Ukrainian Women’s Summit shows common values with followers of various ideologies

The Women’s Conference “Ukrainian Women’s Summit” (UWS) was held on December 1, 2012, in Kiev. It was attended by Mrs. Olga Fryndak, deputy-chairman of the Women’s Public Organization “Mariyam”.

It is the first time that a conference in this format is arranged Ukraine. It is a social event aiming to help women in Ukraine in understanding their role in family and community life, in search for balance and happiness. Funds received from registration fees are to be allocated in 15 annual single stipends for learning of 15 lucky ones at best professional courses worldwide. 

UWS lecturers are leaders in their fields. They have practical experiences that they shared with the participants. 

Mrs. Shelom Levitt, a well known American lawyer, spoke about importance of woman’s opinions for the balance in global policy. A brilliant member of Western civilization, she spoke about truths that are dear and understandable for us, Muslims, such as significance of faith in God for the development of woman’s personality, family values and preservation of the female nature by one’s belonging to the fair sex.

The role of family is being diminished in mass media along with imposing the image of a woman with “male” profile of behavior. Attempts to imitate it entail many misfortunes for imitators, as women without a chance for a healthy emotional discharge or family understanding tend to suffer from nervous breaks. The ones surrounding such woman also suffer to the extent that her children may have a lower IQ coefficient comparing to children of women who are happier and better understood in family life. 

Mrs.Nataliya Valevskaya, program director of the Ukrainian radio station “Retro FM”, informed the data from sociological studies, which showed that God, family and friends were referred to as the three factors making a human really happy. 

Mrs. Jill Moulton from the U.S. shared the advice on how children could be taken away from pornography: they should be taught modesty, informed about pornography, imparted the attitude to it in keeping with parents’ religious and life values; trustful relations with a child should be built from the early childhood, and willingness should be shown to discuss most delicate issues with them, which, if not answered by parents, would anyway be sought for by a child elsewhere.

“Glamorous” magazines that always know what kind of hairdo, clothes or hobbies are in “fashion” in this season, how relations can be built and heads can be turned; how aggressive carrier advancement can be pursued by “overstepping” one’s colleagues etc. is another factor ruining true happiness of contemporary women by offering them ephemeral happiness. 

Mrs. Dariya Malakhova, an actress and a TV host, gave the advice about abstaining from rushing to “glamorous ideal” and striving to the type of beauty, style, preferences etc. which is natural for a particular woman. A woman should not spare hours to “dress up for strangers”, but should rather spend her free time to be tidy and well-groomed for her family, without extravagancies or “deliberate exceptionality”, because they are also pleased to see wife or mother beautiful if even she fries cutlets.

Mrs. Eugeniya Gapchinskaya, a well known painter, told that she did not go to society events just because they offered nothing useful for her mind and soul. Eugeniya prefers to spend time for her family and kin, for self-development. She warns the ones who put carrier on the top place and do not spare time for family contacts and care: “There’s no business that can substitute you the warmth of family and home”. 

Mrs. Nataliya Valevskaya, program director of the Ukrainian radio station “Retro FM”, spoke her history of overcoming the crisis of the middle age: she became fond of stitch craft, and her handmade costume jewelry sells well providing her additional income to engage in this and others hobbies. Many people who have professional frustrations fear to change occupations, alleging that it’s too late, and continue doing things that fail to bring them mental elevation or inspiration. She says: “It cannot be late to start doing things that you like, and any collapse or despondency, as well as the notorious ‘crisis of middle age’, is a nice chance for changing one’s life in a way to make it enjoyable”.

Importance of offering feasible help to surrounding people and “boomerang principle” was informed by Mrs. Marsia Smedlechner, image consultant from Italy. It was before marriage that she took part in a charitable club where each female participant was giving any feasible aid to the needy, not only material one; it involved sitting with a child, helping others with removal or bringing foods to unable ones… Marsia called the conference participants: “Charity is not confined to money. If you can offer help by action, don’t refuse but help”.

When her son needed expensive surgery operation due to injury that he suffered in early childhood and her parents had no money, many compassionate people immediately responded on her trouble in the charity club, among her son’s classmates and in Internet. Their joint effort allowed for raising the required sum that her family regarded unaffordable and which voluntarily raising in the shortest possible time was believed as unfeasible by Marsia’s husband.  

So, good actions performed by the woman voluntarily and without expectation of benefits returned to her as “boomerang”. She, therefore, asked each conference participant to think about it and help people when possible, as only God knows what kind of help and when will be needed by them.