Archives

Yearn is always looking for great organizations who are doing great things and this project by St. Gregory’s Foundation is particularly inspiring. Please read excerpts from the globalgiving.org article below for more information.

Summary

Teenagers in St Petersburg orphanages and recent orphanage-leavers are supported by psychologists and volunteer families to help them make the difficult transition to adult life. Training is also given to orphanage, college and hostel staff who wish to improve how they care for this vulnerable group.

What is the issue, problem, or challenge?

Around 1,000 children live in orphanages in St Petersburg. When they leave at age 17 or 18 many of these teenagers will quickly find themselves homeless, around 40% will become drug addicts and a shocking 10% will commit suicide. Social isolation is a big reason why orphanage leavers find it hard to adapt to independent life. As child they lived and went to school in an orphanage and may well have no friends or family outside who can support and guide them when they leave.

How will this project solve this problem?

Teenage orphans and orphanage-leavers go to weekly meeting with psychologists to prepare them practically and emotionally for adult life. Volunteers who also grew up in orphanages use their own experience to help the younger orphans. Training is also offered to staff from the orphanages or hostels where they live and the colleges where they study, who wish to improve the care they offer to this vulnerable group.

Potential Long Term Impact

Around twenty young orphans will be given advice and social contacts that will help them make a successful transition to independent life. Their success will benefit the whole community, meaning lower crime and lower welfare dependency.

Project Message

“Once I lived in a children’s home. Now I’m grown up I have my own family. It wasn’t easy for me to start living independently. I want to tell you about it ‘cos soon you’ll be in the same situation.”
- Olga, Volunteer who suggested the project

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: $6,078
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $8,646
Total Funding Goal: $14,724

[article source: globalgiving.org]

I think we all rested well the night of our culminating fund raising event, the 2nd annual “Students for Children” benefit concert. We rested well because we had put many late nights and long hours into raising funds and awareness; we rested well because we knew we were involved in a cause greater than ourselves; and we rested well knowing that we could now help out many orphans throughout Russia.

In this year, our journey took us to the heart of Russia, Siberia. You may associate Siberia with heaps of snow and harsh winters when the temperature rarely rises above freezing from October to March . Well, this is all true and so we were happy to deliver the goods to the orphanages in the summer time when the weather is actually quite nice. So nice that days are often full of sunshine and sometimes the sun doesn’t set until midnight.

Previous to the trip to Russia, our research team had done a great job of assessing orphanage needs in Siberia. Our ground team of Russians in Russia really did most of the investigative work. It was interesting to find out that not all orphanages in Russia are in equal need. Some orphanages needed some real basic items. Some orphanages had the basics, but lacked recreational items. Here’s a little peak into the journey!

Bikes and computer for an orphanage in Barnaul, Russia

Some orphanages like this one in Omsk, Russia really needed some basics like bunk beds and desks for school (On right: Jacob Rogers headed up the purchase and delivery in Omsk and Barnual).

It was interesting that the kids almost seemed more exited about the candy that we brought from America than the new toys and supplies. But, hey, who doesn’t love candy!

The cutest girls I’ve ever seen!

Here are two of the many helpers that did a lot of our ground work for us in Russia. They made it a lot easier to work with the orphanage directors and to ensure a smooth and successful trip to Russia.

All in all, a great experience for everyone who participated. I personally feel blessed for having been able to play a small part in bringing a little bit of joy and comfort to the Russian orphans.

The core team of Yearn has been involved in fundraising for many years now and we wanted to share a few pictures that show results from one of our past fundraisers.

We were able to provide toys, CDs and audio players, and aroma oils for the psychotherapy office.

Even the simple things bring tremendous joy and light to the orphans and their difficult situation.

Over the past few years of my involvement with Yearn Foundation, I’ve had the opportunity to make a few periodic hiatuses to far away lands for a little independent research on big issues. The four months of this summer’s travels took me from Vladivostok to Prague and several places in between, studying issues ranging from the plight of orphans to the horrors of human trafficking. I had the privilege of eating in the home of a village mayor in Armenia, of working alongside foster parents in Russia, and lived with the people of Transnistria. Over the next few weeks on this blog, I’ll be sharing some of the experiences I had, the things I saw, the stories I heard, and exploring the relevance of these issues to the mission of Yearn. Stay tuned…!