Holodomor Descendants’ Network launched its website and started the registration of the descendants

On May 19, 2021, the website of the Global Holodomor Descendants’ Network was launched and the registration of descendants began.

The Holodomor Descendants’ Network, established by the Ukrainian World Congress on the initiative of its International Coordinating Committee for Holodomor Awareness and Recognition in November 2020, is the first global community aimed at uniting the relatives of the survivors of the Holodomor of 1932–1933 in Ukraine.

The network collects and protects the stories of families affected by the Holodomor genocide and raises awareness among the descendants of Holodomor victims about the long-term consequences of the genocide, preserves and honors the memory of innocent victims, as well as defends the true facts about the Holodomor to counter misinformation

The chair of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network is active public figure Olya Soroka from Chicago. 

Olya Soroka is a member of the US Holodomor Awareness Committee, a member of the Board of Directors of the Ukrainian-American Freedom Foundation. She is involved in many non-governmental organizations that promote the truth and defend Ukraine’s interests in the world.

The Holodomor Descendants Network operates as part of a global mission and tasks carried out at the regional level through local networks. The first such local network officially began operations in the United States in 2020 through the Holodomor Genocide Awareness Committee of the Ukrainian Congressional Committee of America in 2020. In Canada, in April 2021, a Canadian Awareness Committee was launched under the Holodomor Awareness Committee of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress.

The ambassadors of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network are represented by Kateryna Yushchenko, First Lady 2005–2010.

The role of the Ambassadors, each of whom is a relative of the Holodomor victims, is to represent the Network worldwide, to help disseminate information, and to communicate with various organizations and institutions.

Partners of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network: 

• National Museum of the Holodomor Genocide, the highest mission of which if to warn the society about the crime of genocide by accumulating and disseminating knowledge about the Holodomor. 
• Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, which implements the state policy of Ukraine in the sphere of restoration and preservation of the national memory of the Ukrainian nation.
• Holodomor Research and Education Consortium (HREC) at the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS) of the University of Alberta. The Center promotes research, study and understanding of the Holodomor Genocide in Ukraine 1932–33. 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 the descendants of victims whp survived the Holodomor, we have a unique opportunity to tell the world about the suffering of our families not to let other nations suffer such a tragedy. We have a moral obligation to share our personal accounts with the world. By uniting the descendants of the Holodomor victims from all over the world, we will become the personal voices of the families whoch survived the Holodomor. Together we will commemorate the victims and tell about the consequences of the Holodomor for future generations.”

Olya Soroka

Holodomor Descendants’ Network chair 

“The Holodomor was a crime against humanity. It scarred not only on the Holodomor survivors, but also their descendants. Descendants carry constant, unforgettable, severe pain in their hearts. During the creation of the Network, UWC had two intentions: to help the descendants endure this severe pain in the common environment and to prevent the world from forgetting that millions died under Stalin’s boot. The world must not only remember this genocide, but condemn it accordingly. The network will carry a candle of remembrance and will require strict international evaluation and condemnation at all levels.” 

Stefan Romaniw,

Head of International Coordination Committee for Holodomor 

“I am the daughter of two Ukrainians who survived the Holodomor. The horrific truth about the Holodomor should be known throughout the World. I am an Ambassador of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network because I believe the world must know about this immense tragedy not only by the statistics but also by the personal accounts.”

Kateryna Yushchenkо

Ambassador of the Holodomor Descendants’ Network

Contact person: Olha Domanska 

e-mail: [email protected]  +38 097 778 2818