"Don't think that a small group of people can't change the world. In fact, that's just the way it is."
"Don't think that a small group of people can't change the world. In fact, that's just the way it is." I use them for a long time. In 1990, the Union of Ukrainian Women, to which I then belonged, organized Mother's Day in Kyiv for the first time. We made this holiday for three children who were taken to Pirogov, to the Cossack church, which at that time was the only one that did not belong to Moscow. Father Yuriy Boyko led them to the first communion, and we celebrated it together there, in Pirogovo. Then, sometime in June, a journalist from Moscow from Rabotnitsa magazine came to Kyiv. I was a co-chair of the Kyiv Union of Ukrainian Women, so the journalist wanted to meet with an "alternative" women's organization. I asked Ms. Oksana Meshko to meet with her as well - I wanted as many people as possible to know about such a person, and I also hoped that by that time we could have written about our passion in the magazine. Ms. Oksana agreed, and we came to Sofia Square together. Ms. Oksana began to talk about the Ukrainian liberation movement, the Ukrainian Helsinki Union, current problems and aspirations, I told about the first steps of our women's organization, in particular about Mother's Day. "And how many children did you invite to the party?" The journalist asked. - Three. - And do you think this means something to Kyiv? - Ms. Oksana looked at the journalist the way she sometimes did - sharply, surprised, as if seeing for the first time - how did we start? And nothing - we will be independent soon! Let me remind you - it was June 1990… And Mother's Day in Ukraine has been celebrated… officially since 1999. It turns out that it only takes nine years for some ideas from three people to become accessible and acceptable to a large country.