kleine herzen journey at the orphanage of Vorontsovo, Russia  - 12th  to 18th July 2010.

Vorontsovo is a village of just 300 inhabitants located two hours’ drive from the city of Pskov and about 800 km northwest of Moscow, close to the Lithuanian border.

In the village of Vorontsovo, one can find several wooden houses also known as Dachas, a school, a hospice and an orphanage. The orphanage permanently houses 86 adolescent boys and girls, aged between 13 to 18 years. Their parents have either passed away or lost their parental rights due to alcoholism, violence or sometimes their families are simply too poor to keep the children.

Sasha, Sergey, Katya, Olga Vitalik .... together with their fellow orphans have all been declared incapable of pursuing their studies in a regular college. This decision, by a regional committee of psychologists, has unfortunately been based upon one interview with each individual. Such a decision is irreversible and has huge consequences on these young lives.  Already these children suffer from a lack of love, warmth of a family and recognition from others. They have experienced physical and psychological misery, hunger, violence. They lack trust in others, especially adults with whom they have typically known only suffering. Consequently they withdraw into themselves without perspective and hope. 

The orphanage in Vorontsovo offers the children limited possibilities to succeed in life. At the age of 18, and according to their performance and their emotional behaviour, the more talented children will learn basic skills such as, bricklaying, painter, dressmaking or cooking; the ones who still have a family, usually return home without any perspective; the most sensitive individuals, will be transferred to psychiatric centres for adult where they will be forgotten by society.

We cannot simply ignore them, ignore their presence and close our eyes to their plight or simply assume this situation is the responsibility of their country.

There are no borders when it comes to helping children in need. The difference between us and them is an accident at birth – they are born in the wrong place at the wrong moment. These children have the same rights as any children: rights to happiness, love and security.  We therefore have the moral duty to assist them now, as tomorrow will be too late.

I thank the sponsors of 20 of these children from the bottom of my heart.

I thank you for your contact with them, letters and small gifts are moments of great happiness for each of them, even if they have many difficulties to answer you. I also thank you for supporting them financially; sponsorship money allowed us to buy mattresses, household appliances, tools for carpentry, gardening tools. The children themselves care for a very large vegetable garden that enables them to eat fresh vegetables and to grow flowers to decorate the orphanage.