Update On Troubles In Ukraine
Unfortunately trouble continues to escalate in Ukraine. Many people have lost their lives as the Ukrainian army, and National Guard, try to curb the influx of Russian-backed militants into Eastern Ukraine. The main trouble areas are Sloviansk, Donetsk and Lugansk, although other towns in these areas are also affected. Thankfully Dnipropetrovsk remains trouble free, for the time being.
Poltava Trip for Foster Home Children
In the last update we had mentioned how we were having problems organising a spring trip for the children at the foster homes. The troubles had already resulted in the cancellation of the trip to Crimea, and a proposed trip to the Kharkov area also had to be cancelled due to trouble in the area.
We did not want the children to go without their trip though so we eventually managed to organise a day trip to the Poltava region for the children during their May holidays. It may not have been the dream trip to Crimea that the children had been hoping for, but Ira made sure that it was as interesting as possible .. and more importantly it was safe.
The bus was on the move at the crack of dawn, collecting all the children from their homes throughout the city, and by 7am it was leaving Dnipropetrovsk and heading for Poltava. The city of Poltava is just over a 3 hour drive from Dnipropetrovsk, so there was a guide on board that kept the children interested during the journey with information about the area’s that they passed through and interesting historical tales.
Ira tells us that the thing that struck them most, when they arrived in Poltava, was how clean the city was. It has a population of nearly 300,000 people so it’s a testimony to the people there that every thing is kept so clean and tidy.
Once there the bus continued on a tour around the city, with the guide pointing out famous and interesting places and buildings. There would be an occasional stop during the tour for everyone to get out and take some photos.
After the guided tour of the city, which is around 1,000 years old, it was time for some lunch at a small café in the centre of the city. Did someone mention a delicious bowl of borscht?
The next part of the Poltava excursion involved a guided tour round the “Oposhnya Pottery Art Village”.
After the tour round the grounds the children were taken inside to the main building to see how the pottery was made. Firstly with a short film and then a practical demonstration.
And then the fun really began!!
The kids absolutely loved the pottery making class!! Each one was able to have a go on the potters wheels and to create their own cup or bowl from a lump clay. Ira says that nearly all the children voted this part of the trip as the best part!
Once they’d finished making their bowls the official part of the pottery tour was finished and the kids were free to wander round the village and admire the clay sculptures. The older girls obviously making the most of this photo opportunity!
And there was still time for one more excursion .. to the Poltava Open Air Museum of Avaition.
This museum trip obviously appealed more to the boys, but after putting up with all the photos the girls demanded at the Pottery Village it was only fair that they got something to even things up.
They even got the opportunity to climb up into the cockpit of one of the aircraft.
After the Open Air Museum it was off to a nearby restaurant for another nice meal, and then back onto the bus for the journey back to Dnipropetrovsk. It’s fair to say, after a fun filled day, that there was more than one or two that slept all the way home.
Ira says that everyone, both kids and foster parents, really enjoyed the trip, and all of them send an enormous “Thank You!!” to all the sponsors in Scotland.
Hasanskaya Foster Home Renovations
When Yuri and Ludmilla, foster parents at the Hasanskaya Foster Home, decided that they were going to take in some of the sponsored children from the Odinkovka Orphanage their main objective has been to provide a nice family environment for the children to live in. To this end Yuri has spent the last couple of years making as many improvements as he can to the home to provide as much living and bedroom space as possible. Yuri, who I must point out is half blind, has personally carried out the vast majority of these extensions and renovations. We have seen him build an extension to the house to provide an extra bedroom and an exercise room, turn an old outbuilding into an office, games room and storage area, and more recently convert an unused loft area into two more bedrooms (so the older kids could have a bit more privacy) and a lounge area.
Extension built for girls bedroom…
Outbuilding built for games room and storage…
Loft conversion for additional bedrooms and living space…
Unfortunatley though .. as you can see from Ludmila’s face in the next photo .. they have been unable to complete the conversion due to the cost of getting a proper stairway fitted…
However, the Dnipro Appeal Committee felt that the very least we could do for this fantastic couple, and the amazing home they provide for the orphaned kids, was to cover the cost of finishing off Yuri’s amazing work with a nice new stairway. Hopefully by the time of the next update we will have some photos of the completed conversion.
Sponsored Marathon Run
The Dnipro Appeal Committee would like to say a huge thank you to Michael Kerr, who chose the Dnipro Appeal as his preferred charity when he ran the Edinburgh Marathon this year.
Michael, who is half Ukrainian, managed to raise around £1,000 for the charity, through sponsorship and his “Just Giving” webpage (http://www.justgiving.com/mkerr85 )
Child Sponsorship
If you are not already a Child Sponsor please consider direct sponsorship of one of the children that we support in Dnipropetrovsk. Your monthly contributions will assist in providing birthday, Christmas and summer trips for these kids as well as helping to support the many other projects that we fund for the children.
As you can see from the previous story, you have the ability to follow the fortunes of your sponsored child, with regular updates and photos.
For details about Child Sponsorship please email me directly steven@dniprokids.com
Donating to Dnipro Kids
We have a secure link set up on the main website, for anyone wishing to make a direct donation to the charity.
www.dniprokids.com/donate-today
Visit the Facebook page and add Dnipro Kids to your friends list.
www.facebook.com/dnipro.kids
Yours,
Steven Carr,
Dnipro Appeal Committee.