AFTER a long trip on a bumpy road in a cramped mini-van, the bleak facade of the Predniprovsk Tuberculosis Children Centre was not exactly a welcoming site. The crumbling, grey concrete walls, broken or boarded-up windows and scratched steel doors made the Ukrainian orphanage resemble a prison more than a refuge.
But as Steven Carr stepped out on to the dirt road leading up to the doors of the building, he and his companions knew they were about to bring a little sunshine to the place.
Their van was packed with bags stuffed full of toys, sweets and clothes for the children of the centre, as well as hats, gloves, scarves and trainers. They had a table tennis table, a television, and a video player, as well as a selection of children's videos in Russian.
And they had also brought medical equipment and money to help the centre provide medication for the youngsters. Perhaps the most treasured gift, however, was the one which had originally started Steven and his helpers on the long road to the centre - a selection of Hibernian FC tops.
It was September 2005, but months earlier Steven had posted an idea on a Hibs fans' website which had led to the extraordinary journey - and the creation of an extraordinary charity.
His beloved football team, which he had followed since he was a lad in the 1970s, had been drawn against Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Uefa Cup, and as a gesture of goodwill Steven had suggested taking some tops over for local children.
At the time a local sports store was selling them cheap, and after getting a response from a few other fans, the group suggested a collection outside the first leg of the game at Easter Road to pay for maybe 100 strips. That collection netted nearly ?4000, and a year later, while the games between the two teams may be a distant memory, Hibs fans and generous donors are still giving money to the Dnipro Appeal.
Now an officially registered charity, it has raised more than ?20,000 which has been used to help children at the Predniprovsk Tuberculosis Children Centre, as well as a local pregnancy crisis centre and most recently the smaller Odinkovka orphanage.
Another collection at the gate of a recent Hibs game saw more than ?2500 donated to the appeal, which was used to purchase goods such as clothes, toys, sweets, trainers and vital equipment for the orphanages, as well as nappies and baby food for the pregnancy crisis centre.
And on the Tartan Army's recent trip to Kiev for the international match against the Ukraine, more bags of gifts were sent over by the charity.
For the 40-year-old alarm engineer, the response to his initial suggestion has been beyond his wildest expectations.
"I never expected the appeal to still be going now, and the original idea was just to take some football strips over to some local children," he says.
"Then people started talking and we linked up with guys in the area, and found out about the orphanage. We though we'd take over some toys and sweets as well as the tops, and it just kept on growing.
"People are still donating today and the gifts and cash keep coming in for the kids, which has allowed us to help out a second orphanage."
He adds: "And now we are starting up a scheme which allows people to sponsor an individual child for ?10 a month, and follow their progress.
"The money will be used to buy shoes or clothes or pay for medical treatment, whatever's needed really.
"We haven't launched it yet, as we're still waiting for the internet link to be set up - things like that seem to take a long time to get sorted in the Ukraine. But already more than a dozen people have heard about the idea and signed up, which is incredible."
Steven lives with his partner Sharon, stepson Jamie, 17, and children Caitlin, four, and Liam, one. And he admits that having children himself has made him more able to appreciate just how hard life is for the orphans of Dnipropetrovsk.
"Having your own children gives you the ability to compare the lives they have, and it really puts into contrast just how much we have over here, and how little some of those children have," he says. "They have such a difficult life, and they will not have known anything different, so it is quite striking."
Another founding member of the charity, management consultant Mark Strachan, 40, from Livingston, admits he was stunned by his first visit to the orphanage.
A lifelong Hibs fan with two sons, eight-year-old Sean and Jamie, six, he realised as soon as he saw the place that he wanted to help as much as possible.
"It's really staggering to see how much poverty and illness there can be in a city that's just four hours away from where you live. It really makes you think," he says.
"We both knew immediately that we wanted to do more to help, although I am still surprised at what the appeal has become.
"But it is a life-changing event, and helping these children, and seeing how happy even the smallest thing can make them, gives you a great feeling."
They've now been out to the Ukrainian city three times, with another trip to take over the latest donations set for January.
And even in such a short time they've seen a huge difference in the Predniprovsk centre, and have become local heroes to the children there.
"On that first trip I was quite struck by how bleak the building was," says Steven. "It was not welcoming at all, although I'm sure for the kids it was the most friendly environment they'd had.
"When we went back in September this year, the first anniversary of that visit, it seemed a bit brighter. We had given them money to do some repairs, and the place now has much more equipment, like chairs and soft mats for the young children to sit on instead of hard concrete floors.
"They have blackboards for their classrooms, and a washing machine that works, and it's the little things like that which can make a big difference to these places.
"The kids are all great though, and most of them are still wearing their Hibs tops, because they are really proud of them. When I went into the hall they all recognised me and were shouting my name, which just made me well up."
Typically aged anywhere between four and 17, many of the children arrive at these orphanages because their parents simply cannot afford to look after them, and so abandon them to the streets. Others are forced to leave because of violent, abusive or drunken parents - alcoholism is a major problem in the former Soviet state.
The appeal is also helping the local pregnancy crisis centre, with the aim of helping parents keep their children.
"We thought that by providing them with basic essentials that all parents need, such as nappies, baby clothes, food and medicine, maybe fewer parents in difficult circumstances would give up their children, and we have continued to help the centre as the charity has grown," says Steven, who is from Perth.
"British money goes so much further in the Ukraine, and so we do most of the shopping over there. It just allows us to get much more for these kids," says Steven.
"The average monthly wage is something like $100 [just more than ?50], and so with the amount of money that the supporters raise we're able to get a huge amount for these places.
"There is something to do every day, and planning the trips takes a huge amount of effort from everyone, but it is a great feeling to help these kids, and something I would never give up."
To make a donation to the Dnipro Appeal, visit the website at www.dniprokids.com.
YOUR VOTE
ALL too often, the work of good causes goes largely unnoticed, but we've teamed up with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) to give local registered charities more support. We have ?5000 to give away to five charities which win the most support from our readers.
We asked you to nominate your favourite local causes, and now a shortlist of ten has been drawn up - and readers can now vote for their five favourites, who will each receive ?1000.
To vote, all you need to do is call the number that coincides with the charity you want to get the money. Calls cost 10p.
RICHMOND'S HOPE BEREAVEMENT PROJECT
Based in Craigmillar, this is the only dedicated bereavement service for children in Scotland.
To vote call 0901-192 9380
PARENTS TOGETHER
This charity offers courses to parents and professionals across Scotland to educate them about the signs of drug abuse in children.
To vote call 0901-192 9381
SANDS LOTHIAN
SANDS provides befriending, counselling, support and advice to families who have suffered a still-birth or neo-natal death.
To vote call 0901-192 9392
GARVALD CENTRE
The adult training centre with two workshops giving people with learning difficulties the opportunity to make stained glass, pottery, and weaving.
To vote call 0901-192 9393
MS THERAPY CENTRE
Running for more than 22 years, the centre offers MS sufferers physiotherapy, reflexology, and oxygen therapy.
To vote call 0901-192 9394
THE DEAN AND CAUVIN TRUST
One of Edinburgh's oldest charities, it provides support and accommodation to homeless teenagers.
To vote call 0901-192 9395
SIMPSON'S SPECIAL CARE BABIES
Set up in 1985 by parents whose babies had been treated in Simpson's Intensive Care Unit to provide equipment, facilities and support for the unit.
To vote call 0901-192 9396
THE ROYAL BLIND ASYLUM AND SCHOOL
The organisation which runs the residential school for blind children and a nursing home for older blind people.
To vote call 0901-192 9397
THE YARD ADVENTURE CENTRE
The unique playground allows children from Edinburgh's special schools to experience cycling, climbing and swings.
To vote call 0901-192 9398
ALZHEIMER SCOTLAND
The service provides activities and help to around 80 of the estimated 240 dementia sufferers under 65 in Lothian.
To vote call 0901-192 9399
