Donation Index         

    lviv-nadvirna orphanage Donation TRIP 

provided by SENSE Resource Center, Inc. - a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization

Previous Donation    

Upcoming Trips        

The Regional specialized baby house “Malyutka” for children with central nervous system pathology and mental disabilities in Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivsk region, is home to 85 orphans, though it is designed for only 80. The children are aged 1 month – 4 years old. The 24 year old orphanage building is in good condition. 

There is a dedicated staff  of 180, including 25 educators, 75 medical workers, 60 nurses and caregivers, and 20 operating personnel, all dedicated to giving the children a good start in life to prepare them for their life ahead – this could be being returned to their families of origin, national or international adoption.

We called the orphanage director Ligostayeva Alla Grygorivna to inform her of the donated funds and to discern their needs. The director said that they were in need of pillowcases and blanket covers for the children.

We called Liberty International to procure pillowcases and blanket covers of proper sizes for small children. They found a manufacturer of cotton items in order to obtain more quality items at a lower rate. 

The trip was planned on January 24. Yuri and Nicholai loaded the van and started their way at 2:00 a.m.

“Liberty” loaded their van on January 23, 9 a.m., as they first had to go to Hmelnitsk first to get the dry pool and then to meet our van in Nadvirna. Lviv is situated about 600 km away from Kiev. The road was estimated to take about 11 hours. So, they arrived there in the afternoon, 1 a.m. The drive was very difficult.

 BABY HOUSE HUMANITARIAN PROJECT

At 1 a.m., January 24, Saturday , Yuri and Nicholai arrived at the baby house and were shown to the office of the director, Ligostayeva Alla Grygorivna. They were very happy to see us, and they also remembered the couple that had adopted from the orphanage.

The daily ration for each child is estimated to be 3.90 UAH (0.72 USD). They get 0.55 UAH (0.1 USD) for medicines.They have a many needs: bed linen, blankets, pampers, swaddling clothes, swaddle tables, and play-pens. They have no shortage of medicines, but they are in need of heaters, sterilizing units, milk formula, desks,

Director Ligostayeva Alla Grygorivna

lamps, armchairs, cleansers, plates and dishes. The building is old but still it looks pretty good inside, so they only need minor repair work. They told us that the average number of adoptions per year is 30-36 children. In 2002 there were 36 adoptions: 14 children were adopted abroad and 22 – in Ukraine. Among them Belgians adopted 2 children, Switzerland became home to 3 orphans, Spanish families adopted 3 children, Germans – 1, Americans – 2, Austrians – 1, French – 2. In 2001 there were 36 adoptions also: 20 adoptions abroad and 16 in Ukraine. That year American families adopted 10 children.

The general impression of the donation visit was very pleasant. The orphanage staff was very open, warm, and friendly. They remembered the couple who had adopted there and were very grateful for the donation. They invited the couple to visit Lviv and said that they would be very happy to see them and us again.

The Regional specialized baby house “Malyutka” for children with central nervous system pathology and mental disabilities in Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivsk region, is home to 85 orphans, though it is made to house 80 orphans. The children are ages 1 month – 4 years old. The orphanage building is in good condition. It is been there for 24 years.

There is a dedicated staff of 180. It includes 25 educators, 75 medical workers, 60 nurses and caregivers, and 20 persons of operating personnel, all hopeful of helping the children to have a good future.

We called the baby house director Kuznetsova Galyna Petrivna to find out about their needs and to inform them of the donated funds. The director said that since the orphanage is regional but not is a city orphanage, they have problems getting funds from the local authorities. They had no office equipment such as computer, fax, Xerox machine and so on. She said that such equipment would help to facilitate the adoption process.  The director explained that they have problems with the water so it would be great to order some boilers. Since there are small children, their rooms must meet hygienic standards, so the director asked to bring quartz lamps and sterilization units for sterilizing the bottles for kids. And she also added that children with cerebral palsy would enjoy a dry pool.

We  called to the Liberty International and arranged for the items necessary for donation in accordance with the available financial donations. We realized that Nicholai, our driver, wouldn’t be able to bring all the staff to Nadvirna by van. So Liberty agreed to make the additional delivery to Nadvirna, having first to go to Khmelnitsk to get the dry pool.  

Here is the list of items purchased:

The trip was scheduled for January 24. Yuri and Nicholai loaded the van and started their way around 2 am. First they planned to visit Lviv with the donation and then go on to Nadvirna, also situated in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.

Nadvirna is about 200 km  from Lviv,  about 800 km from Kiev. The trip was estimated to take about 2 hours. They arrived in Lviv at 1 pm and were supposed to arrive in Nadvirna around 4 pm. However, the weather was terrible and thick fog slowed them down so that  they did not arrive until 6 pm. There they met the van from Liberty.

Yuri and Nicholai arrived at the baby house and were shown to the office of the director, Kuznetsova Galyna Petrivna, who welcomed us and said that they were very glad to see us and to have the donation. She explained how important it is to have such humanitarian projects. The Deputy Director is a very nice and open person. She told us a lot about the orphanage, about their groups and the children. She showed us the groups where Victor and other children were adopted. Some of the children pictured are sick, having just gotten   chicken pox.

 The Director told that they had 22 adoptions last year. There were only 4 adoptions from families abroad and 18 adoptions in Ukraine. She said there are only social orphans and no biological ones in the baby house.

Deputy Director Alla Konstantinovna Sagaydak

The director also said that there have been many cases of adoption children by the orphanage workers, especially by the caregivers. 

The director told about their needs. The daily ration of a child is estimated 1.90 UAH (about 0.35 USD) per day, but owing to the sponsors’ help they have had 3.36 UAH (that is 0.62 USD). The situation with medicine is very poor since they get 0.50 UAH (0.10 USD) only. 

The general impression of the donation was very pleasant since the Western Ukrainians are well known for their hospitability, warmness, and open hearts. They welcomed us with tea, coffee, and cookies. We were shown photo albums of  families and their adopted children. The director had been waiting for us until 6 pm despite the fact that it was her parents Jubilee “Golden Marriage” anniversary. They all were very grateful for the donation we brought. They also asked to tell their best regards to the families and wish them their best desires.

COMMENTS

If you want to be a part of our charity programs and share your heart with Ukrainian orphans, please check with us at our_kids@earthlink.net to find out about upcoming humanitarian trips and how you can make a difference in the world.

<< Previous Donation Trip      Donation Trip Index