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I blogged that information on specialized (handicapped) Ukrainian orphanages and internats (orphanages for children 7 years and older) is available on the internet. There is no grand conspiracy to hide the truth about these orphanages. Life is hard. Sometimes a child dies because “no one cared enough to buy $10 worth of penicillin“.
(Note: I am use the “cool stuff” photo because these bloggers are doing very cool things.)
So here are some blogs and photos. Many of these bloggers are in Ukraine for Christian missionary work.
Sarah (20 year old American) is volunteering in Berdyansk, Ukraine. She is working at what she calls a “first stage orphanage”. This is a shelter. It is similar to an American emergency foster care shelter.
Children enter the Ukrainian orphanage system via a shelter or a hospital. Children can only stay at a shelter for 90 days. Sarah has many pictures posted on her blog.
Ruth Olson has been visiting Vinnitsa orphanages since 2003. She has tons of picture on her blog. It looks like she works at a specialized orphanage. The children are in wheelchairs. She donated crib toys which were appreciated at the orphanage. Read her blog to see what happens to handicapped children…. they are rarely educated.
The Colker family has really interesting series of blogs and photos. Son worked with children from Uzhgorod orphanage. Dad volunteer as a dentist in Zhytomyr.
As an adoptive parent, I would take this blog to heart. Greg nails the emotions of anyone traveling to visit an orphanage. The needs are so big and your ability to help is so small.
Chances are you’ve already read about my visits to an orphanage in Uzhgorod. This time we had a week-long camp for the kids. It was certainly not easy. There were 90 kids, most of whom are gypsies, who have learning disabilities and are unloved and abused. I’m used to kids, I have 9 little brothers and sisters for cryin’ out loud! But after an hour or so with these kids I was drained! Mukachevo Camp 2006 They have so little and need so much.
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I think that the camp went very well and I know the kids benefited physically, emotionally and spiritually from the camp. I’ve learned that camps like this are often difficult not only in the ways I’ve mentioned but also because you don’t usually see immediate results.
I was speaking with Andrew, a missionary who’s worked with these kids for 5 years, and he told me that when he first went to the orphanage it was like walking into an mental asylum. Some of the kids sat staring at the wall, others hit themselves and some acted like animals. Praise God, they’ve come a long way since then but still have so far to go.
From: Colker Family
Ukrainian Orphanage Blogs
Ukrainian Orphanage Changes: Family Style
Berdyansk, Vinnitsa, Uzhgorod, Zhytomyr
Dnepro, Volhynia, Odessa
Crimea, Donetsk, Kyiv, Kharkiv
Kramatorsk
