In August, two more profiles of orphans from Kalinovka appeared on the Foundation webpage.

Last month roofing activities in Kalinovka were completed at last. It only remained for us to make the house warm and habitable for winter and to finish the pediments. But from our working experience with the previous Happy Home we already know that the construction works are coming to the completion after the roofing. At present, the activities on the sewage system are underway and in the near future we will make floors in the second “Happy Home” .

In August two educators from Kalinovka participated in the training on the protection of the rights of disabled persons conducted in Eupatoria. Beside the fact that this event became a chance for the educators to get away from their daily routine, they returned from the Crimea with an immense wish to observe all the rights of the children of whom they take care and to teach other personnel what can be improved in their work.

Also, last month volunteers from 3 countries at once – the UK, the USA and France -visited Kalinovka. Selia, a volunteer from France, spent almost 3 weeks in Kalinovka helping to carry the bedridden children out for a walk and playing with the children from the “Happy Home”. Amanda, a volunteer from the US, had stayed in Kalinovka earlier, and during this summer she has managed to visit her old friends in it three times. And as for the volunteers from England, it has been their fourth visit to Kalinovka this year.

The “British troops” this year comprised 17 people. Some of them have come here to discuss global changes coming to Kalinovka in future and the fates of the grown-ups in the facility. Others (13 people) have come to share their practical experience.

Besides the children and several adults, almost all of our British friends work with disabled children and grown-ups. This time the volunteers not only have spent a lot of time with children but also conducted a workshop for the facility staff showing them how to make rattles for children and adults using simple things such as plastic bottles, stones and candy wrappers: it’s cheap and no one will be able to say afterwards that it is not possible to work with disabled because of the absence of materials.

Also volunteers from the UK – those who work with children with special needs – spent a lot of time with grown-up dwellers of Kalinovka this time.

Selecting the most “incapable” of them, British volunteers showed that even the most hopeless person is able to respond to sounds, light and touch. Some of them were happy with simply catching soap bubbles; some of them just lay on the floor as usual listening to music in a mobile phone; some were trying to assemble bracelets from beads.

Afterwards, the British volunteers told me that the grown-ups in Kalinovka with a special delight met an opportunity to simply draw using chalk on the asphalt. And if the children even in this facility have a possibility to do this each summer, it was for the first time for men of the ages of 20, 30 or 40. So, we are very grateful to our British friends for the priceless experience and new ideas which we are going to realize in life in future for sure. And we hope that it will happen with your help!

In addition, all our British volunteers noticed that the situation with the number of the personnel in Ukrainian boarding schools is catastrophic. While in Britain a facility can afford 1, 2 or sometimes even 3 educators per one person, in our country the rated norm is 1 nurse per 30 grown-ups with special needs. Sure we are not able to speak of any safety or development of the capabilities of the inmates in the situation when it is simply difficult for one person even to take care of them all.

Certainly, such a notion as “additionally paid educator” exists in Britain as well, but such educators can also be paid by the State. And it is always for groups of 5-7 people, not 30. Most likely, people who develop norms of the personnel for such boarding schools and facilities are somehow cut off from the reality and they need to spend at minimum a week in such a place. Actually, we spoke about the insufficiency of personnel with the Management of Social Protection Department in the Zaporozhye region at the meeting held on the 16th of August jointly with the British volunteers. We can try to find finances for payment of one educator for Kalinovka but the problem covers the entire 150 boarding schools in the country…

And so far the high officials continue to watch the reality from far away and the work goes on with small steps. In particular, lessons in bead weaving continue for children and grown-ups. Due to our permanent (by now) sponsor – Dimex company – beads for bead weaving and other kinds of trifles for handiworks have been purchased already twice during this year.

Some of the children’s handiworks this year have again been bought by the volunteers from England for memory. And certainly, the webpage with the handiworks from Kalinovka and Veliky Lug is always available for everyone.

Due to our permanent sponsor Maya’s Hope a blender was purchased for one of the children: Lyosha sometimes is not able to swallow large pieces of food because of choking.

Also, due to the help of Maya’s Hope, a massage therapist has appeared in Kalinovka for bedridden children. We certainly cannot hope that all the bedridden children will start to run one day but at present we simply want to make life of such children easier to a possible extent. 4000 hryvnyas (approximately 500 US dollars) will be required for the salary of the massage specialist each month and we ask you to help with payment for his work!

For those children who require constant qualified medical care besides the massage, we consider it necessary to create a children’s hospice in our region. We addressed the Governor with this request 2 weeks ago and will later inform you about his reply.

Report about the educators’ activities

Educator Raysa G. organizes ball games with Egor G. Also, together with the children they listen to bird songs and songs for children. In the same group, Olga M. has managed to teach Danyl K. to use napkins; and for a bedridden child this is a great achievement!

Children in the Valentyna K. group has learned to retell contents of television broadcasts. Also, the educator teaches children to distinguish between the right and the left. Another educator from the same group – Sophia Sh. intensively teaches children mathematics.

Kalinovka’s needs as per 4.09.13

1. Building materials for the second Happy Home

2. Shapes for plaster modeling

3. CDs with nature sounds and children’s music

4. Acryl paints

5. Double sided sticky tape

6. Puzzles of large and medium sizes

7. Musical toys

8. DVDs

9. PVA adhesive

10. Water filter

11. Toy construction sets

12. Toy construction blocks

13. Pyramids

14. Sample copybooks for handwriting

15. “Origami” book by Ritsun

16. “Applications with small children” book by Yanusko

17. “Pre-school children at a walk” book by Sukhar

18. Threads for knitting

19. A dryer for clothes

20. Alma-set

21. Cardboard masks

22. Deodorants

23. Sport rags

24. Moist tissue paper

25. Compressor for the aquarium

We are grateful to you for the help that we have already received from you and for your constant moral support. Only jointly we can help these children and grown-ups! Each dollar and each minute of your attention for children and grown-ups with special needs are worth their weight in gold! Don’t stop with your good deeds!