Must-see TV, Russian Style

Remember last year when we posted about unexpecting the expected? Well, we expected to have a short interview with the media in Sovietsk. What we got instead was 4 days of cameras and mics, personal interviews and written statements, and candid footage by award-winning documentary filmmaker Tatyana Khalezova. What a surprise, and what an honor! We were glad for the chance to spread the word in Russia about our special kids. We're hoping this builds even more support from within Russia. We're thankful for any way to get the word out!

The link below is an excerpt from Kirov Regional news, following our outing to Dolbiylova. (While we might have looked more camera-ready when we weren't hiking through the woods, we are glad that Sovietsk Supporters Galina and Volodya were featured!) Please, follow the link below to watch our news segment. (I haven't figure out how to embed Russian video. Scroll down to the bottom of the screen to watch.)

http://www.gtrk-vyatka.ru/vesti/7657-amerikanskie-volontery.html

While it loses something going from English to Russian and back to English, the translation is below. You, Sovietsk Supporters, get a major mention! Between our family and friends, Bethlehem Lutheran, KidsFirst Foundation, and Evangel PCA in Kansas, not to mention people who have found us via blog, the supporters are well over 200. So thank you!

(Also, this is just a portion of what will be featured on a "full-length docu-drama" television show about Sovietsk orphanage and our involvement there. Something along the lines of Dateline Kirov, it seems. Stay tuned for even more!)

AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS
A group of American volunteers arrived in Kirov Region. They visit orphanages. The charity help that the guests from abroad render is measured not in money equivalent only. Relations and interaction are the key for the orphans regardless of the language of this communication.
Sarah, Benjamin, Katherine, Jennifer, Steve and Barbara . They came to Sovietsk orphanage from Indiana, USA.

Sarah Clark, social worker [student] (Indiana, USA): «Today here you see only 6 Americans. But there are a lot more people that participate in this program. They are about 200, more than 200. We are happy when we can raise some money to help these children. On the other hand, I have been writing to a girl from this orphanage for three years already. We have become friends. We are very attached to one another and I hope that after she graduates we will be able to continue keeping in touch».

Sarah Clark is a social worker [student]. She works with foster care children and children from correctional facilities learning to live at home independently.

Sarah Clark, social worker [student] (Indiana, USA): «The children that I work with at home are in no way different from these children. Of course, there are only a few children's homes in the USA. Most children live in foster families. Both the systems: orphanages and foster care have positive and negative sides».

But the problems, unfortunately, are the same. When the children leave the orphanages, they are hardly able to deal with everyday life. Every child must have an adult that s\he can trust.
The charity foundation “NADEZHDA” works with volunteers from abroad and Russia and helps to find these people.

Galina Plotnikova, Principal of Sovietsk sanatorium type orphanage: «They write letters to each other, make sure to send a birthday card greeting, check on the children’s health. They can ask whether the child’s cat has become bigger, for instance. They pay attention to all the details and small things».

The orphanage was able to hire a speech pathologist and many tutors with the financial assistance. Some boys were able to get their driver’s licenses.

Galina Plotnikova, Principal of Sovietsk sanatorium type orphanage: «We were able to start a drama and guitar club. And overall, our children make better progress at school because of the tutors».

The week of personal interaction with the adults lets the children feel like they possess equal rights with other members of society. When they are together, walking hand in hand, there are things to talk about.

What we'll be doing in Russia

The trip is getting very close. The excitement at our house is nearly palpable. We've recently heard from the orphanage director about her plans for our time there. Here's a rundown:

-Help the kids with garden work
The kids raise their own vegetables and I think they're very proud of it. And it's so delicious and fresh. I'm sure I could learn a thing or two about how to raise a garden.

-Mushroom hunting
On our last trip, we had an unforgettable day at one of the nearby parks going after some mushrooms. But you have to be very, very quiet so you can sneak up on them. After gathering mushrooms we had a fantastic picnic. We're very excited to do this again. It's a great way to have fun and to connect with the kids.

-Visit Dolbiylova, the village
This is the place where we spent the day having a picnic (another one, yes), climbing rocks, hiking, and then having a second huge meal. They had to roll me back to the orphanage. But it was a lot of fun and our hosts were very gracious.

-Banya
Quite an experience. We've written a bit about this before. Suffice it to say it's certainly an interesting and culturally enriching way to bathe.

-Visit the schools and observe classes
We're very excited to see how they do school over there. Being a big supporter of education, I'm always interested in seeing this sort of thing. Visiting classes will also give us a chance to talk with the kids a little more about school and their education/career goals.

The director told us a little bit about what to expect from the kids and how to interact with them during less formal activity time.

-Older boys will like guitar, soccer, crafts in wood shop
-Older girls will like makeup, nails, etc
-Younger kids will like anything!

Needless to say, activities like this are a must. When you have a language barrier on top of emotional barriers, having something to do with the kids is a great way to connect and build a relationship.

Caregiver's Corner

Another update!

Again, let me thank you for all your care for our children. Letters make their lives brighter. It’s a pity not all of the children get letters from their U.S. friends. They really wait for their letters. Not very long ago in our local newspaper there was an article about our summer guests Sarah and Ben. Children read and re-read this article. They miss Sarah and Ben very much! They send their love to them and ask to come to them this summer again. Thank you for your support,

From Irina Nikolaevna

First, we can't believe we made the newspaper! We had a few jokes from our trip to Dolbiylova about being ready for the media, but apparently we should have been. I am so curious to see the article when we return. We are so excited to visit again (have we mentioned that?) and bring more friends to love on these kids.

About the letters . . . it is so hard to have a few kids who are not getting letters and a few who are. We have 2 children left who don't have a pen pal at all, and we just have no way of knowing who is writing to their children regularly and who isn't. Every time we hear from the caregivers, they say they wish everyone would receive letters. We do, too! If you have a pen pal or are a child sponsor, please try to write each month--why not write today? If you know someone who is writing, ask them when they last wrote. Let's help each other! It's hard to keep up, our lives are so full. Not so for our children, who wait anxiously for the letters and ask for them each time the discipler visits.

We'll have another letter drive very soon. Last time we went, we brought so many beautiful gifts, but the letters were the biggest hit. Our fellow travelers will vouch for us after they see it themselves.

If you'd like to be a pen pal or a child sponsor, drop me a note and we'll get you set up.

Volodya and Galina, our Russian Counterparts

When we visited Russia this past August we took the kids, along with the orphanage staff, to a village called Dolbylova for a day of picnicking and hiking. The day culminated in a wonderful meal by our generous hosts, the unofficial mayor and first lady of the village, Volodya and Galina. These friendly people are connected to the orphanage at Sovietsk because they look after some of the kids during the summer--a sort of foster parent relationship. During some private, men only conversations (his rules, not mine) Volodya and I shared with each other our hearts for orphaned and abandoned children. We realized that we both wanted these kids to be taken care of. I told him how glad Sarah and I were to have someone in Russia who cares about these kids as much as we do. It's very heartening to know that while we cannot be there with the kids nearly as much as we would like, there are people there who volunteer their time and their resources to help make life better for these precious kids.

The First Wish

So, with the new year we have Three Wishes for Sovietsk. The first is to have someone writing regular letters to each child at Sovietsk:

They are really happy when they receive letters from you.It would be very nice if you continue writing to them, and if possible to them all, as some of them are a bit envious that to some children come 3 or 4 letters in a month.

Caregiver Irina's words made us so happy--we are glad you are continuing to write, and we thank you so much! But we are sad to share that a number of kids, some new to the orphanage and some waiting a long time, are not receiving letters.

For example, Oksana, the first girl in the picture, was waiting over a year in our program before she began receiving letters. She now has a sponsor and some American friends who write to her. She is a very sweet girl who was quite shy when we met her, and I look forward to seeing her personality grow as she begins to understand just how special she is.

The other girls, Katya and Larisa, are sisters who are new to Sovietsk. When we visited last August, they were staying at a family home in Dolbiylova as a transition to the orphanange. Though the orphanage staff welcomed them warmly, I cannot imagine the challenge and disappointment of moving from family life to institutional life. These sweet girls do not have American pen pals, and I am hoping that will change soon.

Will you please consider committing to write regularly to one of our kids? Will you please share this opportunity with friends and family? It is free and easy. You could become a full sponsor, but the letters are most important. If you email me, I will be glad to answer any questions and get you started. When you choose a child, I will share with you his or her age, grade in school, hobbies and interests, and any special challenges he or she faces. We will give you guidelines and ideas for letter writing, and all you have to do is type a quick and heartfelt email. It means more to the kids than you can understand!

Take Tania, for example. We met her in August. She has graduated and left the orphanage, but she was back to visit for the holidays. (Galina is very generous, allowing the graduates to treat the orphanage as their home if they follow the rules.) I was so happy to hear from her! A major purpose of our programs is to keep the kids connected to people who care about them once they leave the orphanage and enter a very dangerous world. Thanks to Tania's sponsors and her relationships at Sovietsk, she is in a better place than many other graduates. She says:

I'm writing to you with great pleasure and in a very good mood. Now I'm studying in Novovyatsk. I like my studies. I am going to become a master of joinery and furniture work.
I like to make embroidery. I've made a lot of pictures already. I think you were told about my works when you visited us.
I can imagine your impression from visiting another country. I also want to visit some other country. I remember my visit to Kirov though I was only 7. We were taken to the local circus. It produced a great impression on me because I had seen wild animals for the first time.
I was also very happy to communicate with you. Everything was so interesting to me.
Good bye.
With love and tender hug,
Tatyana

*A special welcome to our new readers from the Kirov Yahoo group. We're glad you're here!

Katyusha Part Dva

Just to clarify . . . Katyusha is not a reference to rocket artillery.

Russian has many names for one person. Ekaterina is a formal name. Katya is the short version--like Benjamin and Ben. Katyusha is the diminutive--like saying 'sweet little Katya.'

Katyusha is also a traditional Russian song. When I worked at KidsFirst Adoption, I learned this song to perform at the Foundation's annual fundraising dinner. It is patriotic, from The Great Patriotic War (also known as World War II), about a girl waiting for her love to return from battle. This is the only Russian folk song I know, and it came in handy at Sovietsk.

We visited Dolbiylova, a beautiful, remote village home to Galina & Vladimir, two supporters of Sovietsk orphanage. (More to come on this later--we could never explain our day at Dolbiylova in one sitting.) After our second feast that day, Ben was whisked off for some Russian diplomacy with Vladimir, and I remained with the women. "Let's sing!" said Natasha, one of our hosts, and I was glad to know one song--Katyusha. We sang loud and laughed and enjoyed each other. Little moments like these gave us a chance to show the people that we are truly invested in their culture, their lives, and the children. As the feast ended, Natasha declared that American people are really no different than Russian people. She wished the governments and diplomats could join us for dinner and see how we get along. I couldn't agree more.

Here we are after our first feast at the river in Dolbiylova: Ben, Me, Galina, & Vladimir.