Season of rest and recovery is open!

For twenty-five children from the "My Family" Centre of family care, continues the season of rest and recovery!

Along with caregivers and tutors children went to the village of Stormove, which is located 15 km. from the city of Evpatoria. This year we experienced difficulties in finding finances to provide children with rehabilitation, mental and spiritual rest, and making our best effort, we turned to friends and partners of "Otchiy Dim" for help.

Thank God by the efforts of many people - a necessary amount has been found!

Now the kids are, spending their days - swimming in the Black Sea, visiting historic sites; every day is interesting and useful to communicate with mentors and leaders of the camp.

We look forward to returning children and wish them all the best, and are grateful to all who helped to organize this trip for children!

“Treasure Island Camp” - 2010 in the midst ...

... Today is 25th day at the camp. This year's theme of the camp is - "Journey to the Father's House". We travel paths of the Israeli people in the Sinai desert. We pass on the way a lot of interesting stations: Mount Sinai, Temptation, Bread of heaven, sin, greed, etc., on which we find most important life lessons. And also we are swimming in the beautiful warm sea, sunbathing, and playing different games, engaged in creative, delicious eating and sleepingwell.

There is 13 children in our "caravan". All of them are unusual and wonderful. That's about some of them:

Sergey, 4,5 years. Even on the train no one heard his voice and did not see him smiling. Only large frightened eyes... Today is a cheerful, smiling and sociable boy. He learns poems by heart and sings songs.

Anya, 10 years old. This girl’s most favorite words in the beginning were: "I do not want", "will not", "bad". She did not participate in any general event. After a few days stay in the camp in response to the question: "How do you like it?", Replied: "So-so." Now Anja frequently used words: "Well," Good "... Soon we hope to hear from her:" Very tasty, I like it".

Sonia and Katya, sisters, twins, 10 years old. Girls who do not know how to speak calmly, but only a loud cry and mad pressure. Adults have to use all the wonders of pedagogical and psychological skills to make the way to their hearts and break the wall of mistrust.
In the next reporting we will write more about what is going on here.

During these days we visited the Kerch museum of marine flora and fauna, climbed the mountain of Mithridates, which inspected the excavation of ancient city Panticapean, monument to soldiers died in World War II, and had sea voyage on a boat.
Our journey continues. To be continued ...

5 years of fruitful cooperation with USAID Agency

"Otchiy Dim" International Charity Foundation where the unique methods of support and social adaptation are developed for orphans and children left without parental care. It is support with finances by Ukrainian and international charities for 5 years already cooperates with USA Agency in international development USAID within the program "Family for a child" («Родина для дитини»).

Read more:http://www.radiosvoboda.org/photogallery/4229.html

Travelling artists from Germany visited “Otchiy Dim”

Last week we had a very interesting guess visiting the children in “Otchiy dim” - the artists from Germany “2wheels4change” traveling by bicycles from Germany to Mongolia. On their way they stop to entertain children and adults. One of their stops on the roads of Ukraine became “Otchiy Dim”.

Children were glad to have these unusual and interesting guests, and they easily find a common language, as emotions and sign language usually sys more than words. As soon as relations were established altogether they have started to work hard and practice with children.

For two weeks children were attending workshops in acrobatics, juggling, improvisation dances, pair dance, clowning, drums, flute, beat-box and poi. By the end of the first week they have organized a show for the children in Petrivske village with our children. And after training for a while children have arrived to Kyiv with real circus show performance.

For every child the performance was very important as some of them had to come up and show their talents in front of people for the first time. We are grateful to our guests for unforgettable moments!

Nadya and Khrystyna have got a family!

There is a pleasant moment at the Centre of Social Care – two sisters Nadiya and Khrystyna are adopted! Now they have new loving father and mother and also three more brothers and one sister!

We are very glad, that these small girls will now grow in and develop in full family.
When they have just come to “Otchiy Dim”, they were very frightened. Khystina was crying all the time; she didn’t want to play with other children at all, and was closed. Nadya didn’t talk to anyone, mostly she was quiet, didn’t reply even when she was asked what her name is. When we were getting ready to celebrate their Birthdays, it turned out that don’t even know what that is, as they have never celebrated it before. The girls have gone through hunger, vagrancy and fear.
As time went by the girls have stated to blossom – they’ve started to play with everyone, became very active and sociable, more open to caregivers, and felt more self-esteemed.

This autumn Khristina will go to her first grade at school. As their new mother was sharing her emotions she said: “We all feel like the girls have always been a part of our family, then they have just been gone for some period and they are back home”.