Far East Region
Gifts of time, love and hope for Yakutsk’s orphans
The 95-year old GBU RS (I), also known as the City Specialized Children’s Home in Yakutsk, is home to about 75 children from 3 months to 4 years of age.
Aspen’s Evstifeeva Svetlana together with her son Denis and niece Karina arranged a special day of fun-filled entertainment and spoils for these orphans. Her intention was to teach her family members that anyone can make a difference on Mandela Day, irrespective of age or circumstances.
Books and toys were collected for the orphanage and the team was met by excited children who were desperate for any form of kindness and physical comfort given that they are deprived of parental care and the emotional comfort of arms loving wrapped around their little bodies.
Squeals of delight filled the hall where they played games and eagerly participated in a show with icicles and snowballs. Between activities, Evstifeeva had her arms filled with children desperately reaching out for affection and hugs.
The Turnip fairy tale game was a huge success as the children portrayed various characters and the educators plunged carefree back into their childhood to embrace the fantasy experience. The group danced to the beat of a disco and also enjoyed a sea and wind game but not nearly as much as their special treats of juice, fruit and their gifts of educational games, books and toys which they clung to as personal prized possessions.
On this hot July day, Evstifeeva and her small team brought rays of hope and warmth to the young orphans and helped them to forget the unjust circumstances of living in an orphanage for a few hours. It was a stark reminder that our actions, no matter how grandiose or small, can have a dramatic impact and bring hope to children who have dreams of their own: Dreams to find a home and adoptive parents, to be loved and to belong, and to experience the happiness and care of family life which every child is entitled to.
Helping children through ARK
The Nursing Department of the MBUS Children's City Clinical Hospital No. 3 in Vladivostok’s Primorsky region accommodates some 140 patients between the ages of 1 month and 4 who have been abandoned by their parents, many who have been born to HIV-infected mothers.
Marina Sharapova’s help to this facility included providing donations of toiletries, hygiene products and other items, but her most valuable contribution was the time that she took to show love and care to the little patients.
Children are not strangers and each one deserves to be treated with love and care. This is the sentiment of Aspen’s Nikolay Shelak who chose to support the KSCU Children's Home №2 in Kharbarovsk.
This Home cares for 115 orphans from the ages of three to seven years. The new school year started on 1 September and this facility and its caregivers ensured that the young students who were starting school were fully equipped with uniforms and supplies in order to begin this important chapter of their lives.
They however needed a school locker for their books, so Aspen’s Nikolay Shelak together with an educator, Tatyana Semenovna, designed one and he had it constructed at a local furniture factory. The young children were very grateful to receive the locker and were quick to pack it in appreciation for the kindness shown to them.
While Nikolay considers this to be a small gesture, the greatest contribution for the children was the kindness, care and love that he showed to them and which every child should be blessed with.
