations selected for this honor by the Ukrainian government. The reports of many member WFUWO organizations the pre- vious day made it patently clear that the Ukrainian women of the world diaspora have taken on the hu- manitarian aid of the wounded and their families as well as the families of the fallen with over- whelming commitment, conviction, and action. These women have steadily represented and de- fended Ukraine’s interests throughout the world. Moreover, none of us works on our respective pro- grams looking for accolades; however, when other organizations (all of whose presidents are men) re- ceived 25 th anniversary medals from President Po- roshenko, the omission of WFUWO became bla- tantly obvious. Immediately after the Kyiv Opera event, an ad hoc committee was formed to write and email a letter of protest to the President of Ukraine who had personally presented the medals at the event. A copy of the letter (see page 3) was presented to WFUWO delegates the next day. Committee members (left to right). Oleksandra Kunovska Mondoux, WFUWO United Nations representative in Ge- neva; Roksolana Misilo, UNWLA VP of Public Relations; Myroslava Malychok, WFUWO Administrator; Martha Kichorowska Kebalo, PhD, Main WFUWO UN Repre- sentative; Halya Kasyan, President, Ukrainian Women’s Association of Australia; and UNWLA’s President Mari- ana Zajac. On the following day, at a World Congress buffet dinner, five women, including WFUWO President Orysia Sushko, were presented with a medal of recognition by the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, Stepan Kubiv. We do not know whether this was prompted by the letter emailed to Presi- dent Poroshenko; however, neither the venue nor the audience were accorded the prominence of the previous day’s event—it seemed “after the fact” and as the Ukrainian saying goes, “mushtarda po obidi” (mustard after dinner)! As Ukrainian women ac- tivists who have worked tirelessly to support Ukraine’s people and Ukraine’s sovereignty, we should—or rather, we must—strive for recognition for our contributions! During our two week visit to Ukraine, we became profoundly aware of the unresolved issues and precarious situation confronting the Ukrain- ian people, particularly their uncertain future. But we also witnessed a glimmer of faith in that future, bolstered by the strength and resilience we saw in the eyes and souls of so many of the Ukrainian peo- ple we met. And because of this, we choose to be hopeful. __________________
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