ORPHANAGE
INFORMATION
|
On
Friday, June 14th, at 4 AM, we left for the Regional
Kharkiv Orphanage for children up to age four, about 460 km from
Kyiv. We arrived at 10 AM, and had great weather for the trip, and
for unloading the donated items:
|
|
№
|
Items
|
Quantity
|
UAH
|
US$
|
|
1
|
Drier (5
kg) “Whirlpool”
|
1 piece
|
2,178.00
|
408.63
|
|
2
|
Suction
unit (aspirator)
|
1 piece
|
1,150.00
|
215.76
|
|
3
|
Boiler
(80 l)
|
3 pieces
|
1,830.00
|
343.34
|
|
4
|
Video
player (Dewoo)
|
1 piece
|
490.00
|
91.93
|
|
5.
|
Vacuum cleaner (Samsung)
|
1 piece
|
450.00
|
84.43
|
|
6.
|
Dry Pool
|
1 piece
|
3529.40
|
662.20
|
|
7.
|
Therapy equipment “Ostrovok”
|
1 piece
|
2150.00
|
403.38
|
|
8.
|
Therapy equipment “Perekati-pole”
|
1 piece
|
1112.00
|
208.63
|
|
9.
|
Refrigerator “Haier”
|
1 piece
|
900.00
|
168.86
|
|
Roman Vladimirovich Marobyan, the director of the orphanage, is a
businessman (he owns a company) like his father and brother, so the
orphanage is a vocation more than a job. He is also a brilliant
pediatrician and makes sure that nobody steals items intended for
the children. The orphanage specializes in Cerebral Palsy and
central nervous system pathology.
|
|
|
 |
|
The
orphanage has 140 children aged 1.5 months – 4 years. There are
260 workers: 13 doctors, 95 nurses, 40 teachers, 85 caregivers, 6
senior nurses, etc. In
1996 330 children were adopted by Ukrainian families and 90 by
foreigners. Of the
children adopted by foreigners, 40 of these were by US families, 10
by Spanish families, and various others including Italian &
Swiss families.
The
children are well supplied with food, and their daily ration is
estimated 5 UAH (about 1$). The poor condition of clothing, linen
and furniture for the children really upsets the staff.
However
they are very proud of their rehabilitation department where they
have specialized therapy and medical equipment. The main distinction
of this orphanage is its medical facility, which is considered to be
the best in Kharkiv and its region.
They
director and staff especially appreciated the suction unit that is
quite necessary for a child who has no a swallow reflex. The most
acute need of the orphanage as of today is funds for repair works.
Their other needs are for an ultrasound unit that costs about 34,000
UAH, and for building materials.
The
parents who abandon their children all hope their children will be
placed in this orphanage. Practically
all staff like to work in the orphanage.
99 % of the staff have a monthly salary of about 220 UAH
(about $40), and there have even been some cases of adoption
by the orphanage workers.
|
ITEMS
FOR DONATION
| # |
Items |
Quantity
|
UAH
|
US $
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| 1 |
Units for sterilization plates and dishes by heat
|
3 pieces
|
11070.00
|
2076.92
|
| 2 |
Pampers (5-8 kg)
|
29 packs
|
800.40
|
150.17 |
| 3 |
Overalls (coarse, size 44)
|
48 pieces
|
864.00
|
162.10
|
| 4 |
Overalls (coarse, size 46)
|
48 pieces
|
864.00
|
162.10
|
| 5 |
Overalls (coarse, size 48)
|
48 pieces
|
864.00
|
162.10
|
| 6 |
Overalls (coarse, size 50)
|
48 pieces
|
864.00
|
162.10
|
| 7 |
Overalls (waterproof, size 48)
|
28 pieces |
1377.60
|
256.54
|
KHARKIV CITY BABY HOUSE
|
On
the same day, June 14th, at 12.30 PM, we arrived at
Kharkiv City Orphanage which specializes in physiological
disabilities and Cerebral Palsy. The orphanage is supposed to hold
170 workers and 113 children aged 0 – 3 years old, but right now
there are only 48 children aged up to 3 years old. The staff take
care of the orphanage very well: it is clean and has a lot of
flowers inside. Elena Yurievna, the director of the orphanage,
(photo below) has been working here since 1986 after she had
graduated from her institute. Lenin and Krupskaya founded the
orphanage in 1919. The
current building where the children live was built in 1979, and
repaired in 1999.
|
|
 |
 |
| More of the children have
been adopted by foreigners than by Ukrainian families. This
orphanage is remarkable for the love and care the workers show to
the children. The
workers often buy decorative flowers for the rooms personally, and
have even brought a dog to the orphanage.
We happened to be there while the children were feeding and
playing with the dog. They
are well supplied with food and medicines. Their daily ration is
estimated at 5.20 UAH. (About $1 US).
Their primary needs are for building materials and workers to
construct an isolation ward for small children.
They particularly appreciated
the sterilization units we had contributed to the orphanage. They
also remembered both Igors, who had been adopted by one of the
contributing families a few years earlier. Ethan’s nurse burst
into tears as she wished best regards to the family (photo below).
|
|
 |
 |
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Sometimes the orphanage
graduates come back to find out about their origin and their
parents.
Liberty International
Company, based in Kyiv, provided great help to us by delivering all
the items as well as unexpectedly contributing two boxes of bananas
and eight packs of pampers.
It is a great honor to be a
part of trips like these, to represent the people who have shared
Christ’s love for these children by contributing to their needs,
often without even meeting them!
The needs are so great that we often feel overwhelmed, but we
remember the story of the old man and the starfish, who was glad for
each individual one that he was able to help.
|
|
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.
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Over
6 years experience & 300 completed intl. adoptions
