Child sponsorship update from Lavrovo, Russia

Update for child sponsors from the SOS Children's Village Lavrovo, Russia from Summer 2008.

This is the half a year report 2008 of the SOS Children’s Village Lavrovo.

In October 2008, SOS Children’s Village Lavrovo will celebrate its tenth birthday. Since January everyone in CV is preparing for this big event. Some of those who have already left CV are 25 years old and CV even has “grandchildren”. During these ten years 12 youngsters were seen off into adult life.

One of them is Oleg who got married on March 1. At the wedding his friends and care persons from SOS Youth Facility were invited, as well as his SOS Mother and siblings and Village Director. Oleg’s care person helped Oleg to organise the ceremony and was its toast-master. After his marriage Oleg is keeping good relations with those who live in the YF, constantly visiting his SOS Mother and taking better care of his biological younger brother who is still in the SOS family. At the end of March CV was very happy to hear that Tatjana A. had got the keys of her own flat. The girl saved every penny during the time of her living in CV and had a part-time job since 15. As a result with the support of the SOS (Housing programme) she bought a nice two-rooms flat in the suburb of Orjol. This is the first experience in the CV which is a very positive example for each SOS child in Russia.

At the end of May nine SOS teenagers finished secondary schools. They will start their vocational studies in colleges and licées of the town and will move to two SOS Youth Facilities. To get the youngsters ready for their future life in YFs Youth Facility Orjol-2 had Open House Day in March. The future inhabitants of SOS YFs got acquainted with the rules and conditions of YFs, with the YF staff , the ways of transportation to their future vocational institutions. The culmination of the day was mutual cooking and having a dinner and a night town tour. The SOS youngsters will work part time during the summer period.

At the end of May there were 77 children in CV and 16 youngsters in two YFs. When the elder children are leaving CV for YFs new children are admitted to the Village. This winter Anastasia has become a member of the SOS family house # 11. The SOS siblings were happy to meet their new sister - they prepared a place for her belongings and decorated her room. When Anastasia had arrived there was a dinner in the family house. Her SOS Mother and siblings and Village Director greeted the girl in her new home. Now Anastasia feels comfortable with the family rehabilitating herself after a difficult situation she had lived in. In May a six year old Nikolai was admitted to CV. At the first meeting we saw that he is a person with a strong character and his own principles. Boxing appeared to be his beloved sport and he has already started training on elder boys.

Children growing up at Lavrovo, Russia

Our children go into different kind of sports. In February Lyubow (house 2) became a prize winner at the Karate Regional Championship. Then the SOS karate club members took part in qualification competitions in Moscow and were present at the National Prize awarding ceremony in martial arts “Golden Belt”. In March Sergei P. (YF Orjol-2) was the first in arm wrestling competition in his vocational college and Sergei A. (YF Orjol-1) became a champion in kick boxing of the town of Orjol. Vera was the second in the town track and field athletics competition, Wjatcheslaw - the first one in karate competition held by United Russia party. Timur is very active at track and field athletics at school always winning prizes. In June, Timur and Lyubow were the third at the town tourist competition.

Almost every child in CV is a member of a dancing, singing or art circle. The SOS children are very active and willingly take part in different contests, concerts and fests. Andrei and Marina (house 5) are members of a circus studio. At the Regional festival of children from orphanages and boarding schools they won the first place. The costumes for their item were sewed by their SOS Mother. 23 SOS children participated in this Festival. The second place was divided between our Andrei (flute), Maria (singing) and little Radion who read a poem about Orjol. As it was their first prizes the children were extremely proud and happy to get them.

This year one of the most interesting fests in CV Lavrovo was the Fatherland Defender day. It was devoted to military drivers and war automobiles. All contests were invented by SOS children and CV staff and were never held before. The honorable jury consisted of professional drivers (Village Director among them). The festivity was full of wonderful emotions and accompanied with musical and singing items. The biggest surprise for everybody was Ewgenij’s singing a song the first time during his life in CV.

The CV staff continues their constant work for preparing children for adult independent life – in February the pedagogues together with the youngsters from YFs held a social-cognitive game “Love. Family”. The children discussed the topics what was family and relations inside it should be, the role of the family in the society, etc. In March a social-cognitive game was devoted to “Relations in the society”. The children analyzed conflict situations and found ways out of them.

In February and March our children prepared their drawings and stories for the International competition “My Inner World” held in the Check Republic. Antonina K. and Alexei M. were awarded with the prizes (school bags).

On April 1 the teenagers from YF Orjol-2 planted orchard on the piece of land surrounding the house of YF and two weeks later everybody came to CV to take part in the traditional “spring cleaning of CV territory”. The SOS children, Mothers and staff worked with great enthusiasm as one big family taking away dry leaves, planting flowers, liming fruit trees. The little ones brushed the paths.

Events at Lavrovo, Russia

This year our guests were
- General Motors representatives and several auto journalists came on big and beautiful cars and took to drive everyone who wished. The children were excited and made a line to get inside the cars. The present from the guests was a show in which everyone could participate. Together with the guests the SOS children planted 1 new fir tress on our “newcomer” lane.

- Company Nutrctia helped CV to organize medical examination for the SOS children. Twenty physicians from Moscow carefully examined the children giving good recommendation and advice. Besides the company brought fruit causes and cocktails for every child in CV.

- It has become a tradition already to have the SOS children and Mothers from Belorussia as guests in spring. Mutual excursions and concerts, Ice Show, a hockey match, dances and songs united the children and strengthened their friendship.

- In June a group of Austrian women headed by Alexandra Timoshenko – the world champion in rhythmic gymnastics - came to CV and donated money for musical instruments and a synthesizer.

-Orjol cynologist club brought their pets to entertain our children. The dog show delighted the kids and they willingly had pictures with the dogs, rode them, chased each other and even ordered the animals which the last willingly obeyed to everybody’s surprise.

During the first half of the year our children also visited Phantasy Park and the circus in Moscow, the theatre with the tickets bought by Coca COLA COM(January), National Nature park where they acquainted with flora and fauna of Orjol region and an ancient Russian church of the 18th century. Together with their SOS Mothers the children were invited to an art exhibition devoted Orjol’s nature and history.

When the summer vacation started our children got free vouchers to the summer camp “Firstree” and “Pine Forest”. In June the group of elder children had a canoe voyage along the river Oka (22 km). Three ten years old boys for the first time participated in such a voyage but they demonstrated courage and patience comparable with those of the experienced members of the crew carrying the canoes ashore because of the bars on the river and going along a strong current. The second canoe voyage was held along the river Zusha where the children met such difficulties as a hail and such pleasures as five litres of wild strawberries gathered in the wood. The children overcame 59 km in three days! This voyage was devoted to the 59th anniversary of SOS Children.

In 2008 there was done a renovation of the family houses porches. The elder kids helped the builders with great enthusiasm and even earned some money. Our friends – a big mobile phone company - donated for renovation of the CV assembly hall.