Reports from Ukraine - Orphanage Trip Reports

Reports from Orphanage

Notice Concerning More Recent Reports

For visitors to the ULC Website: It may look like nothing new is happening here, but something IS happening!

Additional reports after December 2007 are being published on a private web area for sponsors. This is to help maintain privacy for sponsors and children and to give sponsors a place to share their thoughts and experiences with sporsorship in Ukraine.

All active sponsors will have access to this new web area.

Go here for letters from the Children with Photos and Artwork!

Here you can see watercolors of CATS ! Painted by the 4th grade class, the following artwork will soon be accompanied by translated letters to sponsors or potential sponsors. We are committed to displaying more such artwork and photographs of special events on ukrainianlifeconnections.org. Please check back often as you will not want to miss such treasures. For now - enjoy the kitty pictures! Click on any of the thumbnails for a larger image.

Next Report - December 2007 >>

Report from Viktoria: 2007 26 October

Thanks for your kind greetings! I’m fine and God helps me in this work with you, dear sponsors! Yesterday my friend proposed me to send all my pictures to you from her fast Internet!!!!!! I hope she’ll do it tomorrow.

I returned from amazing trip to Orphanage. You right that it’s big blessing to communicate with kids and teachers and share my life to them!

Thanks for your support and prayer! I saw God’s help everywhere and all the time I journey to orphanage. For example when I bought tickets in my rush I bought not comfortable place with smocking steward… I paid some more and came to other wagon where I read and prepared for the conversation with Nadia and made my notes from your letters. When I arrived there wasn’t enough people for one bus (only 4 people) to go to Orphanage and driver proposed us to pay 10$ (it’s 3 times more from each one then we pay as always in full bus!) he gets from full bus… First time we thought that it’s joke but then we agreed with him and paid. None had a desire to waste time on the station and to wait next train with people… I had enough wisdom to agree and don’t loose God’s peace in my heart. Then when I made pictures camera switched off because of dead batteries!!! Boy came to the shop and bought me 4 Duracell batteries!!! Then I found that it’s the last day before autumn holidays and that some of kids left home already… I did pictures of present kids! Then when I walked from class to class with secretary which helped me one gloomy teacher man followed us and when we came to class rooms he sat, bowed his face down and wrote something. I asked by whisper secretary in joke is it our bodyguard? This man followed us some classes and then he relaxed and begun to conversation with me with wide smile. He told that he’s a director’s helper of education and of discipline. HE CONGRATULATED ME AND I MADE MY JOB WITH LOVE AND GLADNESS TO KIDS, AND HE REALIZED THAT I’M NOT DANGEROUSE!!!! Wow!!! I understood that time that I passed my exam… He asked about Chad and sent his greetings! Told that my digital camera is great and they need the same made some pictures with serious (because of his golden tooth: it shines on the pictures!!!) face. They accept me! I didn’t wait for such a meeting from staff… But I’m OK and think that it’s very good such a care for kids.

At one class, when I didn’t realize the aim of teacher’s following and he was absent I spoke about sponsors love and desire to communicate with us and not just to give and give us gifts. I told how God respond me in my need when I cried as my friend did before “Father! Give me a sponsor!” I asked right this word but it’s not normal to tell like this to God in our culture. We don’t use such words, when we ask something in prayer. But God gave me! These people live in USA and helped me to grow up my son!!! They paid our debts and warmed us, bought coal and winter cloths and boots!!!! That’s why you choose me, dears! I passed through the same circumstances as kids do and I was helped!

I spent great time this my trip to orphanage with kids! Some of teenagers refused my trying to make a picture, but then when they saw my love and that I don’t press them they agreed. Two girl even find me later and asked to make one more picture. I’ll see beautiful girls in hoods. One of them had tears on eyes because she shied didn’t want to make a picture… poor girl! Then she found me by herself and made 2 pictures + with her friend! I eat with some of the grade six girls and their class, came to their bed room and they showed me some things they had in the room from received packages. You’ll see them on the pictures. Other things were closed because girls have only some necessary ones in the bedrooms.Some of the girls followed me to the bus stop and we talk all the time. They told me about their families. I asked them what do they plan for the future study and trade. And I think that I have to find tests for choosing the better trade by their characters and desires. I did the same and it helped me to become happier and to choose right way in study the future profession.

I did not buy any memory card for my old digital camera because they told that this Fujifilm is such an old one that any memory card can’t connect with it. One Missionary gave me this camera last year and I thought that it’s good idea to put just absent memory card on it, but it’s not enough. My lady-employer says that I shouldn’t be worry and to take their digital camera as I did these two trips. They are such good people to me and support my work with the Orphanage. I will try to send pictures fast with kids’ names. There’s a lot of work to do!!! I’m making all work at home computer, save on flash card and then come to the post office WHERE THEY HAVE A FLASH CARD CONNECTION and then I send pictures one by one through their slow Internet… That’s why please, people, and wait for the pictures from trip… I‘m rushing inside and cant move outside!!!

Thanks for choosing and trust me! I love these kids! I want to help them!

The Director was so busy this last day of study and we talk some minutes, then she chose me a helper and then I should return in some time. She asked me about any troubles and when I replied that all is great , then she came to the teachers’ council. She listened and felt my words by her heart… I saw tears on her eyes and she told that she trust these words.. If you can see these eyes… and how she tried to make safe her make up… Also The Director worries how kids spend their time after school and desires to begin classes she told you. She hopes to begin them from this November. . Please, tell to people that kids need to spend time with useful activity!!! AND they want to study crafts proposed by the Director! As for dancing she told us. The teacher can teach our traditional Ukrainian, subjected (theater in dance) and different ones except of ballet. The Director knows that he is professional and has won a lot of competitions. The Director says that the most important thing right now is to give kids interesting people to teach them useful things during their free time. Our government covers food, cloths and other necessary things, but hasn’t enough funds for classes and crafts, which so important to them!

Also The Director told me how they check and register all packages with special committee and journal. She promised to organize their keeping to my visit. Kids waiting for letters from their sponsors and certainly packages! Some of them asked me to help them to find sponsor. And I respond that we do our best for them. I found Vitalik. He studies at 6^th class. He’s Alla’s cousin. Also Alla has some more sisters and cousins at this school.

It’s late night and I have to go to bed. God bless you, dear sponsors!Sincerely Viktoria__________________________________________________

First Report - Some General Guidelines

We are ready to start the new sponsorship program for the orphans in Ukraine!

We are sorry, but your monthly sponsorship fees will not be tax deductible at this time. We will be operating as a NOT-FOR PROFIT organization. Every year we will make an accounting to OHF, and to the sponsors, of the money taken in and exactly how it was spent, and any excess will be tranferred to the orphanage director for purchase of items or services for the kids! We will not have an online store, and you will receive news of your child even if you only send letters. We want to encourage our sponsors to support projects thru OHF; smaller monthly projects involving non-monetary donations will be promoted by the sponsorship program - participation in these projects is optional.

At this time, our Ukrainian representative is reimbursed for her traveling expenses to the orphanage, and a per diem wage for her work. Our translators are providing their services at GREATLY reduced rates in support of the children at the Orphanage. All other work involved in the sponsorship program is being done on a volunteer basis. We will welcome all assistance in assisting in translations, either volunteers or paid a small fee. WE DO NEED ADDITIONAL TRANSLATORS!!

The cost will be $15 a month. We will accept personal checks or money orders for payment. This will include translation of two letters (one each way), a return stamped envelope for your child's reply, visits to the orphanage once a month by our Ukrainian representative. You may purchase additional letter translations at our cost of $3.75 per letter if you wish. The representative will take general and specific photos which will be posted to our website and Shutterfly. At your request, packages will be held by orphanage director so photos can be taken when kids open packages. Our representative will interview director every month and can get answers to specific questions you may have about your sponsored child, as well as general information about news and needs at the orphanage. Our representative can also transfer money to the school director for the purchase of items that are impractical to ship; such as toiletries, shoes, books, etc.

All packages and translated letters will be the sponsors' responsibility to send directly to the orphanage via USPS or MEEST (MEEST now delivers to the recipient's hand in the smaller towns and villages, Google them to find the location nearest you and you can call and find out all info from your MEEST representative).

If you know of a child at the school that you wish to sponsor through our program, you are welcome to do so. Just let us know the full name of the child. Persons that have sponsored individual children previously will have priority in sponsoring the same kids thru us, our goal is not to make money, but to provide as much continuity in the kids lives as possible.

Because this sponsorship program is being run in full accordance with the wishes of the Orphanage Director, there will be rules for the sponsors to follow concerning gift items that are appropriate for the children. These rules are for the benefit and well-being of the child and the orphanage as a whole. We strongly encourage our sponsors to respect and follow these rules.

The emphasis of this sponsorship program will be emotional and spiritual support of individual children. PLEASE do not take on more children than you feel you can successfully bond with and maintian a close relationship with! Letters and photos from sponsors mean far more than anything material you can provide for these children, they hunger for strong caring, guiding relationships on a long term basis. Idealy, this program seeks to provide continuous sponsorship of a child from the time they enter the Orphanage at age 7 until such time as they have received help and education and are "launched " on their adult life. . . usually several years AFTER they graduate from the orphanage. We hope sponsors will view this as a long-term commitment. We have seen first-hand how devastating it is for a child to be "dropped " by a sponsor!

Our website is not yet ready to be launched, so please bear with us! Getting the program to this point has been the work of many months, and we will continue to grow and improve and hope to have the website up within 4-6 weeks. We want to make the website a GREAT educational tool for our sponsors and a place where we can all get acquainted with each other and the children!

School Director

Ukrainian Life Connections, 2008
Connecting Sponsors with Orphans in Ukraine.

facts and disclosures

Ukrainian Life Connections is not an official non-profit organization. However, Ukrainian Life Connections does operate and will continue to operate NOT for profit. A $15.00 per month per orphan fee pays primarily for translations of letters, expenses of Ukrainian representative to travel from Kiev to the orphanage and back, and to take photographs, scan and email letters, etc. In addition, the expenses of some computer equipment necessary to increase efficiency of the sponsorship program will be paid for out of sponsorship fees. At the end of a calendar year, any moneys left over from sponsorship fees will be donated outright to the orphanage to be used in a program of need for the orphans in ukraine.

Ukrainian Life Connections sells no product. The main function of Ukrainian Life Connections is to help foster relationships between caring adults and needy orphans in the poorest regions of Ukraine. For these Ukrainian orphans to survive - not only within an orphanage - but also outside after graduation - they need hope. They need guidance and to know that there are other kind and caring people in the world - that there is something worth struggling for.

Some of the benefits to sponsored orphans in Ukraine:

Sponsored Ukrainian orphans receive hope through your letters.
Sponsored Ukrainian orphans receive love through your letters.
Sponsored Ukrainian orphans receive hope and love through your photographs.
Orphans in Ukraine may get the inspiration they need from a sponsor to continue fighting to improve themselves.
You may be the spark needed to instill an orphan in Ukraine with the drive to work and study hard.
When you sponsor orphans in Ukraine, you can send warm clothing and blankets and other needs to Ukraine.

Share your life with an orphan in Ukraine, and find out how easy and rewarding it is to give love and inspiration to a child who needs more hope in the world. The cost is minimal, and the time involved is completely up to you.

It is estimated that there are over 100,000 orphans in Ukraine. Some of these are "true" orphans who have lost their parents to disease or accidents. Many others are what is known as "social" orphans -- children who have either been abandoned by their parents, or whose parents have been deprived of their parental rights due to abuse, neglect, alcoholism, drug abuse, or other circumstances.

Many of the other orphans in Ukrainian orphanages have parents who simply cannot afford to care for them properly. The International Labor Organization calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is nearly 7%, and almost 40% of the population lives below the poverty line. These statistics may give some indication of the life that awaits an orphan in Ukraine once that orphan has moved outside of the protection of an orphanage.

It has been calculated elsewhere that about 10% of these orphans commit suicide after leaving an orphanage and before turning 18. 60% of females turn to prostitution in order to make a living, and approximately 70% of males end up involved in crime - with many of males and females ending up finally in jail. When these orphans leave the orphanage, many are being put into the wide world, while missing many essential life skills -- not able to cook, use a bank, balance a budget -- or in any other way navigate through the complicated world outside, having utterly lost any social safety net.

Ukrainian Life Connections is asking mostly for your time, your energy, your love, your imagination. Please help us help these orphans in Ukraine.

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