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Humanitarian/Medical Civil Society News

CUF-UCC UKRAINE HUMANITARIAN APPEAL

Ukrainian Canadian Leadership Establishes Humanitarian Relief Hub in Preparation for Further Russian Invasion

TORONTO/OTTAWA – The Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) and the Canada-Ukraine Foundation (CUF) today announced the establishment of a Humanitarian Relief Committee in preparation of a humanitarian crisis ensuing from further Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Ukraine Humanitarian Relief Committee is established jointly by the two organizations to formalize a coordinated approach in providing humanitarian assistance quickly and efficiently to those in need in Ukraine to address any further aggression by Russia. The committee will work with the Ukrainian Canadian community across Canada to reduce duplication of effort, increase efficiency and ensure aid efforts have the most effective impact for Ukrainian citizens affected by crisis.

A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between UCC and CUF details a framework for mutual collaboration. The MOA’s main purpose and scope is as follows:

  • to work collaboratively on humanitarian assistance initiatives directed towards Ukraine, facilitating uniform and coordinated action between the UCC and CUF, its branches, and members, while building on the recognized expertise, experience, and resources of each organization;
  • to develop projects that will combine the subject matter and implementation experience of CUF with the expertise of UCC in uniting the Ukrainian Canadian community;
  • to offer donors and other stakeholders an opportunity to make contributions and receive reports through a single channel; and
  • to adopt a coordinated approach in collaboration with donors and other stakeholders who wish to support people in Ukraine affected by crisis.

The main efforts of cooperation will be to provide humanitarian assistance/relief in the areas of Assistance to displaced persons, Medical care, Emergency shelter and Food security. The roles and responsibilities of UCC and CUF are detailed in the MOA, including financial accountability, reporting requirements and overall transparency to the Ukrainian Canadian community.

The members of the committee are:

  • Victor Hetmanczuk – Chair
  • Oksana Kuzyshyn – Vice-Chair
  • Olesia Luciw-Andryjowycz – Secretary
  • Anna Kuprieieva – Member

“The Ukrainian Canadian community is extremely concerned about the ongoing escalation of Russian aggression on Ukraine’s borders. As Canadians, we stand with the Ukrainian people, and their right to enjoy freedom, democracy, and live in a safe and secure independent state,” stated Alexandra Chyczij, National President of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.  

“For almost three decades, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation has helped coordinate and deliver humanitarian aid to Ukraine as it makes strides to grow its democracy towards economic prosperity and freedom,” added Orest Sklierenko, CUF’s President and CEO. “Our foundation was created to help in times of need; with the continued aggression and interference from the Putin regime, we are turning to all Canadians to help support this vital humanitarian work.”

The Ukrainian Canadian Congress brings together under one umbrella all the national, provincial and local Ukrainian Canadian organizations.  The Canada-Ukraine Foundation was formed in order to coordinate, develop, organize and deliver assistance projects generated by Canadians and directed to Ukraine.

Donations in support of humanitarian relief can be made through: www.cufoundation.ca or by sending a cheque to CUF office.

For further information:  [email protected]

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News

Father Dr. Jaroslaw Shudrak: a priest, a doctor, a friend and a benefactor (1943-2022)

It is with deep sorrow that we learned of the passing of Father Dr. Jaroslaw Shudrak, a wonderful person, an exceptional doctor, a patriot of Ukraine, a devout priest.

Born in Lviv in 1943, his family was forced to leave Ukraine due to the Soviet regime, emigrating to Europe and then to Canada.

During his professional career as a dentist, Dr. Shudrak believed that the dentist’s role was far beyond just fixing teeth. His amiable personality and great sense of humour always made for a pleasant dental visit.

He was always open to others and himself. In his adult years, he followed his calling and became a deacon first, and after receiving the Sacrament of the Priesthood, he zealously served the Church of Christ and Ukraine.

Father Dr. Jaroslaw Shudrak was one of the founders and the first President of the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund (CCCF), which coordinated the medical and humanitarian assistance from Canadian benefactors for relevant organizations and institutions in Ukraine to help the victims of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster, especially children.

As the CCCF became acquainted with the humanitarian situation in Ukraine during the crisis of the 1990s, the target group expanded. The Dzherelo Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv became a permanent partner and recipient of support for many years.

From the very beginnings of the CCCF and Druzi Dzherela, Dr. Father Shudrak was instrumental in supporting the delivery of equipment and supplies to Dzherelo Centre and the various other CCCF projects of the Children of Chornobyl Canadian Fund.

From the Canada-Ukraine Foundation and Dzherelo Center, we offer our condolences to his family and friends. Father Dr. Jaroslaw Shudrak was a very respected man, and we are grateful for the gift of his life!

May He rest in Lord!

Вічная Пам’ять!

__________

The family asks to donate to the Dzherelo Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv through the Canada-Ukraine Foundation as an expression of sympathy.

Donations may be made either by cheque payable to CUF – Dzherelo and sent to Canada-Ukraine Foundation, 620 Spadina Avenue, Suite 200, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 2H4 or online at cufoundation.ca (on donation page under “fund” choose Dzherelo)

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News

Dr. Roman Petryshyn, C.M. appointed as Member of the Order of Canada

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is proud to announce the appointment of our own Dr. Roman Petryshyn, C.M. as a Member of the Order of Canada today. This is a tremendous achievement and one of Canada’s highest civilian honours. The Order of Canada exists to acknowledge outstanding accomplishments, the recipient’s dedication to their community, as well as their service to the country. Recipients of this accolade have aided in the betterment of Canada.

Dr. Petryshyn was a founding member of CUF and for the last 27 years he has continually contributed with us towards the completion and oversight on several of the Foundations projects, primarily education initiatives among other programs.

Dr. Petryshyn has been engaged in the design and delivery of technical assistance projects throughout Russia and Ukraine since 1991, in his position at the University of MacEwan’s representative office. At that institution he also held the title of director of the Ukrainian Resource and Development Centre (URDC), as well as the Doris Kule Chair in Ukrainian Community and International Development.

In 2008 to 2013 he also led MacEwan’s participation in the project that introduced legislation, policies, and pilot schools’ practices on Inclusive Education in L’viv and Simferopol which have now been accepted throughout the entire educational system in Ukraine.

Congratulations Roman! Вітаємо тебе Романе!

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Uncategorized News

Christmas Greetings from CUF

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Uncategorized News

A message from the President

Dear friends and supporters of the Canada Ukraine Foundation,

I hope this message finds you and your loved ones well.

In last winter’s newsletter, you learned that CUF’s board had evolved and brought in several new faces. I also told you about a fairly rigorous strategic planning process which we undertook during the first COVID summer of 2020.

In this past summer’s newsletter, I thanked all our partner organizations and donors, our directors, committee members and volunteers. I also welcomed Ambassador Waschuk to the board, and introduced CUF’s first staff member, Julia Stech.

In this winter’s update, I’m pleased to report over the course of 2021, we have made progress in pursuit of achieving our strategic objectives. In this newsletter you will read about some of our recently launched projects, including “Oxygen for Life”, from our healthcare committee, and “Let’s Clean Donbas Together”, a demining initiative spearheaded by our civil society committee. Both these projects fit squarely in our mandate, which includes working with partners here in Canada and on the ground in Ukraine, to achieve our objectives for the benefit of the ultimate recipient.

I don’t need to tell the readers how and why CUF was established 27 years ago, but I will inform you that over these 27 years, CUF has led the provision of more than $20 million dollars of humanitarian support through its projects, programs and partnerships.

Organizationally, CUF has a board of 28 directors, and an Executive Committee made up of the corporate officers as well as regional VPs and key committee leads. Operationally, there are both internally focused and externally focused committees, and directors might sit on multiple committees depending on their role, their skillset and their bandwidth.

As the COO, Oksana Kuzyshyn has been integral at creating, aligning and organizing the various processes, SOPs, agreements, applications and leveraging our summer students who came on around the same time as our first staff member. Oksana, along with other members of the board, provided leadership as the students helped contribute towards accelerating the organization of the office, the digitization of the archives, and a refresh of the CUF branding and communications functions.

Julia Stech came on board in June as CUF’s Executive Coordinator, and in less than 6 months has already impressed with her ability to take on vast amounts of information – from a variety of diverse voices – to appropriately identify what to prioritize and helped support both internal and external committees as they set about helping CUF achieve its mission.

The internal committees – governance, fundraising, audit/finance and marketing – have been areas of focus for me over the first half of this three-year mandate. Based upon the progress made internally, the hiring of our first staff member, and coinciding with what seems to be a swing back to near-normal activity in the external environment, I have felt my focus shift externally, towards more interactions with our partner organizations, our projects and programs, and other external stakeholders including long-term and prospective donors.

Hopefully this update has made you better acquainted with:

• how CUF is structured and operates
• how the board and staff have made strides towards achieving our strategic goals, and
• some of our recent and upcoming projects positively impacting real lives on the ground in Ukraine, which you can read about further in this newsletter and on our website

All this work is accomplished by a dedicated staff member, a committed board, the support of our member and partner organizations, and the community overall.

Thank you all for your continued support of our mission. Please be sure to follow our social media channels. A donation or two to any of our projects or to the CUF general fund (which helps run the office and usually provides seed money for new projects) is always appreciated.

Best wishes to you and your loved ones for a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy holiday season.

Orest Sklierenko,

President and CEO

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Uncategorized Community/Education Humanitarian/Medical News

News from Dzherelo Children’s Rehabilitation Centre

Dzherelo Children’s Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv, Ukraine has been operating differently since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, yet it continues to meet the children’s needs and many new challenges.

Much is happening: in-person services and programs are undertaken with safety protocols in place, as well as online support and instruction/education for parents, children, and youth. A home visits program for Early Intervention services was initiated. As a result, two more Dzherelo community branches opened for children and youth, and two more outreach branches are being planned. Professional development for staff was undertaken, where video interaction supervisors were trained and certified. In addition, Dzherelo Centre continues to share its knowledge and experience with teams from other cities in Ukraine, such as Vinnytsia. Dzherelo was recently recognized for its innovations and is partnering with UNESCO to expand their unique communication program through different parts of the country. Dzherelo is in the final stages of a significant structural renovations project that included the modernization of systems in the original Dzherelo building, which were showing signs of deterioration.


One cannot overstate the importance of all the valuable support Dzherelo has received from Canada since its inception in 1993, including the four tireless co-founders, consultants for organizational development, as well as architectural and construction consultants. Canadian Armed Forces continue to volunteer and provide financial support. And volunteers from Friends of Dzherelo in Toronto provide awareness and fundraising. For all this Dzherelo is truly grateful!


This past September, these same volunteer Friends of Dzherelo raised funds through their “Mira’s Treasures Pop-Up Sale” event. They brought over two hundred participants to the Plast Huculak Centre in Toronto to donate and buy various pre-loved personal objects, clothing, books, and jewelry.

The Director of Dzherelo Centre, Zoreslava Liulchak, writes:
“In order to keep Dzherelo a valuable and unique organization, there is a great need for us to share our commitment to improve the quality of life for all our chil-dren. Dzherelo thanks you and all their many supporters for their help.”


The Directors and supporters of Dzherelo Centre are dreaming BIG; they wish to expand their unique network of services in Ukraine. Two more satellite branches are planned (no.7 & no.8) in Lviv, plus a first-in-Ukraine “Supported Living Residence” for young people and assistants. They wish to spread expertise on alternative and supportive methods of communication for children with disabilities to other parts of Ukraine.

 

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Uncategorized Community/Education News

“Stependiat” Sponsorship of Higher Education for Orphanage Students in Ukraine

“Stependiat” sponsorship program is mounted by the charitable foundation “Pryyateli Ditey” in Kyiv under the direction of Maryna Krysa.


The goal of this project is to provide orphans graduating from an Internat (high school) the opportunity to receive a higher education from post-secondary institutions.


A Director of an orphanage tries to find placement for his students either in a local technical school or college with courses such as electricity, plumbing, masonry, culinary skills, hairdressing, massage, or transportation. He aims higher for his more promising students who are capable of tackling accounting, taxes, engineering, economics, medicine. National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy has created a “catch-up” year for such students since they’ve had a lesser quality education in an orphanage, after which they can then enter first year.


Through the Stependiat program a Director works with Maryna Krysa to facilitate the often traumatic move out into the world from the cocoon-like safety of an orphanage. Therefore, seminars are held by Pryyateli Ditey for groups of about 20 new students each summer, where they meet and learn survival skills from teachers and psychologists covering topics such as safety, medical care, finances, nutrition, etc. Arrangements are made for their housing.


Sponsors are needed for their living expenses. The cost is U.S. $600. per student per year. Most courses are 3 years, except for graduate or medical school. From this money the students receive monthly stipends for textbooks, school supplies, winter clothing, medical visits, and food. They must bring into the office the item they bought (eg. boots) and show the receipt. Guiding them to handle money wisely is a large part of their education.


Over the 20 years of this program, graduates have been successful in finding work in their field, in the government, and even in prestigious spots like the Bill Clinton Foundation. They are very grateful. From a rocky start in life, we can help these children to find success in adulthood.

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation is very honoured to support the Stependiat program and administer donations from Canadian donors.

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Uncategorized Civil Society Community/Education Humanitarian/Medical News

CUF President announces inaugural members of CUF Advisory Council

CUF leadership has recognized that we have individuals in Canada, Ukraine and other parts of the world who can be resources to CUF without formally joining its board. We have had guest members on some of our committees and this continues to this day. To build on our depth of understanding in the various areas of our program and project work, the CUF board recently approved the creation of an advisory council, to “provide strategic and other sector specific advice to the President, the Board, the Executive and other Board Committees of CUF on matters and areas of activity undertaken by CUF.” From time to time, we will announce new advisory council members to support CUF priorities.
Today, I am delighted to announce the inaugural members of the Canada-Ukraine Foundation Advisory Council. They are subject matter experts, leaders and influencers in their respective fields, and our board and committees look forward to acquiring guidance and inspiration in their areas of expertise, as well as augmenting our youth engagement and succession planning capabilities.

Education Advisory Council

Sergiy Kvit, an expert and a commentator on educational issues, currently is the Head of the National Agency for Higher Education Quality Assurance and a professor of Kyiv-Mohyla School of Journalism. In 2002-07, he was a Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies Faculty at the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. He founded the Kyiv-Mohyla School of Journalism in 2001 and became a President of the Media Reform Centre, set up to initiate open debate and promote more transparent media and government. In 2005-2011, he was a Chairman of the Consortium of University Autonomy. He has been rector (president) of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy from 2007 until 2014. Serhiy Kvit occupied the position of the Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine in 2014-2016 when progressive Laws “On Higher Education” (2014) and “On Scientific and Scientific-Technical Activity” (On Science and Research, 2015) were adopted. In 2015, Sergiy Kvit signed an agreement that allowed Ukrainian scientists and businesses to fully participate in Horizon 2020 (H2020), the European Union’s flagship research program. Dr. Kvit’s research focuses on educational and media reforms, mass communications, and philosophical hermeneutics; he has published several books and numerous articles. He has a Ph.D. from the Ukrainian Free University (Germany) and a doctorate in philology. He held Fulbright scholarship at Ohio University and Stanford University, Kennan Institute scholarship at the Woodrow Wilson International Centre in Washington, DC and a DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) scholarship at the University of Cologne.

Anna Novosad, served as Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine from August 2019 till March 2020. On her position managed to roll out systemic reform of higher education funding and governance, and successfully lobbied for endorsement of the new Law on general secondary education, which allowed to continue the general school reform. Prior to the Ministerial post Anna held different positions at the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine. At various times she served as a counsellor to the Minister, head of international relations and head of strategic planning and European integration, where she expanded the EU-Ukraine cooperation in science and education and accomplished the Ukraine’s association to the Horizon 2020 program. Anna joined the public service in 2014, after the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity. In 2019 was elected as a member of Ukrainian Parliament. Currently remains in education sector in expert role. Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program 2013 alumni. US State Department Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program fellow 2021-2022. Holds MA degree in Analyzing Europe from the Maastricht University, the Netherlands, and BA degree in Political Science from the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine.

Healthcare Advisory Council

Dr. Oleh Antonyshyn is a Professor in the Division of Plastic Surgery at the University of Toronto, with a subspecialty practice in craniomaxillofacial surgery. He earned his medical degree from the University of Toronto in 1980, and completed his surgical residency at the University of Western Ontario in 1985. Following his certification in Plastic Surgery, he pursued an additional 4 years of subspecialty fellowship training in craniofacial surgery including a traveling fellowship in Europe and Mexico City. Dr Antonyshyn began his clinical practice in The Division of Plastic Surgery at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1989, where he established a pediatric and adult craniofacial program. In 1992, he assumed the position of Head, Division of Plastic Surgery, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and in 1996, established the Adult Craniofacial Program to address the specific needs of adult patients with post-traumatic and post-ablative craniofacial deformities. Dr. Antonyshyn is an Associate Scientist, Imaging and Trauma Research at Sunnybrook Research Institute. His research focus is in 3D craniofacial computer assisted modeling and design. He is a cofounder and partner in a surgical device startup company called Calavera Surgical Design. Dr Antonyshyn is actively engaged in humanitarian surgery initiatives and global surgery education. April 2014, he travelled to Ukraine as part of a Medical Needs Assessment team to assess the capacity to manage trauma following Maidan. Since then, he has led 6 Canadian surgical missions to Ukraine, to teach and perform reconstructive procedures in both civilian and military war casualties. Feb 2016, he received the Order of Merit from the president of Ukraine, and Nov 2018, he was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the Governor General of Canada for his efforts. January 2019 Dr Antonyshyn launched the Sunnybrook Ukraine Surgery Education Partnership.

Youth Engagement Advisory Council

Roman Grod is the Past President of SUSK and the Vice President of the World Congress of Ukrainian Youth Organizations. Roman holds a degree in Economics from Wilfred Laurier University and is currently employed as the Lead Analyst, Canadian Markets at Rodan Energy Solutions a leading North American energy management company. Prior to his current role Roman served on the SUSK board of directors for 4 years, as Alumni Director, Treasurer, and for his last two years as President. Roman’s key highlights as president were the launch of SUSK Connect, global education on the current situation in Ukraine, continuing to grow the SUSK endowment, national Holodomor advocacy, creating a space for Ukrainian Students across the country to get involved and much more. In 2021 Roman was nominated as one of the top 30under30, which recognized emerging Ukrainian diaspora youth leaders under 30.

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Holodomor National Awareness Tour News

HOLODOMOR NATIONAL AWARENESS TOUR BUS TRAVEL ACROSS CANADA

Seven years ago, the Holodomor National Awareness Tour took flight in Canada creating awareness about the Holodomor teaching Canadians, young and old, on board its digitally interactive Holodomor Mobile Classroom.  From idea concept, to design, through build, to execution and the development of applications that run our on-board and on-line lessons, we have taken Holodomor awareness to a new level never envisioned before.  Teaching about the past to prevent the reoccurrence of tragic events such as the Holodomor genocide, is what our youth, our future leaders, need to know.  They need to understand that totalitarian regimes such as those of former USSR leader Joseph Stalin do not make for a utopian world, but a world of oppression, discrimination, hatred, and racism that do not have a place is our global society.  HNAT’s goal is just that – to teach about such events in a way that engages students and helps them understand that their voice matters in creating a just and civil society.

Through the course of our travels over the last 6 years we have:

  • travelled across Canada, from Victoria, BC to Sydney, NS and as far north as Slave Lake, AB engaging over 62,770 students and the public about the Holodomor, visiting over 460 Canadian schools, teaching 1,488 individual class lessons.
  • Had 40,032 students and educators take part in one of our 4 lessons including an online lesson for students developed during the COVID pandemic.
  • Attended 260 public events across Canada, engaging over 22,700 visitors with the Tour’s materials on the Holodomor.
  • The HMC and the developers of the interactive lessons, Forge Media + Design have won 3 prestigious awards: Golden A’ Design Award 2017 (Lake Como, Italy), Gold at the DSE (Digital Signage Expo) 2018 APEX Awards (Las Vegas, NV), and Gold at the Indigo Design Award 2018 (the Netherlands).
  • Produced 7 educational videos, and one award-winning documentary film on the Holodomor, which are used in classrooms and on the HMC while at community events.

Our work is not done.  There are many miles left to travel across Canada to ensure that every Canadian knows about the Holodomor genocide and the devastation it caused, not just in 1932-1933, but about the intergenerational trauma that continues today.  Your financial support for our project will ensure that the memory of all the victims of the Holodomor is never forgotten.

Вічная Пам’ять!

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Humanitarian/Medical News Save A Life Ukraine Uncategorized

UKRAINE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE PROGRAM

Located in the epicentre of Europe’s latest COVID-19 surge, Ukraine now ranks third in the world for daily COVID-19 mortality. The country continues to record daily highs of new infections and deaths, resulting in adaptive quarantine measures throughout most of Ukraine. The situation in Ukraine has stressed Ukraine’s medical system to the breaking point, particularly in eastern Ukraine, where hospital congestion is the highest in the country at almost 90%. More than 80,000 deaths and more than 3 million infections have been recorded in Ukraine. Of those patients that were hospitalized with COVID-19, 94.2% were found to be unvaccinated.

Ukraine is dealing with persistent challenges while attempting to implement adaptive quarantine and other public-health measures. Widespread vaccine skepticism, fueled by domestic misinformation and foreign disinformation flowing from malign actors such as the Russian Federation, has created numerous challenges for Ukraine’s Ministry of Health. In addition, the Ukrainian government has had to implement stiff criminal penalties for anyone caught with falsified vaccination certification owing to lucrative black market schemes. With less than 20% of its population fully vaccinated, Ukraine has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in Europe.

In response to this crisis, the Canada-Ukraine Foundation has launched the “UKRAINE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE PROGRAM” to raise $125,000 for targeted assistance in Ukraine.

The UKRAINE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESPONSE PROGRAM comprises the following three projects:

•      CUF is continuing to support and expand the delivery of oxygen therapy to COVID-19 patients   through our partners in Ukraine. In addition to the original CUF purchase of 20 Oxygen (O2) concentrators and 3 continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices, the expansion now includes  the procurement of 17 additional O2 concentrators, 7 CPAP devices, consumable oxygen masks, personal protective equipment, and other operating costs.

•     CUF plans to support pandemic relief of the hospital network in the city of Dnipro, Ukraine, by covering the freight costs of a 40-foot shipping container from Denver, USA, to Dnipro. The container will be stocked with donated ICU beds, oxygen-therapy supplies and other critical medical equipment. 

•      CUF is also planning an expansion of its ongoing COVID-19 pandemic relief to Eastern Ukraine with input from the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Cluster and the United Nations’ Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA).  

The Canada-Ukraine Foundation has allocated $25,000 USD from its reserves to start the campaign and encourages the Ukrainian-Canadian and Ukrainian-American communities to contribute to this critical program, thus providing rapid and effective assistance to those in critical condition.

Organizations, corporations and individuals are welcome to support CUF in this effort with financial or relevant material donations. Contributions may be made online at CUF’s donation page  or by contacting the Canada-Ukraine Foundation.

Donations are welcome from worldwide sources. At this time we are able to provide charitable tax receipts for Canadian and US donors.