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nonprofit organization for the support of Russian orphans
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Essay on Pyatyorka Orphanage In 2001, Svetlana Bayumova, assistant director of Pyatyorka (also known as "Lenin District") Orphanage, wrote the following essay about the children and programs at the orphanage. Most of the conditions described by Svetlana are also noticeable at all five orphanages in the city of Yaroslavl. This report is perhaps the most comprehensive view of the state of Yaroslavl's orphanage situation to date. (In 2004, Friends of Russian Orphans is conducting a citywide survey of all 400 Yaroslavl orphans to gauge the conditions of the full orphan population.) The essay was translated from Russian by Evgenia Hernandez and Samuel Harding.
THE SYSTEM OF REDUCING RUN-AWAY AND VAGRANCY TENDENCIES The orphanage of the Lenin District in the city of Yaroslavl has been in operation since 1998. The Orphanage is housed in the two buildings of the former daycare center of the local motor factory. Since 1999, one of the buildings has been closed, awaiting major repairs. CHARACTERISTICS OF ORPHANAGE CHILDREN Today there are 29 children at the orphanage: 13 girls and 16 boys between the ages of 7 and 17. The average age is 11-14 years. - 10% of the children have no parents; Physical condition of children: Psychological features: In general, results of negligent parenting are exhibited in the children's social disinterest, their lack of awareness of cultural standards of personal hygiene, their limited degree of socialization, and their desire to be taken care of.
In the past three years, 55 children have been integrated into the orphanage community and have been partially rehabilitated. Currently, the orphanage can accommodate up to 30 children. The methodology used to reduce run-away and vagrant tendencies of orphanage children necessitates focus on a personally oriented approach to each child. A circular diagram represents this approach; in the center is the child. Surrounding the child are the various aspects likely to affect the child's life, as described below. Administrative Involvement Each child enters the orphanage without consideration of his or her wishes. The older the child, the more fully formed are his/her habits, moral values, and former way of life. Separation from family, where a child has not experienced much good, is still very painful. Homeless children do not want to part with the freedom and the romance of the life of the streets. Of course, a pedagogue must learn the needs of a specific child in a very short time, and build a strategy for the work that has to be done. The acquaintance with each child begins with the study of his/her personal file. The documents are studied and discussed by medical and educational professionals, consisting of a physician, social worker, educational director, psychologist, and a teacher. In the course of this study and discussion, the prognosis for adaptation is developed, and a detailed résumé of each child is written. It is important to point out that the effectiveness of this stage of work depends primarily upon the combined efforts of the entire administrative team (the director, educational director, psychologist, social worker, and physician). The following detailed plan is developed for each child by the psychologist, social worker, physician and the educational director. Educational Aspect (also includes upbringing) The assistant director, in charge of education, organizes academic support for the child. First of all, a plan is formed to help each child adapt to the school environment. This plan must consider the child's individual features and needs. Then, the assistant director appoints a specific, primary teacher for that child, and together they set up the maintenance of a daily diary of observations of the child's progress and conduct. The assistant director also organizes the placement of the child in school according to conclusions reached by the medical, psychological, and academic professionals. During the period of adaptation, the psychologist and the social worker play very important roles. The psychologist evaluates a child, and establishes the direction of necessary remedial or correctional work. The social worker, together with the teacher, studies the circumstances of a child's former life, helping him/her become integrated into the community through work, study, play, and talk. The results of this stage are recorded, and reported to the assistant director. In this way, the orphanage analyzes and appropriately controls a child's life. With this treatment, a child feels the attention, begins to "thaw out", and eventually merges into the life of the group. For recreation, children participate in the following programs: an artistic studio ("Rainbow"), a bead-sculpturing club, a musical club ("Happiness"), and a fan club of the local hockey team "Locomotive." The children also participate in athletic teams, handcraft classes, and housekeeping classes in the local Children's Community Center. The assistant director of education regulates each child's involvement in extracurricular activities, forming a log (a cyclogram) to keep track of each child's daily activities. This regulation provides a child with necessary structure in addition to opportunities to learn and to organize time; for the child's teacher, it is an opportunity to supervise the child's activities. In the cyclogram, the routine of a child's life and the child's personal time are matched with the schedule of the orphanage. Volunteers of the organization "Cross-Cultural Solutions, Yaroslavl" have been a great asset to the children. Every three weeks for two years now, American and Canadian volunteers come to visit the orphanage. They are students, retirees, housewives, people in different walks of life; during their vacation time, at their own expense, they come to Russia, to work in orphanages and nursing homes. They give warmth, friendship, and participation in life. It is important to mention that they succeed in their efforts to enrich the children's lives. Children benefit a great deal from this experience; their horizons expand, and some develop a desire to study English. Children become friends with these guests, and eventually, they become pen pals; they grow to understand that the world is a friendly place. Children see that there is an alternative to their old lives, and are sparked with new goals. Cultivation of a work ethic forms an important component of the educational and upbringing process. Children do chores in the dining room and the family room, and acquire personal skills necessary to take care of themselves (laundry, maintaining their clothes and shoes, etc.). General chores of cleaning, maintenance and housekeeping are required once a week. Each child in the orphanage has a "Job Book", a personal notebook maintained by the assistant director containing information about chores or jobs performed by the child. In the book, points accumulate for each type of work. The different types of jobs include minor furniture repairs, cosmetic repairs to the building and grounds, kitchen labor, laundry, assistance to teachers, and more. 500 points earn 20 rubles, money given to the child as pocket money, to be used in any way the child wishes. The way in which the child spends his/her earnings indicates the degree of the child's socialization; the child gains valuable experience in dealing with money. Awareness of finances and knowledge of how to earn and spend money are urgent issues for graduates of the orphanage. Because of the centrality of this issue in the lives of orphanage children, even young children must gain experience with earning and spending money; a need for money may lead children to leave the orphanage, and may result in criminal activity. Medical Aspect This component of the efforts to socialize children in the orphanage plays a very important role. Often, children are admitted into the orphanage in very poor health. Generally, they suffer from chronic illnesses of the upper respiratory system and of the digestive tract. Medical attention given to each child includes thorough check-ups, not only by specialists in an outpatients' clinic, but also in the hospital. Treatment in health clinics provides suitable care for the children, and is well organized. Recreational programs in both summer and winter emphasize good health. Legal Aspect The nature of this particular group of children, of which sixty percent exhibit some degree of deviant behavior, necessitates close interaction between orphanage staff and the Inspector and Commissioner of Minors' Affairs. The inspector visits on the first Thursday of each month. Periodically, the Commissioner of Minors' Affairs meets with the Territorial Administration, to discuss instances of violations, poor school attendance, and vagrancy. When a child commits a gross transgression of the law, a connection is established between the administration of the orphanage and local law enforcement. Two of the children of the orphanage are now serving time in a correctional facility; however, the orphanage keeps contact with them, helping them morally and financially. On a regular basis, according to the plans to prevent deviant behavior, staff and visiting professionals conduct "round table" games and conversations to educate children in legal matters. Lawyers and law enforcement officials are invited to participate. Financial Support Aspect This component of the work focused on the child is, in our view, essential in raising self-esteem and creating self-confidence in our children. Typically, orphanages are not well funded. However, by utilizing an organized campaign to attract sponsors, we create an opportunity to improve the lives of these children. With a sponsor's help, we can dress the children so that they do not look different from their peers at school, and we can provide the children with nutritious foods less often available, such as fruits and vegetables. Social Aspect Examining the whole system of education in the orphanage, career counseling becomes critical. Starting at age ten, children are gradually prepared to live in society, according to methods established as suitable by the social worker and the psychologist. Parents attempting to reinstate their custody, as well as parents released from confinement facilities to whom children may return eventually, also receive moral support. This approach to parents, in our opinion, has a very positive effect on the socialization process, since children love their parents very much, and they hope that with their help their parents will change. In an effort to motivate a child to study and to form self-reliance, we often say: "It is not your fault that you are in the orphanage. Your parents were unlucky. You should have better luck. We are by your side, and we will help you. You will grow up and help your parents." We have found this argument the most effective by far. A well-socialized student is ready to acquire independence and self-reliance. Although development of self-reliance is a very difficult process, its presence indicates the level of the development of the peer group. Children discuss events in the orphanage, as well as their significance and position in society. Older children understand that their decisions affect not only events in the orphanage, but the direction of the political life in the country as well. Nine of the older students have expressed the desire to become the members of the Russian Social Organization "Youth Unity," and are participating in its activities. Through these methods, a child from a very negative and anti-social environment becomes socialized and prepared for independent life with a well-oriented civil position upon graduation from the orphanage. In an analysis of the whole system of work in the orphanage, the following questions arise: - Which risk factors are most likely to cause a child to become vagrant? Analyzing the work with orphanage children over the past three years, we think that the most probable causes of a child voluntarily leaving the orphanage occur during the period of adaptation to new conditions, living in the orphanage and attending school. An adolescent who has not attended school in a long time loses not only knowledge and study skills, but, most importantly, motivation to study. Very often an orphanage child 13-15 years old, lacking regular school attendance, finds himself in a classroom with fifth graders; not willing to seem a failure in the eyes of younger children, the adolescent may refuse to attend school or deliberately disturb discipline, thereby provoking his/her removal from the classroom. In this instance, the only alternative is educating such a child in the regional correctional school, located in our district. A gentle approach to curriculum, on an individualized basis, with the patience and professionalism of experienced teachers fosters a sense of success that children get when they achieve high marks at school, allowing our children to successfully master the school curriculum. This school helps to solve the problem of educating "difficult" children. Our children attend this school with great pleasure, and advance in their education. The Regional Department of Education is in close contact with the orphanage in organizing the transfer of children into schools, and in searching for optimal ways out of the most difficult life situations connected with education. Again, this work is conducted individually, flexibly and effectively, on a first-hand basis with each child. Our experience indicates that success at school is the guarantee of stability and psychological health of a child, the development of self-confidence and a desire to achieve goals in life, and the ability to refuse vagrancy forever.
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