The International Women’ s Club has conducted its tenth charity bazaar

This club was founded in 1992 by a small group of female expatriates residing in Kyiv. Today it unites 128 women from various walks of life, of different nationalities and creeds, who team up with Ukrainian organizations, help the poor and promote friendly relations among nations. In the past few years the International Women’s Club has raised over UAH 11 million for philanthropic purposes in Ukraine and its annual charity fairs are only one aspect of its multifarious activity.

This year’s fair drew participants from over forty embassies and organizations. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which hosted the fair, resounded with many foreign languages. Visitors felt like they were on a round-the-world tour, in which all peoples and countries had joined hands in an effort to do good. Those expecting to relish amazing treats and buy something exotic were amply rewarded with an overabundance of exquisite foreign wines, national delicacies, Christmas souvenirs, toys, clothes, and women’s finery. One could not shake the impression of being at a contest in business creativity. For instance, instead of selling their merchandise, the Slovak representatives raffled it all off. For a mere UAH 5 one could win a blender, coffeemaker, or cosmetics in a lottery where everybody won, which was a real drawing card. Those eager to try their luck could buy UAH 10-15 lottery tickets offering a wonderful trip abroad, a romantic dinner for two, a paid course in a foreign language class, a dazzling man’s wristwatch, membership in an elite club, a refrigerator, cellular phone, a course of treatment at a specialized clinic, etc. Fortune did not smile on everyone, but The Day’s correspondent managed to talk to one of the winners of the lucky ticket, a student from Vilnius. When showing their guests around Kyiv, Ukrainian student lawyers decided to take them to the charity fair and Agata Sokolinska won a trip for two to Egypt. Agata told The Day that similar fairs are becoming a tradition in Lithuania, and should a politician’s wife fail to attend one, it could cause a scandal. On the whole, fairs in Lithuania are much the same as the Kyiv fair, except that their organizers take the trouble to furnish comfortable seats where visitors can rest and talk.

However, the fair not only bustled with trade. It was also a place for active communication, making business contacts, obtaining detailed information on improving the forms of assistance to the needy, and discussions of specific projects to this end. Ukrainian organizations also participated in the fair. They displayed goods designed to shed more light on the life of Ukraine, as well as Ukrainian symbols and souvenirs, which were quite popular among visitors. With the fair drawing to a close, the organizers are calculating receipts expected to exceed last year’s UAH 400,000, which will go toward projects to help the poor, homeless children, pensioners, and the disabled. Thus the feast of human kindness and charity will continue.