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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЧЕРВЕНЬ 2017 WWW.UNWLA.ORG 11 versity. One of the most complicated and challeng- ing side effects of the ongoing war is the psycho- logical trauma suffered by soldiers or by the fami- lies who have lost loved ones or by the refugee fam- ilies living in a combat zone: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD. The PTSD problem is multidi- mensional in nature and requires a wide range of interventions. Fortunately, PTSD is also treatable, and treatment can produce dramatic results. His- torically, mental health issues in Ukraine have been taboo and not addressed head on. For this reason among many, the UNWLA is very proud to be instrumental in the development of Prostir Na- dii , which in its literal and symbolic translation means “Space of Hope.” Full healing requires both physical treatment (physical rehabilitation) and spiritual treatment (mental rehabilitation). Only when these two factors are addressed jointly, when treatment is aimed at the whole person, can society heal. The Mental Health Institute is also at the forefront of using the most current psychological principles in its treatment approaches as Dr. Ulana Suprun emphasized when we consulted her before the agreement between us was officially signed. It is important to note that our agreement with the Mental Health Institute ensures that the popula- tion affected by this war be treated without cost. Through the selfless efforts and support of Drs. Maria Furtak and Vasyl Pazyniak, our eyes and ears (and hands and feet) in Ukraine, we have been able to help scores of wounded. From the mo- ment our Social Welfare Chair established the UN- WLA War Victims’ Fund, it was decided to help only on an individual basis, that is, face to face. This methodology has proved to be challenging, has required much traveling, and has produced for each of us who visited the wounded with many heart-wrenching moments. But these experiences have also given us an understanding of the human suffering and family disruptions that are at the very core of this war and have also strengthened the commitment and the motivation to continue on this path. We have visited the wounded in the hospitals of Dnipro, in Zaporizha, in Zhytomry, in Kharkiv, in Kyiv, and in Lviv, but the wounded sol- diers and volunteers themselves come from all ob- lasts of Ukraine. In addition, families from all over Ukraine have been helped through the UNWLA “Adopt a Family” program. The UNWLA’s ongoing partnership with Doctors Collaborating to Help Children and with Dr. Gennadiy Fuzaylov has resulted in our organi- zation’s annual support of the Shriner’s Outreach Clinic in Lviv. Since this partnership began, ap- proximately 140 pediatric burn patients are being examined each year, approximately 35 of these are chosen to be operated on during the mission, and the most serious cases are brought to the United States for no-cost treatment at Shriners Hospital in Boston. In December 2015, I had the oppor- tunity to attend one of the largest of these annual clinics and it was only then, as I witnessed the doz- ens of parents who had travelled from across Ukraine in search of hope for their children af- fected by burn injuries, that I fully realized the ex- tent and effect of this project. As an extension of this mission, the UNWLA has also become in- volved in a pediatric burn prevention program: an educational platform for parents, which has proved to be very effective. The next such mission is scheduled for September of this year. This coop- erative partnership will continue and evolve. In 2017, the UNWLA is celebrating the 50 th anniversary of the Scholarship Program, which, since its founding in 1967, has evolved into the pride and joy of our organization. We can only marvel at the number of lives this fine program has touched. It is with deep sorrow but tremendous gratitude that we remember our long-time Schol- arship Program chair Maria Polanskyj, who passed away in December 2015. May she rest in peace. This year we also celebrate the 50 th anni- versary of the Kovaliv Fund, which presents awards for literary and historical works. Over the decades, the competition has expanded and has been enthusiastically embraced by authors of both genres. For 2017, we have already received 105 en- tries. It is because of the above-mentioned suc- cessful projects and because of the UNWLA’s on- going endeavors in Ukraine, to which each of you has contributed financial and/or moral support, that our work and our endeavors have been recog- nized by the Ukrainian people. Earlier this year, the UNWLA was presented with the “Blahodijna Ukraina” award, an honor bestowed on individual and organizational volunteers. The UNWLA won first place in the “Volunteer from Abroad” cate- gory! Allow me to thank our membership for be- stowing on me the honor and trust to lead and rep- resent our organization during these past three years, a defining period in the history of Ukraine, which has challenged each of us. Using the UN- WLA bylaws and resolutions passed during the XXX Convention in Tarrytown, New York, in 2014 as a guide, I was proud to represent the UNWLA both in the United States and in Ukraine. Our Na- tional Board members moved forward quickly with initiatives that have been regularly reported on the pages of Our Life as well as in the latest convention
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