Orphanage Under Construction

Tatiana feeding us one of her many Russian specialties

The program actually started a few days late since the repairs to the orphanage were not finished when we arrived.  In fact, they were still installing a new heating system the entire time we were there.  But, our good friend, Tatiana (who is the social worker at the orphanage), took us in and took care of us for our first few days in Russia until everyone could safely come back to the orphanage.  On top of already having her two boys, her husband, her father, her niece, and one of the boys from the orphanage staying in her flat, she made room for Tom (volunteer and program coordinator) and me in her three-room flat as well.  I am not sure what we would have done without Tatiana and her amazing family!

A Day at the Orphanage

When we arrived at the orphanage, along with piles of debris, PVC pipe, and radiators, we found 16 kids waiting for us, ranging in age from 4 to 16.  It made the program more interesting having a wider variety of kids than in the past two years.  Our translator, Ira, more than made up for the lack of a female volunteer this year, ready and willing to do whatever we needed.

Preparing for paintball with my two bodyguards

 

We decided to plan one major event each day.  We went on field trips to the bowling alley, the ice rink, two amusement parks, the arcade, and McDonald's.  We played paintball, went clothes shopping at the mall and at the open air market, rode go-karts, celebrated Kostroma's anniversary in the city center, saw a parade, visited an outdoor historical museum, and took a three hour riverboat trip.  We even went to the new movie theatre.  They liked some of the trips so much that we did them twice!  The orphanage director shared with us that the kids generally only get four field trips each year, so it was like Christmas every day for them!

 

Making bead jewelry

We spent the rest of most days at the orphanage doing a variety of things with the kids—bike riding, taking care of the orphanage property, making crafts, walking through the forest, singing karaoke, watching TV, and just hanging out.  The weather was quite cool, and it rained frequently.  On the first clear day, we decided to go for a bike ride.  After days of rain, we were riding through puddles higher than the pedals.  And then the boys decided we should go off-road!  I think we were riding through a farmer's field, and I believe the boys would have kept going until they reached Moscow had I not made them go back.  We arrived back at the orphanage covered in mud and soaked, and the orphanage director rolled her eyes and began to question why she let these two oversized boys stay at her orphanage!

Playing Uno

In the evening after dinner, Tom and I were without a translator.  In previous years, we have always had a volunteer that was fluent in Russian, so we were a bit worried at first.  But the kids and the staff had a great time using my Russian-English phrase book trying to communicate with us.  After seven trips to Russia, I have managed to pick up a bit of Russian.  But there were many times when someone on the staff tried to tell us something, and I was not really sure what they were saying.  I would often have to say, “Well, Tom, I think she is either saying to close the door, the door is closed, or telling us not to close the door," or "Tom, she either said to take a shower downstairs, to not take a shower downstairs, or that there is a shower downstairs.”  It was pretty comical at times having the kids and ladies on the staff all doing their version of charades to try to communicate with us!  But each night from dinner until the staff made the kids go to bed, the kids would all gravitate to our room to hang out, play cards and Uno, listen to music, and horse around.  One of their favorite activities was seeing how many of them it took to wrestle Tom to the ground, which was quite comical, especially when the orphanage director walked in 20 minutes after the kids were supposed to be in bed to find six wild kids piled on top of Tom.  The look on Tom's face was priceless!

Cerosha's new outfit

Clothes Shopping

Thanks to members of the Novi Rotary Club and the Novi Interact Club, we were able to take the kids in three groups to purchase new clothing for school.  Neither Tom nor I had ever taken kids shopping for clothes, so it was quite an adventure, especially since there does not seem to be any logic or consistency to the clothing sizes in Russia!  For some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to bring all of the teenage girls to the mall at one time!  The entire orphanage staff was laughing at the sight of me when I returned from what seemed to be the longest two hours of my life.  But the kids had a blast getting to shop for their own clothing and to have something of their own, especially the younger kids.

 

Watching the boat show

Amazing Kids

In 2004, we held the summer program in a large orphanage located in the middle of a forest on the outskirts of a village.  There were 54 kids at the orphanage that summer.  In 2006 and 2007, the program moved to Kostroma Orphanage #1, a much smaller orphanage located just outside a medium-sized city.  This year, we moved the program to an orphanage about 5 minutes farther from the city.

It was interesting to work with three different sets of kids from three very different orphanages in the last four years.  Although nearly all of the kids have experienced great trauma in their short lives—physical and emotional abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome, being separated from alcoholic or jailed parents, some still dealing with the trauma of watching one of their parents kill their sibling or their other parent—they are still capable of great kindness, both to each other and to adults.  They are so desperate for love and attention, no matter if they are 4 or 16.  They all want to sit next to you or walk next to you.  They fight over who gets to sit next to you on the bus or the couch or even the floor, and the younger ones all clamor to sit on your lap, even when there are seats available.  We were on the bus, sweating from the heat and from running around at the amusement park, and one of the younger kids was sitting on my lap.  We were practically stuck together, and when a seat opened up, I asked him if he wanted to sit there.  He just took my arms and wrapped them around him.

Cerosha doesn't complain about having to take a shower now that he has his new goggles!

All of the kids crave your attention when you are there.  Two of the younger kids, Masha and Cerosha, each laid claim to Tom and me.  I overheard Cerosha walking down the stairs telling Masha, “Jody is mine, and Tom is yours!”  Masha would give Tom the silent treatment if he showed too much attention toward the other kids, and Cerosha would often claim he couldn’t be my friend anymore when I was with the other kids.  But, given the chance, they were right back to holding our hands, sitting in our laps, and hugging us.  No matter how hard the ladies on the staff try, there just is not enough of them to fill the needs of these kids.

 

The older kids were quite comical as well.  At night, Tom would often have a cup of coffee.  When we realized that we didn't have any cups, we asked 16 year old Valera to find one for us since the kitchen was closed.  Valera would say, “I Tom Clancy,” as he ran off like an undercover operative in search of cups.  He went on missions for sugar, tea, and spoons each night.  Valera also loved reading my Russian-English dictionary, and he would spend most evenings trying to put together words into phrases.  His favorites were, "Tom, you dirty worm," or, "You clown."

Lyuba and Masha at the amusement park

The kids are also quite resourceful.  I remember in 2004 buying yogurt for the kids while we were in town and realizing that we did not have any spoons.  As I pondered where I could possibly buy spoons for 20 kids, I turned around to find them all eating their yogurt by folding the foil top of the yogurt container into a make-shift spoon.  This year, we were at the amusement park, and the kids were all trying to tell Ira which rides they wanted to go on so we could buy tickets, all talking at once and changing their minds every two seconds.  Lyuba, one of the older girls, pulled out her notebook and pen and made a list of each ride and who wanted to ride it. She handed it to Ira as I laughed that one of the adults had not thought of it first!

It always amazes me how respectful the kids are.  They thank the cook after each meal on their way out, they give up their seat on the bus for ladies and old people without having to be told to do so, and they watch out for the younger kids when they are away from the orphanage.  Not what you would expect from kids who have so little and who have been through so much in their short lives.  They are also very protective of each other, and that carried over to Tom and me as well.  They would insist that we get on the bus first because they were afraid we would get lost!

Making a Difference?

One of our translators asked me why I go to Russia to spend time with these kids.  I guess it's because I think all kids deserve to feel loved, to know that people care about them.  It saddens me to know these kids will likely never have an opportunity for a “normal” life.  I do know that my visits have made me appreciate what I have--amazing, loving parents, great friends, and real opportunities in my life.  And, it gives me great pleasure to spend time with these kids, to see them laugh and smile.

I don’t know if it will make a difference in the long run in the lives of these kids.  The statistics are quite depressing—90% of them will end up in jail, prostituted, or addicted to drugs and alcohol.  The other 10% will barely get by.  I have seen dozens of kids leave the orphanage when they finish ninth grade, alone in the world at 16 years old to fend for themselves.  And it is difficult to see what happens to them.  But there are some that are succeeding, with our help and the help of the friends we have made over the years.

I do know this.  For a few weeks this summer, they got to do all of the things I loved to do when I was a kid.  Most importantly, they felt loved, and they received all the attention that is humanly possible from the time they woke up each morning until the time they were forced to go to bed each night.  I only wish there were more that we could do to find all of them loving families, so they could feel this way for the rest of their lives.  But until then, with your help, I will continue to try to bring some hope and happiness to their lives.

Thank You for All of Your Help and Support

Wiped out after another daily field trip

Thank you to my good friend, Tom, for giving up a big part of his summer to run the program this year.  It was great to have someone there that I could count on, who helped solve problems when they came up (as they inevitably do), and who spent a great deal of time and energy helping to raise money for the program.  And thank you to his wife, Emily, for letting me borrow him this summer and for not selling his motorcycle while he was away.  Thank you to Tom's mom, Mary Lou, for coordinating a huge bottle drive to help raise money for this year's program.

A special thank you to the Novi Rotary for its tremendous enthusiasm and continued support, to Barbara Jo Crowther for her kindness, support, and help expanding our fundraising effort, and to my great friend, Julie Meakin, for everything she does to lift me up when the weight of things gets to be too much.  And last, but not least, a great big thank you to Drusha and the entire Zinchook family.  When Drusha, who was adopted from a Russian orphanage, was starting to plan his birthday, he decided that rather than receive presents for himself that he would instead ask others to help the kids that still live in Russian orphanages.  I have met some incredible people over the last four years, but meeting a little boy who chose the happiness of kids he does not know and likely will never meet over presents for himself has been one of the highlights.  What an amazing kid!

Thank you to everyone who has donated money, clothing, and toys for the kids.  This program is only possible because of your generosity and support.  Thank you for making a difference in the lives of these often forgotten kids.

To watch a video of this summer's program, click here.