This instruction of Velykyi Kobzar served as the inspiration for the creation of the Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association in October 2019 by four Ukrainian women – Lesya Nikolayeva, Nataliia Nakonechna, Nataliia Gachoud, and Kateryna Dashevska. Despite being far from their Motherland, these women are dedicated to preserving and promoting Ukrainian traditions and culture among Ukrainians and their descendants residing in Switzerland.

The idea to unite around this cultural and educational initiative originated among women for a specific reason. Women are not just responsible for maintaining family comfort and fulfilling their roles as mothers and wives by providing love, care, and raising children. They are also responsible for preserving the genetic memory of generations, teaching their children their native language, and honoring their ancestors.

In 2020, the Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association was granted associate membership in the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations (WFUWO) based in Toronto, Canada. The mission of the Federation is to actively support Ukraine in its democratization and promotion of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, preserve Ukrainian national values in the diaspora and Ukraine, raise the status of Ukrainian women globally, and affirm and protect their rights.

In October 2021, the World Federation of Ukrainian Women’s Organizations approved the composition of its representative team at the UN in Geneva, which included Lesya Nikolayeva, Nataliia Nakonechna, Kateryna Dashevska, headed by Dr Kateryna Bondar.

To support the Ukrainian authorities’ efforts to strengthen the national human rights protection system, including the most vulnerable population such as women and children, the WFUWO actively collaborates with the Permanent Mission of Ukraine to the UN in Geneva. One of the representative team’s duties is to enhance the interaction of the WFUWO with the Mission and broaden support for joint initiatives at the UN.

The WFUWO has accreditation from the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI), consultative status with UN/ECOSOC, and is a member of the UN NGO Committee on UNICEF.

The Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association’s activities are dedicated to promoting, preserving and developing Ukrainian culture, language and traditions within the Ukrainian community of French-speaking Switzerland.

We aim to increase awareness among the local community of Ukraine’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage, deepen understanding of its significance and foster respectful dialogue based on its cultural diversity.

By showcasing the creations of Ukrainian artists, arranging concerts, film screenings, excursions, and other cultural events that highlight the rich history and culture of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association promotes and fosters the public, social, cultural, and educational interests of the local community of Ukrainians and Ukraine’s friends.

The Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association established and oversees the activities of École ukrainienne à Genève. This encompasses a wide range of tasks, including the recruitment of teachers, liaising with state authorities, managing the school’s administration and educational processes, procuring textbooks and teaching materials, securing appropriate premises for the school, seeking sources of funding, maintaining financial records, organizing school events, such as holidays, clubs and excursions, promoting the school through advertising and external communications.

When living far away from Ukraine, having access to literature in the Ukrainian language is particularly valuable. That’s why one of our primary objectives is to make sure that the local community has access to the necessary books.

The Ukrainians Women in Switzerland association is a cultural space that we build together with you. Thanks to our friends, benefactors and sponsors, we receive many books in Ukrainian, as well as publications about Ukraine in other languages. These books are used by students at École ukrainienne à Genève, and we also regularly donate surplus books to the Bibliothèque interculturelle de la Croix-Rouge (Intercultural Library of the Red Cross), where they can be borrowed and read by anyone.

The full-scale war in Ukraine, since February 24, 2022, has created a situation of mass arrivals of displaced people from Ukraine in need of temporary protection in Switzerland. The canton of Geneva, and most of all – its capital – has already admitted thousands of forced migrants, and the question of Ukrainian-language education for children from Ukraine has become increasingly topical.

In order to have own space for cultural meetings, learning and integration for the Ukrainian diaspora, on April 10, 2022, the Ukrainian Women in Switzerland association founded École ukrainienne à Genève.

Ukrainian culture and literature are taught by Ukrainian writers Oksana Krotiuk and Oles Ilchenko (in the photo – far left and far right)