Article in Zaporozhye
newspaper “Region Express”
(circulation
- 7000), #35, dated August, 26, 2004.
In order to
help children thrown on an arbitrariness of destiny, one does not have to
posess some financial or material resources. Simply some of us do not have
enough patience and attention to define their places in the fielf of altruism.
The domain www.deti.zp.ua (website of a boarding school #3)
appeared in the Internet a couple of months ago, but as its creator Albert
Pavlov hopes, it will be able to help many more children.
How was the
idea of creation of such a non-standard site born?
- I the
programmer by training also was far from this problem. One year ago I met
Andrey and Marina. They regularly help children from the boarding school. We
made friends, and gradually I started to penetrate into their affairs and
cares. On the days off I took one - two kids home to play on a computer.
- Once I
was asked to place a help announcement in the Internet. One child needed 300
dollars for treatment. I was surprised, when in two weeks our two emigrants in
America responded and offered the help. Then I began to think of how it may be
possible to give support to children with the help of the Internet.
What difficulties
did you have to overcome in the beginning?
- To create a site is not a problem. It's
much more complicated to promote it. You have to register in in search systems,
to tell people about it. This is in process now.
And aren't
you afraid that people will simply not believe you?
- Everyone
can go to the boarding school, see everything with his own eyes, personally
bring some things or money. If you give a boarding school, for example, a box
of a washing powder - you will be immediately given an Acceptance Act and many
thanks in addition. This is not some doubtful fund.
Does your site have an English version?
- Yes, I
was very much helped by Anna, the translator. Now the number of people
attending our Website has grown significantly. Many people offer their help. People
want to help with vitamins, clothes. The problem now consists in the cuctoms
office. We don't yet know how real all this will be. There are many people
wishing to adopt children. If all thses people could come to Ukraine, there
would be no need for the orphanages and boarding schools. But Ukraine has a
very complicatd adoption procedure for foreighers. Many checks make it years
long.
What real results do you already have?
- A lady
from Kiev sent a monitor as a gift for the children. An emigrant will soon send us six computers from America. However
it would be quite expensive to deliver them by air, and transportation by sea
will take more than two months.
Are there similar Websites in Ukraine?
- In Zaporozhye there are not such sites. In
Ukraine there is a couple. In Moscow newspaper "Izvestiya" there was
an article about a similar site (about murzik.ru - comment by A.P.). It caused
a big resonance - many solvent people offered their help.
What can you advise people who want to
help orphans, but do not know how?
- Children constantly need something. Even
trifles. They use tooth-paste that can be used to close up cracks in a wall,
and one child is given one roll of a toilet paper for two months. Linen,
clothes, footwear get worn out in no time. Probably, someone can take children
on the days off - to a picnic or to the cinema. Believe me, the expenses will
not be big.
If a person
can not help with money, maybe he could arrange some extra curricular
activities. If there are computers in the orphanage, it will be necessary to
teach children how to work with them.
It is true that children have not seen
the site, yet?
- Some of
them have, but not all. Only a few children that came to my home.
Unfortunately, there is no opportunity to take the whole boarding school to a
computer club.