| MEDA in Ukraine |
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September 10-19, 2009
With Tour Leaders John Pauls and Audrey Voth Petkau This tour takes you to Ukraine to explore the Mennonite Story from the past, through the present, and into the future. First the past history will be explored by seeing some of the Mennonite colonies in the Zaporozhye district. Then the present will be seen by worshipping with the Zaporozhye Mennonite Church. Finally the highlight of the tour will be to see the work of Mennonite Economic Developments Associates (MEDA) in Ukraine – particularly in the Crimea. Here you will explore the future of Mennonite work in Ukraine. You will have the opportunity to dialogue with MEDA staff, visit MEDA clients, and follow the MEDA Agricultural Marketing program designed to move Ukraine farmers from poverty to self-sufficiency. It will be interesting to see how Mennonites were involved in agriculture in the colonies, and now are back involved by helping Ukrainian farmers become self-sufficient. Thursday & Friday, September 10 & 11 The group will depart from Newark or Toronto on overnight flights to Europe where we will meet as a group and then fly on to Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. We will arrive on Friday afternoon and drive to Zaporozhye and our hotel. Saturday, September 12 We will have an all-day exploration of the Mennonite story in Ukraine in some of the former colonies in the Molotschna area. We will see former estates, mills, factories and schools, as well as visiting the Mennonite Center.  Historic Oak Tree Sunday will be a day to visit Zaporozhye and Chortiza beginning with storytelling under the historic oak tree where Mennonites first settled. The highlight of Sunday will be a worship service with the Mennonite church in Zaporazhye. Monday, September 14 Today we will drive to the Crimean town of Simferopol, where we will be staying for three nights. Along the way we will be introduced to MEDA’s Southeast Ukraine Planting for Prosperity and Economic Rejuvenation (SUPPER) project. This is MEDA’s agricultural production and marketing project targeted towards poor farmers. We will visit three clients on our drive through the farmlands, ending in Simferopol.  Beautiful Vegetables for sale by MEDA client On Tuesday we will visit the MEDA office in Crimea, and have the day to explore the work of MEDA in Crimea. We will have opportunity to visit SUPPER clients, dialogue with project staff, and engage in discussion on development in places like Ukraine. Wednesday, September 16 This morning we will drive the one and a half hours from Simferopol to Yalta. We will have a tour of this historic city, including Roosevelt Street, Livadia Palace, and Chekov’s house. Thursday, September 17 On Thursday we will spend the morning with the MEDA SUPPER project, seeing other clients, before heading to the airport and flying to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.  St. Michael's Cathedral On Friday we have an all-day tour of Kiev, including St. Vladmir Cathedral, Kiev’s Perchersk Lavra, Museum of World War II, St. Sophia Cathedral and St. Michael’s Cathedral. Kiev’s history and beauty will be a nice way to end our visit in Ukraine and in the evening we will have our farewell dinner. Saturday, September 19 On Saturday we will depart Kiev for home via Europe. Our journey in Ukraine will be a trip to be long remembered. For further information regarding the complete tour fare, please This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it . |
