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Kateryna YushchenkoKateryna Yushchenko, wife of the President of Ukraine Victor Yushchenko, is dedicated to representing Ukraine internationally, working in community service, and raising her family. Following the completion of a higher education and successful career as an economist and manager in both the United States and Ukraine, Mrs. Yushchenko is now involved in numerous charitable projects with the Ukraine 3000 International Foundation that she chairs. The key priority of the Foundation is better health for Ukraine’s children. Current ActivitiesAs First Lady of Ukraine and Chairperson of Ukraine 3000 Foundation, Kateryna Yushchenko is active in charitable, historical and cultural activities. One of her main priorities is to address the difficult social issues currently troubling Ukraine, particularly health care for children, education, homeless and orphaned children, and integrating the disabled into society. Her Foundation, Ukraine 3000, is dedicated to encouraging the revival and development of a tradition of charity and community responsibility in Ukraine. On the Supervisory Board of Ukraine 3000 Foundation, established in 2001, are some of Ukraine’s most prominent educational, humanitarian, cultural, literary and sports figures. President Victor Yushchenko served as Chairman of the Supervisory Council until his inauguration in 2005. Since then, its Chairman is Kateryna Yushchenko. All programs and projects of the Foundation are implemented within three major areas: “Ukraine Yesterday”. “Ukraine Today” and “Ukraine Tomorrow”. The biggest projects of the Foundation are the “Hospital to Hospital” program, the construction and support of the “Children’s Hospital of the Future” and “The Joy of Childhood – Free Movements” program. The “Hospital to Hospital” program seeks foreign and domestic partners for 25 children’s hospitals in order to provide them with training, equipment, medicines and improved facilities. Together with its partners, the “Hospital to Hospital” program has provided more than 40 million hryvnya (9 million USD) in assistance to Ukrainian hospitals. The Joy of Childhood – Free Movements Program was initiated in late 2005 in cooperation with the corporation TNK-BP Ukraine to provide rehabilitation and information to children with cerebral palsy. The “Children’s Hospital of the Future” project is aimed at building a 250-bed state-of-the-art facility for critically ill children of Ukraine. Since the fundraising campaign began in September 2006, the Foundation has raised more than 250 million UAH (50 million USD). Another of Kateryna Yushchenko’s priorities is to promote Ukraine’s culture, art and history in Ukraine and abroad (“Ukraine Yesterday” area). Currently the Foundation supports projects associated with education, folklore, archeology, museums, theaters, music, book publishing and film. Ukraine 3000 will continue its work on the Ukrainian Famine Genocide of 1932-33 by organizing a massive collection of witness testimonies and supporting the government’s efforts to create a famine museum and a monument. The “Ukraine Tomorrow” area of Mrs. Yushchenko’s Foundation promotes grassroots development and involves Ukrainian NGO’s in the discussion of a strategy for Ukraine’s future, specifically education and environmental issues. It also provides art therapy for critically ill children. The Foundation has responded to thousands of requests from individuals in dire need of medical care and other assistance. FamilyKateryna Yushchenko was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 1, 1961 to a family of Ukrainian immigrants. Her father, Mykhailo Chumachenko, was born in the village of Zaitsivka, Kharkiv Oblast, in 1917, to a large family of farmers. He was one of only a few members of his large family to survive the Ukrainian Genocide Famine of 1932-33. Mr. Chumachenko studied electrical engineering in Lisichansk, Luhansk Oblast. He served in the Soviet Army, was captured by Nazi forces and taken to Germany in 1942. Mrs. Yushchenko’s mother, Sofia Chumachenko, was born in Litky, Kyiv Oblast, in 1927. Along with many girls in her village, Sofia Chumachenko was taken to Germany at the age of 14 to serve as a slave laborer. Kateryna Yushchenko’s parents met in Germany, married, and gave birth to her sister Lydia in 1945. Mykhailo Chumachenko became seriously ill with tuberculosis in 1945 and spent eight years in a tuberculosis sanatorium. In 1956, the Chumachenko family immigrated to the United States on an invitation from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Chicago. Mykhailo Chumachenko worked as an electrician in Chicago until his retirement in 1984. The Chumachenkos moved to Florida in 1987. Mr. Chumachenko visited his native Ukraine three times, in 1991, 1994 and 1995. His dream was to return to his village and start a small farm. He died in 1998 and is buried in Kyiv. Mrs. Yushchenko met her husband in Kyiv in 1993. They married in January 1998 and have three children: Sophia, 8, Chrystyna, 6, and Taras, 2. Kateryna Yushchenko is also stepmother to Victor Yushchenko’s two older children: Lina, 26, and Andriy, 20. CommunityHer upbringing and religious faith ensure that Kateryna Yushchenko is strongly committed to serving her community. In high school and university, she was a volunteer in many community organizations; she regularly played sports with children with Downs Syndrome, led tours at a local historical museum and was active in organizations that sought the release of Ukrainian human rights activists. Mrs. Yushchenko participated in school and college clubs such as the Russian Club, Spanish Club, and newspapers. She also participated in church-sponsored projects as well as many Ukrainian diaspora organizations, such as Soyuz Ukrayinskoyi Molodi (Union of Ukrainian Youth.) Kateryna Yushchenko was an active member of the Charity Group of the International Women’s Club in Kyiv from 1993 to 1996. In 1995, she co-founded the Ukraine chapter of “Help Us Help the Children,” an organization dedicated to bettering the lives of orphans in Ukraine. Mrs. Yushchenko is an honorary member of Soyuz Ukrayinok, (Union of Ukrainian Women.) As evidenced by her commitment to community and church organizations, Mrs. Yushchenko strongly believes every individual should fulfill his or her commitment to God and society by becoming involved in community service. She often stresses in public addresses and interviews: “When someone sees a person in need, the first reaction should not be, ‘why doesn’t the government do something about this problem?’ but rather, ‘what can I do?’ From this question can come miraculous individual, community and church initiatives”. UkraineThough born and raised in the U.S., Mrs. Yushchenko has always been dedicated to Ukrainian history, culture and politics. In her youth she attended Ukrainian studies classes, Ukrainian churches and youth groups, and studied Ukrainian national dance. She was active in supporting the Ukrainian human rights movement and bringing attention to the issues of Ukraine’s struggle for independence, the famine genocide of 1932-33, Chornobyl, and the Millennium of Christianity of Kyiv Rus’. After university Mrs. Yushchenko became the director of the Ukrainian National Information Service, the Washington bureau of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, where she worked to inform the U.S. government, media and non-governmental organizations about Ukraine. She attended a summer school program on Ukrainian history and literature. In her work at the United States Department of State she helped to write the reports on human rights violations in the USSR, prepare lists of prisoners of conscience and refuseniks, and researched such issues as religious repression in the Soviet Union. At the White House, she organized events for East European communities in the U.S. In 1991, she co-founded the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, which translated laws and texts for Ukrainian parliament and government, and organized study tours. She made Ukraine her home in 1991 and became of citizen of Ukraine in 2005. Education and CareerKateryna Yushchenko received her Bachelors’ of Science in International Economics degree (cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) from the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in 1982. She attended the Harvard University Ukrainian Summer Program in 1985. In 1986, she received an MBA with a concentration in International Finance and Public Non-Profit Management from the University of Chicago. Mrs. Yushchenko has been in the workforce since the age of 15. During high school, she worked up to 40 hours per week as a waitress in order to save money for her college education. In university, she held many jobs, including office assistant and nanny. From 1983 to 1984, Kateryna Yushchenko was the Director of the Ukrainian National Information Service. In 1984, she also did a two month internship in management at the U.S. Customs Service. During her education at the University of Chicago, Mrs. Yushchenko worked part-time as an editor at the Washington-based Ethics and Public Policy Center, and did an internship at the Illinois Department of Commerce. From September 1986 to March 1988 she served as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs. From April 1988 to January 1989 she served as Associate Director of the Office of Public Liaison at the White House. From January to November 1989 Mrs. Yushchenko worked in the Secretariat of the Treasury Department, then served as an Economist at the Joint Economic Committee of Congress from November 1989 to May 1991. From 1991 to 1993, Kateryna Yushchenko served as co-founder and Vice President of the U.S.-Ukraine Foundation, and Director of its Pylyp Orlyk Institute. In 1993, she joined KPMG Peat Marwick/Barents Group as a consultant in its Bank Training Program and Country Manager. She left her job in August 2000, when she was expecting her second child. HobbiesKateryna Yushchenko loves to read all types of literature and is proud of the library she has been compiling since her childhood. She is an ardent collector of Ukrainian art and crafts. She also collects images of mother with child. She is a fan of architecture and interior design. She particularly enjoys cooking and entertaining using recipes from various parts of the world. Most importantly, Mrs. Yushchenko focuses upon her family and tries to spend quality time with her five children and two step-grandchildren. AwardsSpecial award from Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Foundation, April 26, 2006 “Golden Pyramid” Award, UNESCO, November 2005 Medal of Prince Vasyl-Kostyantyn Ostrozky from Ostroh Academy, October 2005 Distinguished Public Service / Public Sector Alumni Award from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, October 2005 Honorary Professor of the “Kyiv Mohyla Kollegium” Gymnasium, February 2007 Print version |
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