Prepare 20 Russian Orphans for Adult Life

Summary

Teenagers in St Petersburg orphanages and recent orphanage-leavers are supported by psychologists and volunteer families to help them make the difficult transition to adult life. Training is also given to orphanage, college and hostel staff who wish to improve how they care for this vulnerable group. progress report read updates from the field

How You Can Help

Make a donation
	£6 - covers the cost of tea and snacks for one session
	£7 - gives the groups leaders enough phone credit keep in touch with group members between meetings
	£12 - pays for the pens, paper and craft materials needed for 4 sessions
	£52 - will pay two psychologists to run one session for twelve orphans and two volunteer families
	£53 - will pay for one training session for staff working in orphanages, colleges and hostel so that they can improve their care
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	£ Other amount

Received £4,874 from 146 donations from people around the world like:

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More Information About this Project

Project Needs and Beneficiaries

Around 1,000 children live in orphanages in St Petersburg. When they leave at age seventeen or eighteen many of these teenagers will quickly find themselves homeless, around 40% will become drug addicts and a shocking 10% will commit suicide. Social isolation is a big reason why orphanage leavers find it hard to adapt to independent life. As a child they lived and went to school in an orphanage and may well have no friends or family outside who can support and guide them when they leave.

Activities

Teenage orphans and orphanage-leavers go to weekly meeting with psychologists to prepare them practically and emotionally for adult life. Volunteers who also grew up in orphanages use their own experience to help the younger orphans. Training is also offered to staff from the orphanages or hostels where they live and the colleges where they study, who wish to improve the care they offer to this vulnerable group.

Funding Information

Total Funding Received to Date: £4,874
Remaining Goal to be Funded: £3,676
Total Funding Goal: £8,550

Additional Documentation

This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).

Resources

Project's External Homepage (http://www.stgregorysfoundation.org.uk)

Why this Project is Important

Potential Long Term Impact

Around twenty young orphans will be given advice and social contacts that will help them make a successful transition to independent life. Their success will benefit the whole community, meaning lower crime and lower welfare dependency.

Project Message

"Once I lived in a children's home. Now I'm grown up I have my own family. It wasn't easy for me to start living independently. I want to tell you about it 'cos soon you'll be in the same situation."
- Olga, Volunteer who suggested the project

Who is Running This Project

Contact

Sarah Gale,

31 Radnor House
1272 London Road
Norbury, London SW16 4EA
Russia
+44 20 3339 0796
Email:

Organisation

St Gregory's Foundation
31 Radnor House
1272 London Road
London, SW16 4EA
United Kingdom
020 3339 0796
http://www.stgregorysfoundation.org.uk/

Learn more about St Gregory's Foundation and the project team.

St Gregory's Foundation's Current Projects on GlobalGiving

Help 15 Russian kids with hearing loss communicate

Where this Project is Located

Country

This project is located in Russia and can also be found under Children.

For more information about Russia, read the Human Development Report on Russia or the Wikipedia entry for Russia.

When this Project was Updated

Last Updated

This project was last updated on December 07, 2011.

Date Added to GlobalGiving

This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on February 22, 2010.

Latest Update from the Field

Give our Russian orphans a happy new year!

By Sarah Gale - Project Leader, December 07, 2011 06:24 PM

The first thing that most young people do when they are let out of the orphanage, is to go out and get drunk. What lies behind this behaviour is one of the main themes for discussion at our orphanage-leavers support group.

Olga (aged 19) said, "I wanted to understand what freedom is. I spent all my money, which I was given when I left the children's home, and I bought myself a lot of food, treated my friends, went out a lot, gave expensive presents to my friends and all sorts. Then I bought a lot of different kinds of alcohol and drank it all at once with my friends. My money's finished, but I don't feel very free."

By discussing their behaviour, to their great surprise, the young people discover their natural needs to be close to others people, for love, for freedom etc. Now our group is helping our young people learn how to use their freedom in less destructive ways.

The best present we can give them this New Year, a present that will last a lifetime, is the support they need to turn over a new leaf.

P.S. Lena and Natasha, who run the club, asked me to explain that during such personal discussions it isn't really possible to take photographs. We are sure you understand their need to protect the trust they have built up.

Read 11 more "Updates from the Field" | Comment on this update

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