Union of Ukrainian Women of Volhynia

Union of Ukrainian Women of Volhynia (Союз українок Волині; Soiuz ukrainok Volyni). Established in 1921 and disbanded by the Polish government on 3 June 1938, this women’s organization considered itself part of the Union of Ukrainian Women in Galicia, although a formal merger of the two organizations was prohibited by the Polish government. The union, which in the early 1920s showed signs of becoming a mass organization, had been reduced to 500 members by 1936. It promoted modernization in the villages through a network of village circles, established day-care centers and summer camps, organized trade courses, and promoted a program that enabled Volhynian girls to study in Ukrainian schools in Galicia. Among the most active women in the union were P. Bahrynivska, O. Pidhirska, M. Volosevych, I. Prisnevska, and Olena Levchanivska.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]