On May 19, 2021, the Holodomor Descendants’ Network announced the launch of its website (www.hdn.ukrainianworldcongress.org) and opened the registration process to all descendants of Holodomor victims globally.
The Holodomor Descendants’ Network was established by the Ukrainian World Congress on the initiative of its International Coordinating Committee for Holodomor Awareness and Recognition in November 2020. It is the first global community to unite descendants of survivors of the Holodomor (1932-1933).
The Network documents and shares the accounts of families’ experiences during the artificially imposed famine, raises awareness among Holodomor descendants of the intergenerational follow-on effects of the genocide; remembers and honors the memory of innocent victims, and defends the truth about the Holodomor in the face of disinformation. Olya Soroka, an active member of the Ukrainian community in Chicago, is Chair of the Holodomor Descendants Network.
Olya is a member of the U.S. Committee for Ukrainian Holodomor-Genocide Awareness, a member of the Board of the Ukrainian American Freedom Foundation, and is involved in many non-governmental community organizations that promote and defend Ukraine’s interests internationally.
The Holodomor Descendants’ Network operates within the framework of a global mission and objectives, executed at the regional or national level through local networks. The first such national network began operations in the United States in 2020 under the auspices of the U.S. Committee for Ukrainian Holodomor-Genocide Awareness of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America. In April 2021, the Canadian network was launched by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress National Holodomor Awareness Committee.
One of the initial ambassadors of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network is Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady of Ukraine (2005-2010).
The role of the Ambassadors, each of whom is a blood relative of Holodomor victims is to represent the Network internationally, to help disseminate information, and to assist in communication with various organizations and institutions.
Holodomor Descendants’ Network Partners:
The National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide. The Museum has as its ultimate mission the prevention of future genocides globally through the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge about the Holodomor. The Museum teaches to resist hatred and human rights violations and warns society against the recurrence of the crime of genocide by accumulating and disseminating knowledge about the Holodomor.
The Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance. The Institute implements state policy with respect to restoration and preservation of national historical memory.
Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta. The Centre promotes research, study, and understanding of the Holodomor Genocide in Ukraine. HREC was established in 2013 with the generous support of the Temerty Foundation as a project of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS).
“As descendants of Holodomor survivors, we have a unique opportunity to ensure that the suffering of our families is known so that no other nation ever suffers such a tragedy again. We have a moral obligation to share this history with the world. By uniting Holodomor Descendants globally, we will be the personal voice for our survivor families and together we will memorialize the victims and raise awareness of the follow-on effects of the Holodomor on future generations.”
Olya Soroka
Chair of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network
“The Holodomor was a crime against humanity. It left its scars not only on those who lived through it but also on their descendants. They continue to carry the constant and unforgettable pain in their hearts. When initiating the Holodomor Descendants Network, the UWC had two intentions: to assist the descendants who endure this ongoing pain to address it collectively and to seek international justice for the millions who perished under Stalin’s boot. The world must not only remember this act of Genocide but condemn it. The Network will continue to carry the flame of remembrance, calling for justice in the name of all who perished or lived through this human tragedy”.
Stefan Romaniw OAM
Chairman, UWC International Coordinating Committee
for Holodomor Awareness and Recognition
“I am the daughter of two Ukrainians who survived the Holodomor. The Holodomor is a terrible truth that the world must hear. I am an Ambassador of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network because I believe it is very important for the world to know about this great tragedy, not only by the statistics but also by the familial accounts.”
Kateryna Yushchenko
Ambassador of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network
