Dima, one of Kyiv's orphans, remains so emotionally devoted to the mother who abandoned him that he has refused adoption. Yaroslav Debelyi Abandoned children find a second home, hope to find their parents or new ones who will love them.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a four-part Holiday Wishes series on worthy charities. Today's feature is about Kyiv orphanage City of Happy Children.


Two years ago, his mother brought him into a shelter for abandoned children and left him there. Now eight years old, Dima is still waiting for his mother to come and take him back. “You’ll see, my mom will come. She just has no money now,” the boy frequently told his peers during the last two years.

Dima is one of 28 kids finding shelter at City of Happy Children, a rehabilitation center. Rejected by their own parents, they still desperately hope their mothers and fathers will return – or some new caring parents will come for them.

Meanwhile, they share a home at the City of Happy Children, getting what many of them have never had: good food, clean clothes, warm beds and nice toys. But even more importantly, they get basic education, medical care and attention. The center, which opened nearly a year ago, is designed to be a real home for abandoned children. But the goal is to find families for them.

City of Happy Children indeed looks like a very homey place. Located in Kyiv’s remote Vynohradar district, it stands out against a gloomy background of neighboring buildings with its castle-styled small tower on the roof. The place is even better inside. Its bright bedrooms, playing hall, studying room and cozy kitchen with fireplace and big aquarium create a warm and cozy atmosphere for its small residents. Some of them are only two years old and their aim is mostly playing around. The older ones have regular classes in the center and eventually continue their studies in the neighboring school with ordinary students and teachers.

Many of the older children have never gone to school before. A 12-year-old, Masha, lived with her alcohol-abusing parents until she was 10 and the girl first went to school only a year ago when she entered the center. “She didn’t even have a birth certificate and never went to school,” said executive director Iryna Shuprutko. “Yet she showed great progress and has already passed exams for two grades and now she is studying in the third grade,” Shuprutko said.

Sociable and smiling, Masha eagerly communicates and poses for cameras. Her natural charm contrasts with her miserable past. Masha’s father died of tuberculosis recently and her mother is still abusing alcohol, causing her parental rights to be revoked. “She (mother) hasn’t even come to visit Masha ever since her father’s death. She is not interested in her daughter,” Shuprutko said.

Strikingly, the majority of the center’s kids have living parents, but their various addictions are stronger than their parental instincts. The negligence robs children not only of happiness, but also of health. “There’s a boy, Ihor, almost two years old. He fell from the seventh floor, but luckily lived,” Shuprutko said, noting that the boy was examined several times and now feels well.

Although most of the parents never visit their children, the center tries to help those parents who want to get rid of their addictions. “We are trying to work with biological parents, because many children love their parents, and it’s difficult for the older ones to forget about their parents,” Shuprutko said.

For example, Dima has been so emotionally devoted to his mother that he even refused to be adopted by a foreign sponsor who wanted him. “He played with her children and then said ‘No, I will wait for my mom,’” Shuprutko said. Over time, even the most devoted children such as Dima realize their biological parents are not likely to return and they start waiting for new parents. “They all want parents. No matter how nice life is here at the center, they want to have their personal home. That’s why we are happy when we manage to find good parents for them or help their biological parents overcome addictions and get back to normal life with their children,” Shuprutko said.

City of Happy Children makes the lives of abandoned kids better and more comfortable. They are provided with education, interesting activities, fun and care. Yet their excited and expectant eyes at the sight of any new adult coming to the center reveal their longing for parents who will love them.


How to contact:

City of Happy Children

Kyiv, 13B Prospect Poryka

Phone: 38 044 462 8504

http://mistoforkids.org/

How to donate:

Bank account: 260003013925

"Старокиївський банк"

(Starokyivskiy Bank)

МФО (MFO) 321477

Identification code: 35133314