Russia | Far East Region

Aspen Russia’s Far East Region of 20 volunteers chose to help children born from HIV-positive mothers. In order to clarify their diagnosis these little ones need to spend a lot of time as in-patients at the Children Clinical Hospital №3 in Valdivostok.

The generosity of this team extended beyond providing the babies with clothing, diapers and much needed feeding furniture. However one of the greatest gifts that they showed the children was love and care.

Nikolay Shelak and Julia Osokina spent the day caring for the toddlers. They participated in feeding, playing games, taking them for walks and putting them to sleep. The high chairs that Aspen’s employees donated proved to be very convenient when it came to feeding time.

Both Nikolay and Julia were emotionally overwhelmed at the end of the day. They so enjoyed being with the children and taking them for their daily walk – an essential aspect of healthy growth and development and an awesome adventure for those who were already walking.

This Aspen team found it very hard to convey the emotions of the innocent children who simply craved attention and the need for more love and care. They certainly added to the hope and happiness of the children with their gestures of kindness and they encourage others to do the same to bring a ray of light into the world and make it a better place for all.