NEWS AND VIEWS: Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe organization provides aid to orphanage (06/22/03)

NEWS AND VIEWS

Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe organization provides aid to orphanage

by Svitlana Kobzar

Imagine having an experience that so completely changes your life that nothing you do, say or see will ever be the same again. This happened to me in the summer of 2002. As a Ukrainian student beginning my junior year at Alma College, the experience of volunteering for three adoption agencies helped me to realize one of the pressing problems facing Ukraine - the growing number of orphaned children and the challenging conditions in which they live. While politically and economically in transition, Ukraine is confronted with the difficult task of providing for an increasing number of orphans. According to a 2002 UNICEF report, Ukraine experienced a 50 percent increase in the number of orphaned children between 1995 and 2000. These children are the future of my homeland.

I felt the need to do something, anything. I increased my volunteer hours for adoption agencies. I presented programs about Ukraine to local service clubs. But I still felt an overwhelming need to do more. Then, my friends who had adopted two girls from Russia suggested sending clothes to an orphanage. The enthusiastic response from the local community and Alma College encouraged me to create a non-profit organization which would help children in Eastern Europe. Forgotten Children of Eastern Europe (FCEE) was created on June 10, 2002, and became officially incorporated as a non-profit organization.

Through its Adopt-an-Orphanage Program, FCEE helped Veselka, a poor orphanage in the small town of Borodianka near Kyiv. Veselka was relocated from Chornobyl Zone No. 1, the region nearest to the deadly 1986 radioactive disaster. It houses 60 children ages 3 through 16. The space for these children is limited, with all girls and boys sleeping in two rooms. Nearly 80 percent of the children suffer from chronic diseases. The orphanage lacks funding to provide proper nutrition and medical assistance, as well as functioning heating and plumbing systems. In the winter children often wake up to temperatures in the low 50s, and they are all forced to share a single outhouse.

After communicating with the orphanage, FCEE realized the difficulties that both workers and children alike face. The lack of washing machines and adequate heat means that children have to wear damp clothes or wait for long periods of time to have their clothes washed. Veselka also lacks a vehicle that would help in case a child should need to go to the hospital.

When we first began working with Veselka, our goal was to help with their immediate needs by sending money for food, shipping clothes, and raising funds to build a new heating system. FCEE's Walk for Orphans established a yearly tradition, brought the college and local community together, and raised over $2,400. Presentations to churches, service clubs, and local community groups raised another $2,500. Workers in Veselka voiced their deep gratitude to FCEE for listening to them and helping to transform their dreams into reality.

Several Rotary clubs in Michigan are committed to helping FCEE by providing financial assistance and working with FCEE to apply for matching grants through Rotary International. FCEE has also been working with Rotary clubs in Ukraine to implement projects for Veselka. Through World Community Service (WCS), Rotary clubs in both Michigan and Kyiv hope to join forces to provide Veselka with educational resources. The Rotary club in Kyiv has been instrumental in attaining a $10,000 donation to build a new heating system. Now the children will finally be able to live in a warm place and will no longer need to wear several layers of clothing.

FCEE hopes to establish a program that would allow students from the United States to visit Ukraine. Raising funds to underwrite an endowment that would make scholarships available is our dream. This would create opportunities every year for students to travel to Ukraine, where they would learn more about the country, visit the orphanage and work on projects, and contribute fresh energy to FCEE upon their return. College students often get involved in activities that later help them choose paths for their future careers. Such a scholarship would encourage students to develop and strengthen their vision to help Ukraine build its next generation by enabling them to experience directly the lives of orphans. Personal growth, energy, leadership, and inspiration are all attributes that FCEE hopes to foster and advance with scholarship opportunities.

June 10, 2003, marked FCEE's one-year anniversary. All members have learned that, with a strong effort, sincere heart and perseverance, together we can make a difference. By raising awareness and improving conditions in one orphanage at a time, we hope to improve the lives of children in Eastern Europe and inspire the hearts and minds of individuals in the United States.

Svitlana Kobzar came to the United States in 1998 at the age of 16 as a high school exchange student. Her family still resides in Ukraine. Ms. Kobzar attends Alma College on a full-tuition scholarship. Ms. Kobzar commented: "Witnessing the sincerity and support of people around me encourages me to hope that I can make a difference in the lives of those who are in need."

For further information about FCEE, readers may e-mail Ms. Kobzar at [email protected] or call (989) 463-6697 or (989) 463-5359.

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