Mobile classroom featuring dark Ukraine history arrives in Sudbury

Morning North7:00The Ukrainian Genocide

We had the opportunity to check out a special bus that made in stop in our parking lot. The bus is a mobile classroom designed to share information about a little known and tragic chapter in the history of Ukraine. Roma Dzerowicz was our tour guide.

A mobile classroom has rolled into Sudbury to share a little known and tragic chapter in the history of Ukraine.

The Holodomor: The Ukrainian Genocide bus features interactive lessons about a time between 1932 and 1933 when millions of Ukrainians died of starvation.

Roma Dzerowicz is the executive director of the Holodomor National Awareness Tour. She says six million Ukrainians died after being forcefully starved to death by Soviet regime under Stalin's rule.

"The Ukrainian people wanted their own independence," she explained.

"The Soviet Union realized that Ukraine, being the breadbasket of Europe, they needed a resource to become an industrialized nation. So what better commodity that wheat."

Dzerowicz said farms and food were taken from Ukrainians, leading to the starvation and death of millions.

"Nothing was left," she said. "They foraged in the forest. They ate anything that they could find."

The bus features videos about what happened and interactive displays.

Students at St. Charles College will be able to tour the bus today. On Saturday, it will be parked at St. Mary's Ukrainian Church in Sudbury for the public to view.

On mobile? View here