UMD sets new charitable projects trend in our homeland, Macedonia. 

• Our team’s most significant undertaking took over a year of hard work – a partnership between Michigan-based World Medical Relief, UMD, and Vermont-based Datillio Medical Mission donating $567,800 in medical equipment to the Mother Teresa University Clinic of Cardiology in Skopje, Macedonia. 
• UMD arranged a donation of a Forbrain device from Boston, Massachusetts, valued at $2,500, for CEDUZ (Center for Education and Entertainment), assisting in the developmental advancement of children with special needs. 42 children helped by CEDUZ also received Holiday Season Gifts from UMD.
• UMD gave school backpacks and supplies to 20 children at the 11th of October Orphanage and helped our community partner UMAD (United Macedonian Americans of Detroit) deliver clothes and shoes for the children. 

 

UMD underscored Macedonian heritage, history, and identity preservation. 

• UMD launched a Macedonian Language Course with 20 children students. 
• For the second year, UMD Australia continued funding Macedonian language classes in Aegean Macedonia (today’s Greece). 
• UMD provided a $4,000 grant for the Macedonian Summer Cultural Festival in Albania. 
• UMD became a community partner for the North American tour of the Macedonian national folklore group Tanec, which performed in a dozen cities in the U.S. and Canada, attracting thousands of attendees. 
• UMD shared the stories of Macedonian veterans who served in American, Australian, and Canadian armed forces, as well as the immigrant stories of Macedonians leaving the homeland during June Immigrant Heritage Month and September Macedonian American Heritage Month. 
• UMD held its annual Macedonian Old New Year’s Masquerade Ball, an International Women’s Day gathering, and a Macedonian Orthodox Easter picnic in Washington, D.C. 
• For the third time, UMD marked the 31st Macedonia Independence Day with a flag-raising ceremony at Wall Street. 
  • Macedonia Independence Day was recognized by the Ohio Governor, and Ontario Premier, among other policymakers, thanks to the efforts of Macedonian communities in the diaspora.
• UMD laid wreaths and commemorated the 107 Anniversary of Jane Sandanski’s assassination in Pirin Macedonia, in what is today Melnik, Bulgaria, the 150th Anniversary of Goce Delchev’s birth at the church of St. Spas in Skopje, the 119th Anniversary of the Krusevo Uprising at the grave of the first Macedonian president Nikola Karev, and the Macedonian victims of communism at the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C.
• UMD hosted a virtual panel discussion featuring Macedonian historians and scholars to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of Goce Delchev’s birth. 

 

UMD empowered young Macedonian professionals globally, providing them with tools to advance their education, careers, and Macedonian cultural immersion. 

• 12 university-aged Macedonians from Canada, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States in the Birthright Macedonia program – a co-partnership with the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation and the Bitola Alliance.
• 30 Bitove Scholarships were given out by our Canadian partner Nova Generation.
• 12 college students participated in UMD’s internship program at our office.
• UMD launched the Acevska Congressional Internship Program.
• UMD honored 40 Macedonians with its 40 Under 40 Awards.
• UMD’s young leaders’ program Generation M organized virtual and in-person gatherings for university students.
• UMD virtually hosted “Three Macedonian Women, Breaking the Glass Ceiling.”

 

UMD advocated for Macedonian human rights and minorities in places of influence. 

• UMD visited Aegean and Pirin Macedonia (current day Greece and Bulgaria) on multiple occasions to learn about the challenges of Macedonian minorities and arrange meetings with the American and Canadian consulates in Solun (current day Thessaloniki, Greece).
• UMD presented a conference paper on the Macedonian minority in Bulgaria at the Library of Congress and published op-eds in Emerging Europe and Medium on the same topic.
• UMD spearheaded a coalition of 50 human rights and religious freedom organizations to urge Bulgaria’s PM to apologize for WWII genocidal acts against Macedonian Jews. 
• UMD was a sponsor of the 2nd International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington, D.C., and delivered remarks on the non-recognition of the Macedonian Orthodox Church in Greece and Archimandrite Nikodim Tsarknias.
• UMD’s advocacy efforts produced greater attention paid to the institutional discrimination of Macedonian minorities in Greece and Bulgaria by policymakers, drawing mention in the annual U.S. Department of State Human Rights Reports.
• UMD conducted meetings with Macedonian officials and foreign diplomats in Macedonia on the ground, reiterating the need for greater engagement with the Diaspora, but also about the issues and concerns of the Diaspora regarding the problems over the name change, the rule of law, environmental and growing corruption in the country.
• UMD educated European members of Parliament about the offensive French proposal and urged Macedonian parliamentarians to reject it. 
• UMD staff and interns conducted over 100 meetings in the U.S. Congress to urge support for Macedonian American Heritage Month and joining the Congressional Macedonian Caucus.
  • Indiana Congressman Frank Mrvan and D.C. Congresswoman Eleanor Norton Holmes join the Macedonian Caucus.
• Indiana Senator Mike Braun introduced a Senate version of the September Macedonian American Heritage Month House resolution.
• Michigan Congresswoman Lisa McClain added Macedonia language in the annual National Defense Authorization Act to require the Department of Defense to strengthen engagement with NATO ally Macedonia.

 

UMD hired new staff in Washington, D.C. and Skopje, Macedonia and made new appointments on the UMD Board of Directors.

• Ema Reskoska Brown was hired Director, Advancement and Development in UMD’s office in Washington, D.C.
• Gordan Jordanov was hired new Macedonia Director, covering Macedonia, the neighborhood, and Europe.
• Argie N. Bellio became UMD Chairman, replacing Stojan Nikolov, who served in this role for a decade and is now Vice President for Global Operations.
• Stefani Taskova Miteva became UMD Secretary, replacing George Peters, who served in this role for a decade and remains on the UMD Board.
• Emilija Dimitrievska and Jana Savevska were elected Generation M Global Co-Chairs. 

Ways to Give to UMD and our Canadian partner, Nova Generation, online:

Renewing UMD Membership: http://bit.ly/UMDMembership

Donations: http://bit.ly/DonatetoUMD

Canadian Donors/Members: http://bit.ly/CanadaMacedonians

Become a UMD Monthly Sustainer: https://bit.ly/UMDMonthlyDonations

Postal Addresses:

United Macedonian Diaspora
800 Maine Avenue, SW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20024

Nova Generation
340 King Street East
4th Floor, North Elevator
Toronto, ON, M5A 1K8

The United Macedonian Diaspora’s work is made possible thanks to the generous support of individuals like you. UMD’s federal tax identification number (EIN) is 20-5182996. To donate online, by check, to UMD’s Funding the Future Endowment, through your donor-advised fund, with securities, employer matching, planned giving, or IRA charitable rollover, please get in touch with Ema Brown at ebrown@umdiaspora.org.