Sponsor's update from Tomolino, Russia

Child sponsorship update from the SOS Children's Village Tomolino, Russia from Summer 2008

There are 61 children who live in the SOS Village; 55 children are school pupils and 4 kids attend nursery school. It may be said that CV Tomilino is a “musical SOS Village” as 27 children go to the music school where they learn to play various musical instruments, such as piano, violin, flute and bayan (button accordion). As before, the children sing in the SOS Village choir and gladden the SOS Mothers and other adults with their singing at the performances in the SOS Village and at school. Besides several girls attend an art studio at the Russian Orthodox school, where they study; the girls are really good in painting and drawing. Maxim and Alexey (house #4) attend a so-called patriotic-military club where they study history of the fatherland and martial arts.
Five teenagers finished secondary and high schools and will take exams to enter universities, colleges and vocational schools. Ekaterina (house #4) is planning to enter the Humanitarian Russian Orthodox University to obtain the profession of fine art restorer; Maxim (house #4) wants to study at the Architectural and Constructional College; Anastasia (house #6) is going to become a landscape designer; Ekaterina (house #6) will get a profession of confectioner and Kristina (house #8) decided to study to become a hairdresser. We all wish them every success!

The new life will start for some smaller kids too; Elena, Jana and Vera will go to school for the first time in September this year. The girls look forward in to it.

There are 31 adolescents in the SOS Youth Facilities. The Youth Facility leaders and the care persons encourage the kids to work a little besides studies. They help them to find a suitable occupation according to the young people’s abilities and possibilities.

Events at Tomolino, Russia

The children live an interesting and busy life in the SOS Village. Besides everyday activities they participate in traditional events and holidays, such as SOS Children’s Village Tomilino Birthday, Hermann Gmeiner Birthday, Christmas, New Year, Women’s Day (March, 8), Defender of Fatherland Day (February, 23). The children sing, dance, play musical instruments and perform in small plays. The fests are usually finished with discothèques; the music is provided not only by real DJ’s but the elder children of the CV as well.

The children are never bored during vacation periods. They go to children’s camp not only in summer but in winter as well. For example, a lot of them spent their winter vacation at the children’s camp where they liked the contest of Snow figures most of all; they had a lot of fun in the camp and enjoyed it a lot.

SOS Village Tomilino is always happy to host its friends. Various pedagogical institutions, tutorship and guardianship authorities come to draw our experience and to share their own. And in February the CV was visited by Karien van Gennip, the Netherlands Parliament member and the SOS Villages Netherlands national director and the second secretary of the Embassy of Netherlands in Russia.
In May the employees of BIN-bank (one of Russian SOS sponsors) came to the СV to make a children’s drawing contest, titled “Draw Your Dream”. They brought many presents for the kids, colourings, brushes, sketchbooks and sweet stuff.

In June two bikers from Netherlands came to the SOS Village Tomilino; they are making a motorcycle tour around the world to support the SOS Children’s Villages.

All the schoolchildren finished the school year quite successfully, thanks in a large part to the programme aiming to motivate and encourage children to study better. Every pupil who achieved better results comparing to previous academic term was awarded with a visit of a children’s entertainment centre.

Children growing up at Tomolino, Russia

On May, 20 the CV celebrated its 12th birthday. Of course, our choir sang and the guests said many warm words. The kids took part in various contests and won many prizes. After that everybody enjoyed traditional picnic and merry discothèque.

Summer vacation began and our children left the CV to have a rest. Four children were at the Black Seaside (the Yevpatoria town), at a children’s camp. The children enjoyed bathing in the sea and sun tanning and also participated in various competitions and other events. Seven children spent 21 days at a healthy resort in the Moscow region where they not only had a good rest but got necessary medical treatment. Twelve kids had a great pleasure from spending time at the children’s camp “Chaika” (“Seagull”) at the Moscow region; it is not the first time the camp hosts our children and they love being there. Three children enjoyed their vacation at the children’s camp “Burevestnik”(“Thunderbird”) at the Black Sea (the Anapa town).

On June, 23 the SOS children who did not leave for summer camp in the SOS Village celebrated SOS Day. As usually the SOS Mothers together with their children baked delicious pies. The youngest inhabitants of the SOS Village actively participated in the festive concert. They recited poems and played musical instruments. They even moderated the concert themselves! It was a very important and challenging day for the small children; they prepared their parts like real entertainers. Filmmakers were shooting the holiday and a documentary about the SOS children will be shown n one of the central TV channels in the autumn. The experience of the SOS Children’s Villages is not quite usual for Russia.

Today, in the time of arousing interests for the family care of orphaned and abandoned children in Russia, the SOS Children is considered to be a good example of such a care and the SOS staff and children often get into the spotlight of mass media.

On behalf of SOS Children Russia, all the children on our care, SOS Mothers and the staff we would like to thank you for your kind donations and your help. It is really difficult to find the words that could really measure our gratitude to you for your support. “Many children need many friends” - these words describe perfectly the very core of our work. That is why your donation is especially significant for us as your kind efforts will help us to present our children the most important gift in this life - a family, a home and sincere care. All our SOS children and their mothers join me in welcoming you once again to visit SOS Children’s Village Tomilino and feel the warmth of the children’s smiles and family atmosphere. We all send the best wishes to you and your beloved ones.