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Introduction to
orphanages in Ukraine
Our first visit
to the orphanages in Ukraine was in 1999, after hearing about
the children from an American woman who had adopted her son
from an orphanage in Odessa. She told us of the sad
conditions, the hundreds of institutionalized children, and
the lack of the most basic needs by children who had no other
home. She asked if we could help.
During our two
week stay, we visited several orphanages; among them, #1, #5,
#9, Alexandrovka, and the Boys’ Detention
Center/Rehabilitation School. There were children from infancy to
17 years of age. Most appeared healthy, but there were many with
illnesses and severe handicaps as well as developmental
disabilities.
CCII became
determined to find a way to make each child feel special, to feel that each had a purpose,
that each one mattered and that others cared about them. A
bond of friendship had also been formed with the Ukrainian
people.
Establishing New
Hope for Children as a non-profit organization
Following our initial
visit to Ukraine, with the help of an attorney who volunteered his
services, New Hope for Children was established in 1999 as a 501c3
non-profit corporation dedicated to provide aid and relief services
for the orphaned and abandoned children of Ukraine.
Aid & Relief Projects/Activities by New Hope for
Children 1999-2011
Large shipments
are sent annually to orphanages #1, #5, #9, #34, and
to the women’s prison orphanage for babies. These shipments
contain blankets, winter jackets and coats, and new pajamas, socks,
sweaters, hats, gloves, and scarves, and health/medical supplies.
Additionally, toys and candies are sent for the younger children,
and backpacks filled with donated school supplies are sent for the
older children. Baby blankets and infant wear have been provided
each year for the babies’ orphanage. Volunteers wrap and pack each
item When requests are received for specific needs in other
orphanages, aid is given. This includes the Boys Rehabilitation
School, Slobadka #1, and Belgorod #2.
Ongoing and continued aid & relief activities and
projects of New Hope for children include the following:
“Children
Helping Children” programs
Car washes, coat
drives, garage sales, and “giving tree” collections are activities
organized and carried out by American schoolchildren, who each year
want to send presents, including hundreds of their Beanie Babies,
to the orphan children in Ukraine. They become very involved and
excited knowing that they are reaching across the world to connect
with their Ukrainian peers.
Fund for larger item purchases in Ukraine:
Mattresses
were needed for the orphanages and money was wired to purchase more than one hundred mattresses. The largest number was allotted to the handicapped
girls’ orphanage. Photos clearly showed the joy on their faces as
they saw the mattresses they received.
Floor covering
was needed in Orphanage #34 in the two large rooms where children
sat on cold concrete floors. Beautiful parquet design linoleum was
purchased and installed in both rooms to provide some comfort for
the children during the cold winter.
Cribs
were provided for the babies’ orphanage.
Beds
were purchased for Orphanage #1
Corporate Donations:
Standard Textile Company
granted New Hope for Children a huge shipment of
institutional bedding: (1500 sheets, towels, thermal
blankets, pillows, and mattress pads), shipped to
Ukraine by New Hope for Children.
Loews Theater Management Corp.
donated computers and monitors for a computer lab in orphanage #5.
Vermont Blanket Manufacturers
discounted to cost, 600 blankets to give warmth to children in one
orphanage when heat was lost during winter.
Holy Name Hospital
in New Jersey donated $8,000 dollars worth of healthcare and
hygienic supplies and equipment.
Canadian Clothing retailers gave 800 pairs of blue jeans for the older children in #5 and #9.
Jansport Corporation: Backpacks donated for
graduate students entering university. |
Projects
- Volunteer
Artists’ for Children Project
Artists from
“Splashes of Hope,” invited by New Hope for Children,
transformed a large room in #5 into a colorful
recreation/study environment with a 4-wall ceiling to floor
mural of underwater sea life. All paints and supplies to
complete this project were provided by our team, along with
furniture (tables and chairs). Photos show the
children’s joy when they entered this space for the first
time.
In 2001, a
team of maxillofacial surgeons from Mt. Sinai Hospital in New
York City volunteered to help the children with facial
deformities, especially cleft palate. Working with Ukrainian
surgeons, they performed cleft palate and other corrective
surgeries for the children. at no cost. They also donated
their equipment to the clinic before leaving. The team was
headed by the Chief Surgeon at Mt. Sinai
Hospital, who organized the team and the workshop
presentation.
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Graduation achievement reward
Project:
Through a dedicated donor from
Ohio, backpacks filled with school supplies (binders, paper,
pencils, pens, erasers, markers, etc.) are given as graduation
presents to children leaving orphanage care. Toiletry packs
containing shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush and
toothpaste are given to each child as well to begin self-sufficient,
independent living, in the larger society.
Teen Scholarship Program:
When graduating
students wish to pursue a profession, or an opportunity for
vocational job training, sponsors in the U.S. are sought to
support their living expenses while they pursue the necessary
study. Communications are established between the
student and his/her sponsor. Ukrainian and American
volunteers assist in translations, and in monitoring progress.
Upon completion of study, the
graduates then enter the workforce and support themselves, becoming
an important participant in the society, and contributing to the
country’s economy. Further information on this program can be made
available.
Every attempt is made to match
students with sponsors whose work is in the student’s choice of
study, offering a broader base for communication. When
circumstances allow, the sponsor may invite the student for a future
visit. It is also possible that, at some point, the sponsors will
visit Ukraine. The main objective of the program is to provide the
student a means for successful independent living, and to create
relationships that support/mentor an orphanage child with hope in
his/her future.
Artpals:
This is a non-language dependent
program that involves peer communication through art exchanges .
American and Ukrainian school children communicate about their
favorite place, their dream for the future and, with a
self-portrait, their appearance. A name card has the child’s name
in both English and Ukrainian, giving each an experience of the
other’s language, as well as a shared experience of their individual
lives and culture. Such experiences help to shape a reality for
future life goals. Art supplies for the drawings are provided by
the participant American school, and/or by New Hope for Children.
More detailed descriptions of this program are available as well.
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Grant:
United States Library of Congress Open World Leadership
Program
CCII New Hope
for Children was awarded a grant to organize a nine-day
program designed to enhance knowledge of voter registration,
voter monitoring activities, casting ballots, and NGO
development for six young leaders of Ukraine. The program
afforded the young leaders an opportunity to work with their
professional counterparts to develop an understanding of the
U.S. approach to democracy and a free-market economy. The
program’s objective is to enhance the role of these young
leaders in the future development of Ukraine.
Funding
Annual Breakfast of Love & Caring
Fundraiser
The major
funding source for New Hope of Children Aid & Relief projects
is the annual Breakfast of Love & Caring, which occupies most
of a year to produce. Additional support comes
through direct appeals, raffles, and donations. Children
often donate even small amounts of gift money to help an
orphan child. The success of all projects depends
mainly on financial assistance, and on volunteer support.
Volunteers
New Hope for Children can only
operate with the help of many volunteers who give freely
their time and labor. Their generosity makes it possible for
the work of New Hope for Children to continue. Through
them we raise funds to support the activities we
provide. The Breakfast fundraiser itself requires months of
preparation. Throughout the year, volunteers are
ready to work whenever their help is needed. It is a
difficult task, made possible only through the
dedication of many good-hearted individuals who believe that
showing love and support for less fortunate children is the
reason for their efforts.
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Future Projects; as funds allow:
A small bus or van is needed
to transport children when necessary, especially for
medical care when a doctor is not
present in the orphanage.
The Greenhouse Project
Nutrition is another major concern. Greenhouses can provide
nutritious food year round, and can distribute to a number
of orphanages. Greenhouse technology and
horticulture are also job skills for older children.
Laundry equipment is
desperately needed. Young children, handicapped, and babies
especially are in need of clean bedding and clothing,
Presently, machines are broken, and the funds to
repair them, or to purchase new ones are not yet
available.
Bathroom repair and/or
reconstruction is another need. Broken and rusted pipes,
cracked walls, sinks, and toilets all make life
more difficult for children.
Expanded Scholarship Program
to support a greater number of students to achieve
higher education at the university level.
Computer Lab
to construct a
full technology lab for each orphanage with graduating
students, to obtain at least a full year of computer skills
prior to leaving the orphanage.
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