Belskoye-Ustye Orphanage

*This project is temporarily suspended due to lack of funds*
ROOF is seeking sponsorship of $500 (£330) per month to reopen classes for the children of Belskoye Ustye Orphanage.
Sponsor this project

The orphanage in Belskoye-Ustye is a psycho-neurological internat. 120 children live in the internat, which is in the village of Belskoye-Ustye about 20 km from Porkhov, in Pskovskaya Oblast'.

ROOF has been working in Belskoye Ustye since 2001.

Why is ROOF working in Belskoye-Ustye?

• The orphanage in Belskoye-Ustye is very poor and the premises are in terrible need of brightening. There is barely enough money to purchase food for the children and they live in cold rooms with bare walls.
• The children have very little contact with people from the outside world. The orphanage is in a small village that must not have more than about 200 people and is 20 km from Porkhov, which is the closest small town.
• There are no materials for classes, therefore the children are not working on things that would come easily to them and be good for their development (crafts such as sewing, knitting, carpentry, etc.)
• The planned fate of these children is fairly grim. Coming out of this type of institution young adults are basically sentenced to a life of nothing more than existence: at the age of 18 they are sent to a psycho-neurological home for adults, many of whom are much worse off mentally and/or physically than the children from Belskoye-Ustye. The internat for adults is also a home for the elderly.
• Historically, the local population has not treated the children of the orphanage with care and respect. Many of the locals use the children as labour in their gardens and on their farm plots and pay the children for their work in alcohol and cigarettes.

How is ROOF helping in Belskoye-Ustye?

Each year ROOF runs an international summer camp for the children of the orphanage.
In 2005 ROOF opened an Abilitation Centre for young people from the Belskoye-Ustye orphanage.

In between summer camps Russian and foreign volunteers write letters to the children and bring humanitarian aid such as clothes, developmental games and toys. Volunteers from ROOF's Moscow educational centre have also gathered money to buy supplies (e.g. felt boots) for all the children on numerous occasions.

Since 1 December, 2000, ROOF has run educational programmes at the orphanage. ROOF has found a number of wonderful local artisans (from the nearby town of Porkhov) and a psychologist to work with the children on a daily basis, and runs tailor made lessons in academic subjects with 48 of the 105 children.

Click here to sponsor ROOF programmes in Belskoye Ustye!

A hearty thank you to all previous sponsors
of ROOF programmes in Belskoye-Ustye!

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Page last edited by Andrew on 25th July 2008. Page out of date? Do you have new information?  —

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