Sponsor's update from St Petersburg
24/01/2008
This is a summer report 2007 of the SOS Children’s Village Pushkin (St. Petersburg).
On April 7, 2007 the SOS Children’s Village Pushkin was seven years old. But as the weather in St.Petersburg is usually bad in April a decision was made to celebrate the birthday itself on May 16. And on April 13 everybody in CV took part in “subbotnik” for cleaning the CV territory after the winter. The SOS children, Mothers and CV staff worked at subbotnik in harmony, having got special pleasure from painting the fence. Those who had been the best at painting were awarded with a country side trip. On the birthday itself the CV received its numerous guests and friends. Our children prepared a wonderful concert at which they sang a song about the CV written by themselves. During the festivity the Friendship Tree was planted, then there were tea parties in the family houses and in the evening everybody ate delicious cereal cooked on the bonfire.
There is amount of work being done in the CV for widening children’s range of interests. The children are regularly taken to the excursions - e.g. in autumn 2006 the bus excursion to the town of Kronshtadt on the bank of the Baltic Sea was organized. During the excursion the children saw the historical monuments of the town, visited the town cathedral with the museum, walked along the embankments. In December 2006 almost all the inhabitants of the CV went to the excursion “Christmas in St. Petersburg”. The children were shown how beautiful the city was in its festive attire. The kids saw a lot of decorated fir-trees, the streets changed because of thousands of New Year lights. In April 2007 the children who were the participants of the Art Therapy School went to the excursion to the Toy Museum. This is the unusual museum that was opened in St. Petersburg not long ago. A guide told the kids about history of toys, they saw what kind of toys children play in different countries of the world and toys their parents and grand parents used to play. Also the children watched a penny whistle exposition which was exhibited at that time in the museum.
Last September several SOS children were admitted to the private school “Humanitarian” in the town of Pavlovsk. Parents must pay for their children’s study at this school but the SOS children were taken free. As the classes are not that big there (10-15 persons ), the SOS children have big opportunities for developments and better studying. School Director and teachers were the CV guests and at the round table all school problems were discussed with the CV staff and the SOS Mothers. It was nice to note that in spite of all difficulties and moot points everything was done to the benefit of the SOS children.
In the CV great educational work is being held with the children - e.g. the SOS children watched a movie devoted to the HIV and AIDS problems and discussed it. The foundation “Winged Unicorn” is holding intellectual games among inhabitants of children’s homes of St. Petersburg and other cities and towns of Russia and the Republics of Belarus and Kazakstan. (Last year the SOS children went to Belarus and this year the Belorussian children came to visit St. Petersburg). The students’ theatre from the State Pedagogical University regularly comes to the CV and shows plays of Russian and foreign playwrights. Other students hold economy lessons - together with the SOS children they “build a state” and catergorise its economic laws.
The CV celebrates festivities merrily, in an interesting and original way. E.g. Mothers’ Day was held together with the foundation “Marine Glory”. Cadets from the town of Kronshtadt (among them the SOS boy Artyom) came to congratulate the SOS Mothers. “Marine Glory” had prepared presents for the SOS Mothers, the SOS children performed a little concert, at the end of the festivity a big firework raised into the sky. On Shrove-tide (seeing off winter time - meeting spring) our friends - students of the teacher college - organised a real folk show - together with the SOS children they danced in a ring, invited Spring and sang folk songs. And everybody ate very delicious pancakes. At the end of the festivity Straw Shrove was burnt according to the ancient tradition. New Year Eve, Christmas and Easter were also celebrated well.
In the CV Pushkin the SOS boys are very much fond of football. One of the reasons for that is that a famous Russian football player Andrey Arshavin (the Ambassador of the SOS Children’s Villages in Russia) of the St. Petersburg team “Zenit” is a frequent guest of the CV. Andrey and other team members not only played football with the Village boys during their visits but also presented a children play ground to the CV. Our boys go to every “Zenit” match and come to the field with the team players at the beginning of game. It is interesting that not only boys but also girls are keen on football being football fans and thinking about creating a “women” football team in the CV.
The CV Pushkin has acquired serious friends during the last period of time. New Year and Christmas festivities were visited by representatives of the local authorities, Radio Russia, Tsarskoselsky Cathedral, St. Petersburg football team “Zenit”, “Winged Unicorn” foundation. Also for the first time Consuls of Great Britain, Norway, Finland and Germany visited the CV. The honorable guests were in the family houses and watched a little Christmas concert performed by the SOS children.
One of friends of the CV Pushkin is a Norwegian company ORKLA. The company donated money for construction of the CV Pushkin house # 10 and are now constantly keeping contact with tenants of this house - visit the children and give presents. Last year a very important decision about cooperation between ORKLA and their Russian partner “Krupskaya confectionary” and the CV Pushkin was made. And already on June 9, 2007 grand opening of a sports ground (mini-football field) constructed for ORKLA donation took place. At the grand opening the managing director of ORKLA Foods, Mr. Atle Vidar Johansen, ORKLA corporative connections vice-president Ole Christian Lunde and ORKLA managing director Mr. Torkild Nordberg and Ms Nina Edholm, a representave of the SOS Norway were present. The person who opened the sports ground was the spouse of the Norwegian Prime Minister Mrs. Ingrid Schulerud. The high guests were met by the SOS children and staff of the CV. Mrs. Schulerud addressed some nice wishes to the children and started a mini-football match being the first to kick the ball. This ball was brought from Norway and had signatures of the Norwegian football team players. Then the guests proceeded to the family house # 10 where they were heartily met by the SOS mother and children and presented some gifts - a painting made by the house inhabitants and other gifts. The grand opening finished in the Village hall where the guests made a note in the honorable guests book and their pictures were taken.
The school year 2006-2007 was finished by the Village children rather successfully. Ekaterina from house # 10 has only excellent year marks, 10 children have good and excellent marks, all the rest were moved to the next school year - nobody has to repeat. Now the children and the SOS Mothers have their summer rest ahead. Three family houses have left for south already, the others will follow them at the end of June. The Village will be quiet and almost empty. Small repairing will be made in the houses during the summer period. Besides rest our children will work in the village of Poga (agricultural labour), in youth labour camps along with the SOS children from the other SOS CVs Russia and St. Petersburg children’s homes. They will go hiking among the other members of the tourist club “Touri” (some of our elder children have certificates of this club and can be the leaders of one-day tours). This April our children already visited the village of Poga and were guests of a house for elderly people whom they recited poems. In April our children were also in the youth rest camp “Blue lake” and in a forestry in the village of Toskovo, where they saw bisons.
In April in the CV there was an open house day at which the representatives of guardian authorities of St. Petersburg and its region were present. The main task for the Village was to acquaint the guardian authorities with the SOS model of upbringing and help for children without a parental care. Immediately after this event the CV Director accepted several offers to take children to the CV. This year in St. Petersburg region some state children homes will be closed. The CV plans to take 12 children from them as there are siblings among them. If the CV doesn’t take them, the siblings may be separated and sent to different institutions. So the Village staff is now doing their utmost to move these kids to the CV.
On behalf of all the children of the CV Pushkin, its staff and the SOS Mothers let us thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your concern for the fate of the Russian children. SOS Russia hopes for your help and support in future and invites you to visit the SOS CV Pushkin to see the merry and healthy children’s faces with your own eyes and to make sure that the children are growing happily thanks to your kindness and efforts.
Child sponsorship update Tomilino
This is the summer report 2007 of Children’s Village Tomilino.
On January 2nd - 9th, 38 children went to a holiday camp called “Wind” not far from the town of Orjol. A lot of competitions, quizzes and contests left very bright impressions with the SOS children. They returned to the CV merry and rested.
On January 10th there was a Christmas concert in the CV: the CV choir sang, the dancing circle danced and our guests - students of the Pedagogical College - performed a Christmas fairy tale about Peter Pan.
On January 16th, the CV was visited by a journalist from the newspaper “Tribuna”. She interviewed the Village Director and one of the SOS Mothers.
On January 20th, the SOS children were guests of the library club “Bibliosha” where they were greeted by an editor of the geographical magazine, took part in different competitions and listened to fascinating stories.
On January 30th, the Village Director met with a journalist from the newspaper “The World of Children and Adolescents”.
On February 3rd, the SOS children invited a famous Russian singer and his teenage daughter, who has already published a book of poetry, to come and visit.
On February 6th, children who had got good marks in the first school semester went to an Aqua park, where they went down water slides and merrily splashed in the swimming pools.
On February 8th, the CV was visited by a German Channel One correspondent who shot a film of the Village and interviewed the CV Director and an SOS Mother.
On February 13th - St. Valentine’s Day Eve - a competition for the most beautiful valentine card was held. The children made a lot of souvenirs and cards with their own hands. The best ones were awarded with sweet prizes.
On January 16th, Natalia and Evgenia from family house ¹2 were visited by their Norwegian sponsor who brought presents for all the children in the house. He spent the whole day in the house playing with the children.
On February 17th, the children met a Russian children’s writer in the library club “Bibliosha”. Then a drawing competition was held in which the task was to draw book heroes.
On February 23rd, the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland, a contest of the game “Ship fight” was held which was followed by a merry disco.
On March 2nd we had guests from the CV Lavrovo. Together the children visited the President regiment at the Kremlin.
On March 6th, eleven children who were doing well at school went to the Aqua Park.
On March 7th a “Miss Spring” contest devoted to International Women’s Day was held. The girls competed for the right to be called the most charming and attractive.
On March 10th the publishing house “Narnia” held a festivity in the library club “Bibliosha” with merry competitions, riddles and quizzes.
On March 21st the SOS children visited Moscow Technological College as part of the professions orientation programme. They talked to the teachers and students and learned about different professions.
March 24th was the library club “Bibliosha”’s birthday. As the SOS children are long-term members of the club, they celebrated this day with the founders and other members of the club, and took an active part in the intellectual games that were held there that day.
On March 27th 16 children from the CV visited the Unicum Dolls Museum. They had the opportunity to see dolls from different countries of the world, and even some from the 18th century.
On March 28th there was an excursion to the Museum of Old Cars and Motorcycles. The children learnt about cars of different epochs, many of which were shot in famous movies.
On March 29th ten of the SOS children attended the festival of children and youth books where they met famous Russian children’s writers.
On April 7th ten of the SOS children visited one of the Moscow Pedagogical Colleges to get acquainted with the pedagogical staff and students, and find out about the programme and placement.
On April 13th the CV was visited by a filming team from the TV Channel “Capital”. They shot a film about the life of the CV Tomilino.
On April 14th the SOS children watched a performance in the popular Moscow theatre Art-House.
On the same day, the Russian sponsor of family house ¹11 visited the SOS children there and brought presents for everybody. The children and their SOS Mother happily welcomed him.
On April 15th a circuit meeting of the journalist club of one of the most popular Russian papers took place in the CV. The journalists learnt about the life of the CV, visited family houses, and talked to the SOS children and Mothers in order to write reports about CV Tomilino in the mass media.
On April 26th the CV’s elder children attended a big pop music concert at the stadium “Luzhniki” (the biggest one in Moscow).
On April 27th the SOS Mothers and children watched a theatre performance.
On April 28th most of the CV’s children went to a world championship ice hockey match between Sweden and Latvia.
On May 3rd and 4th the children who had studied during the school year with excellent and good marks visited a sports-entertainment complex “Fantasy Park”. There the children roller skated and went on attractions, and took part in different games and contests.
On May 12th after a rather long interval since their last visit, the children went to the library club “Bibliosha” again. There they met a journalist from the very popular children’s magazine “Murzilka”, watched an interesting movie, drank juice and ate sweets.
On May 20th was the Children’s Village’s eleventh birthday. After the Village Director’s speech there was a performance by the CV choir and congratulations and presents from numerous guests. The main event of the first part of the festivity was a pantomime competition which was prepared beforehand by the SOS families. Then there was a game “Trust Path” that was held outdoors. The SOS families got a flow (process) chart and went to fulfill different tasks. Then a friendly football match between the CV pedagogues and the SOS children took place. After games and competitions the hungry children and guests had a picnic which was followed by a merry disco.
Family house ¹3 was the winner of the “Trust Path” game, and its prize was to go on May 27th to see the animal theatre named after a famous Russian animal trainer Durov. It is interesting that the Director of this theatre is Natalia Durova, who is the great-granddaughter of the theatre’s founder. The children were delighted at the “clever” animals and brought a lot of positive emotions from there.
On May 28th the SOS children visited the international festival “Moscow Meets Guests” at the stadium “Luzhniki”. Numerous folk, singing and dancing groups from Russia, the Ukraine, Georgia, Moldavia, Kirghizia, Uzbekistan, Croatia and South Korea participated in this festival. Our children were greatly impressed with the artists’ colourful costumes, nice dances and wonderful songs.
On June 1st was International Children’s Day. On that day all the family houses got tickets to the most popular Moscow theatres to watch the best children’s plays and performances.
The school year was finished successfully. Anastasia Ch., Kristina T. and Ludmila V. finished the school year with only excellent marks, and 15 children had good and excellent marks. 16 children attended music school, 2 girls took gymnastics lessons and 2 had lawn tennis lessons.
On June 2nd the CV children were hospitably met in the restaurant “Godunov”. The children were fed with the most delicious dishes and deserts, after which a magician showed his remarkable tricks.
In June a collection of articles on CV teaching experiences was published in the series “Educational Strategy in Moscow” in which the CV Director, teachers and Mothers shared their methods of bringing up abandoned children.
This summer most of the SOS children have gone to summer camps and sanatoriums by the Black Sea, in Moscow region and in Orjol region to gather strength for the next school year.
Relevant Countries: Russia.