Ukrainian Orphanages
On Sunday 13 November 2005 Archbishop Antony of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church gave a presentation on the conditions of two orphanages in Ukraine. I drove up for the presentation and served at the Liturgy with His Eminence and Fr. Gregory Czumak, the pastor. Following are my notes taken during the presentation. After that are the photographs which I took. The pictures at the end are outside the facilities where we worshop.
Six or seven years ago two women wanted to do something for Ukraine and they started with $35,000. We had no opportunity to go over there. Dr. McCusky and his wife are the founders of the program. They came across two orphanages that have the worst of the worst children.
Once the children reach the age of 16, they are put out on the streets. The majority of them have been there most of their lives. The staff is overwhelmed with what they have to accomplish. If you should go over there as a volunteer, don’t be afraid to touch these kids or hug them. They will remember.
The Diocese committed to a period of five years. These years are over now and we are in our sixth year. They have a new system of diapers for the kids and new washing machines. Truck loads of clothes have been sent to them but the kids just rip them off. This is their form of entertainment.
There are 125 kids in each orphanage.
In the second year they started an annual summer program for college students. This year they sent two teams.
Before the college students leave, they ave a Moleben which they call a Commission Service. They are only allowed to have two bags, but each kid has six bags. Johnson & Johnson gave them 16 cases of Ensure. They also have medicine.
Saint Sophia is the center of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. At one time in Kiev there were over 3,000 churches.
The first orphanage is in the center of Kiev. Trees are still growing out of the gutters of the building. The flowers that we plant in the middle of our roads in America grow wildly there. The building was built to last ten years and they are now 19 years old.
The #1 news caster in Ukraine works with them and checks on how the money is being used. Some of these kids have never left their beds their entire lives. All the children have their hair cut very low to control of lice.
There is a church not far away from the orphanage and the people there do not even know that the orphanage exists. They took some of the kids out for a picnic and this was the first time that they have been away from the orphanage.
The Diocese hired teaches to come to the school eery day and they are finding out that these kids are educatable. They also are finding out that these kids who do not have any muscles at all can develop some. The kids favorite song is “Oh MacDonald Had a Farm” and our college students knew it in Ukrainian also.
The orphanage has three or five works to watch 150 kids. They have to tie the older kids to the benches when nobody is with them in order to prevent them from running away.
The Diocese also provided towels and a play room with balls for the children.
The staff has 40 seconds to feed each child. Next year they hope to send two groups of college students. The following year the Diocese hopes to send adults over. These adults have to be professionals and they want to make sure that they have the tools, etc.
The college students have to raise $1,500 and this barely covers the expenses.
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