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Dr. Teodozia Sawyckyj 1971–1981 “Ukrainians helping Ukrainian students” Dr. Teodozia Sawyckyj, a social worker in Uti - ca, NY, was elected Chair of the Social Welfare Standing Committee at the UNWLA Conven - tion in 1971, at which time she initiated the Scholarship Program for Brazil. Her com - mittee included Sophia Andrushkiw, who was responsible for confidential scholarship assistance in Europe. Anna Krawczuk head - ed the newly formed UNWLA Pen Pal Club, which operated under the slogan “Ukraini - ans of the world – let’s get acquainted,” and Irena Kaczaniwska served as financial direc - tor. In 1973, when Dr. Sawyckyj and her daugh - ter Anisa (Handzia) visited Ukrainian settle - ments in Brazil and Ukrainian communities in Paraguay and Argentina, they saw how Ukrainian farmers lived on their allotted set - tlements (“colonies”) in Brazil, where edu - cation was free only through the 4th grade and most farmers could not afford to send their children to the cities to obtain at least a high-school-level education. Upon her return to the U.S., Dr. Sawyckyj formalized the scholarship criteria for re - cipients, which included knowledge of the Ukrainian language. The first Ukrainian im - migrants had arrived in Brazil in the late 1880s, bringing the Ukrainian language with them to the remote colonies they settled. The Scholarship Program was centralized, and all requests were sent to the Social Wel - fare Scholarship Chair. Student applications were reviewed and assigned to a sponsor. All students were obligated to write and thank their benefactors in Ukrainian. Sti - pends were sent to individuals who recom - mended applicants for scholarships. All donations were acknowledged. To recruit future sponsors and benefactors, Dr. Sawy - ckyj wrote articles for Ukrainian newspapers in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and else - where, and many readers responded with donations. UNWLA Branch 33 was the first sponsor, and Olga Korczagin of Brazil was our first alumna to graduate from the Uni - versity of Curitiba in 1973. At the UNWLA Convention in 1981, Dr. Sawy - ckyj was elected First VP of the UNWLA Ex - ecutive Board, and Anna Krawczuk took over her position on the National Board. Dr. Sawy - ckyj presented the first detailed report about the program, published in 1977 and covering 1967–1977; three years later, a second inform - ative booklet for 1978–1980 was published. Dr. Sawyckyj believed that the program was not only about monetary support, but also served to unite Ukrainians worldwide. Anna Krawczuk In 1992 (l-r) Luba Bilowchtchuk, Anna Krawczuk, Dr. Teodozia Sawyckyj. Anna Krawczuk 1981–1993 & 2015–2021 “The unifying force of all Ukrainians is the Ukrainian lan - guage” At the UNWLA Convention in 1981, I was elected Chair of the Social Welfare Standing Committee, which included the Schol - arship Program. At my request, the UNWLA Convention in 1984 approved a separate Scholarship/Children-Student Sponsorship Program Standing Committee, and I was elected its chair. From the onset of the scholarship program, orphans and needy/ underprivileged students have been our priority – in Brazil, Ar - gentina, Poland, Yugoslavia, and eventually, in 1991, in Ukraine. To our surprise, most of our scholarship recipients around the world dedicated their scholarships for students in Ukraine. UNWLA members, non-members, and Ukrainians in the free world, as well as people of good will in the U.S., Canada, Aus - tralia, and elsewhere, quickly began supporting students in need in Ukraine and became sponsors of our program. In 1985, Ksenia Hapij and I traveled to Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina to examine the status of the existing program and to determine whether and how this program might need to be expanded. To our amazement, the students and teachers in Brazil spoke Ukrainian, a language their ancestors brought from Ukraine 100 years earlier. At Colegio Santa Olga, young girls were taught religion and Ukrainian traditions, embroidery, cooking Ukrainian dishes, etc., while attending Brazilian schools. At St. Basil’s Seminary in Curitiba, young men were studying to become Ukrainian Catholic priests. In 1986, with the assistance of Ihor Hapij, Nadia Nynka, Luba Sira, and M. Orysia Jacus, the records of the Scholarship Program were computerized. Still a high school student, my son Myron Krawczuk prepared the database to fit our needs pro bono; he continues to serve as our IT person to this day. In 1988 the Scholarship Standing Committee was expanded with the addition of new volunteers: Dr. Teodozia Sawyckyj, So - phia Andrushkiw, Ksenia Hapij, Marie Hywel, Vera Mycio, Taissa Turiansky, Maria Polanskyj, and her daughter Odarka Polanskyj Stockert. That same year, M. Orysia Jacus took over as financial director from Taissa Turiansky; she held that position until 2018. Also in 1988, as millions of Ukrainians around the world cele - brated the Millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, 1,000 stu - dents were awarded scholarships in 17 countries, not including Ukraine. Following Ukraine’s proclamation of independence in 1991, M. Orysia Jacus and I visited Ukraine in 1992 and met with the leadership of Soyuz Ukrainok of Ukraine (SUU), then headed by President Atena Pashko, to discuss the scholarship program and make formal arrangements to provide scholarships to Ukraini - an students. A successful partnership with SUU is still in effect 9 НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ • Грудень 2022
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