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1 2 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “ НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ ”, КВІТЕНЬ 2020 Babusi Fund Some Information and a Query by Oka Hrycak , UNWLA Social Welfare Chair Gathering at the All - Ukrainian Society of Political Prisoners and Repressed Pers ons in Poltava As I write, I’m sitting here with my mother, Daria Samotulka, devoted Soyuzianka, in her cozy living room. She is relaxing after having lunch , a ham and cheese sandwich and tomato salad. Oh yes, we also split a beer because it’s my mother’ s 94 th birthday a nd splitting a beer is something we do twice a year (the other day is on my niece’s birthday ) . Th is scenario is in sharp contrast to what many elderly women experience in Ukraine. Here at the UNWLA, we fondly refer to the se elderly women a s ‘babusi’ and ho nor them with our Babusi Fund. I’m writing this because we’ve just passed the Christmas time of giving and because the UNWLA is especially generous with donations to Ukraine. Branch 98 recently designated $1 , 000 to the Babusi Fund , which was disbursed th rough the leadership of Oreslava Khomyk, president of the Ukrainian National Women’s League in Ukraine. Though we have not yet received the final report, it is expected that a total of 55 women from all oblasts were recipients of our aid. But what few peop le know is that in order to get a festive Christmas greeting and a small gift of approximately $20, each wom a n we help has to meet at least one of the following criteria : 1. live alone, receiving no family support 2. be a care giver for or phan grandchildre n 3. be a care giver for a disabled family member 4. needs one - time intervention for an emergency situation. Babusi in Ukraine received our UNWLA Christmas spirit kindness through another channel as well : the All - Ukrainian Society of Poli tical Prisoners and Repressed Persons. Th is organization was formed in 1989 to combine members’ efforts with the goals of building a self - governing, democratic Ukraine and provid ing material assistance to qualifying members throughout most oblasts. This ye ar alone, the UNWLA has already provided $5,000 to be disbursed , at approximately $20 per woman. In the days before Christmas, at a gathering in Poltava, members and families of the Society came together to pay tribute to those who had lived through the h orrors of the past. Anatoliy Banny, editor of the newspaper Pryvatna Sprava , led the event. He recognized the strength and solidarity of members who had endured inhumane situations under enemy rule. Mr. Banny read a greeting from UNWLA President Marianna Zajac (transl ated here ): “ In this festive Christmas Season and New Year from far away America, we send sincere greetings and good wishes. May good health be with you and may good fortune and peace come to our dear Ukraine. We thank you for all you have suffered and have done to rebuild our nation . . . we believe that wit h the birth of Christ, H e will keep Ukraine in H is embrace, and Ukraine will prevail. We wish you delicious kutia! May the shinin g Christmas star brighten your journey. ” Former prisoners or families shared a few stories. Several of these are shared below .
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