New Beginning - Building Futures

Meet Oskana. Now 25, Oskana has faced many trial and tribulations in here life. When she was 3 years old when she lost her mother, who died of tuberculosis. A few years later her father also died. She was placed in orphanage in Vinogradovo. Then she moved to an internat in Perechyn. She left the internat when she graduated from Year 9.

In 2006 she joined a program in the Technical School in Mukachevo, because she had nowhere to live and the School had a dormitory.

In 2007 Oksana discovered that she has hepatitis B. The difficult fight for her health began. Now Oksana feels good. In 2007 Oksana left the School and went to live with one of our foster families.

In 2009 she enrolled into Mukachevo State Pedagogical University and successfully graduated from it in 2014. Her occupation is a kindergarten teacher. She now works in our program at New Beginning as a teacher in a community project for families who are in difficult life circumstances. 

ChildAid is in the process of building an extension to one of our Ukrainian properties to house more young people like Oskana. She has shown how much someone can achieve in the face of adversity as long as there is someone there to support you. Everyone needs support and ChildAid can only provide the support to the young and vulnerable people of Eastern Ukraine because of the support we receive from our amazing supporters. 

Housing is a major issue for many graduates. This year Oksana will be leaving the foster home. She is looking forward to when we finish a new home for girls like her. 

You can support the build of this extension and other further projects via - http://bit.ly/18bCwjE

Follow our blog and social media accounts to keep up with the news on our extension build!

Giving Orphans a Home

Project aim

To provide orphans in eastern Ukraine a temporary home and deliver living skills before they can become independent

About the project

ChildAid has operated in eastern Europe since 1973. We work with local, trusted partners to transform the lives of abandoned babies, children living with disability, orphans and those leaving institutional care or children at risk in vulnerable families.

Dneprodzerzhynsk is in eastern Ukraine with a population of about 250,000. As with much of Ukraine today it has huge social and community needs. The economic, social and political situation in the country is critical and the focus has shifted away from supporting people such as orphans and the disabled, to the urgent needs of the wider population. Orphans are being forgotten and are living their own deeper crisis within the national crisis.

Orphans

Orphans in Ukraine are regarded with mis-trust and are largely second-class citizens. Upon "graduating" over 50% enter either organised crime or prostitution, 10% commit suicide within a year. ChildAid has a track record of getting alongside orphans, supporting them whilst under state care, and creating opportunities for them to lead a full and rewarding life with employment and/or stable families.

Orphans find it hard to find work unless they have a known home address. They find it hard to get accomodation unless they have a job. The current crisis in Ukraine has displaced 100 of 1,000s who are more attractive to employers than orphans, so it's even harder to find work. The huge numbers of refugees also means rental prices have soared.

There is an urgent need to buy an apartment which we can offer to a small number of orphans at any time, until they can secure a job and get their own accomodation. In the meantime we will also continue our effective programme of providing independent living skills.

Help house the orphans of #EasternUkraine. Pledge today and help us reach our target. http://t.co/UckC6vDtDn pic.twitter.com/Pz27DRr3tT

— ChildAid (@childaidrr) May 6, 2015

Get on board with our Crowdfunder page! Your support will house the orphans displaced by the conflict of Eastern Ukraine.

Posted by ChildAid on Tuesday, 12 May 2015