UWC vice president leads discussion on talking to children about the Holodomor

The Malvy Literary Club Australia hosted an international literary discussion on how to talk to children about the Holodomor, as shared by Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler, UWC Vice President for Southern and Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Türkiye, and Lebanon.

“The event provided a platform for sharing Holodomor stories passed down through generations. Participants shared their own family memories, which brought a unique sincerity and emotional depth to the gathering,” wrote Poshyvaylo-Towler of the online event.

Representatives from nine countries participated in the event: Australia, Switzerland, Turkiye, the United Kingdom, the UAE, Japan, Tunisia, Kazakhstan, and Lebanon.

“We witnessed firsthand how literature can become a powerful tool for preserving memory,” added the UWC Vice President.

A key part of the event was a discussion of “Through Fire over Water,” a collection of memoirs by a woman from Poltava who lived through the tragedy of the Holodomor, compiled by Nataliya Poshyvaylo-Towler. 

Another focal point was a discussion of the book “Holodomor: Silenced Voices of the Starved Children” by Australian-born Lesia Melnychuk.

She “captivated both adult and young participants with her research on Holodomor testimonies, which she gathered in Australia in the early 2000s while working on her dissertation,” Poshyvaylo-Towler shared.

The testimonies collected by Melnychuk found their place not only in books for adults but also in carefully crafted children’s books.

The event also featured the presentation of a book inspired by the UWC documentary “Names on the Wall”, which focuses on the events in the Chernihiv regional village of Yahidne Russian occupation in 2022, as well as the story of Valeriia Prokopenko, a young girl who experienced those events.