Editor’s Note: As Ukraine’s 30th Independence Day approaches on Aug. 24, the Kyiv Post is asking Ukrainians who live abroad to send in their picture with answers to the following questions for publication. Send your responses to Kyiv Post’s lifestyle editor Toma Istomina at [email protected]. The published replies can be found here: Ukrainian Voices From Abroad
Kyiv Post: Where are you from in Ukraine and where do you live now?
Maryna Prykhodko: I’m a board member of Razom for Ukraine, a Ukrainian nonprofit based in both New York and Ukraine. I’m from Kharkiv and I currently live in New York.
KP: What do you think is Ukraine’s biggest achievement in 30 years of independence?
MP: For me, Ukraine’s biggest achievement since 1991 (full disclosure, I was born in 1995) is its robust civil society. No sector of Ukrainian life has accomplished so much for the country in such a short amount of time. Ukrainian civil society has developed in the best global traditions and continues to thrive, despite less than favorable conditions at times.
KP: What do you hope Ukraine will achieve in the next 30 years?
MP: I hope Ukraine will continue to flourish and develop into a strong democracy, holding human rights and freedom in the highest regard. I hope that Ukrainians will learn to trust one another and develop a healthy relationship with power structures such as the government. I hope the Ukrainian government will learn to represent its people, not special interests.
