Awakening Orphanage: Krasnoarmeys’k, Ukraine

In 1992, a government run orphanage with approximately 140 children was closed near Pastor Leonid’s church. The younger children were transferred to other government facilities, while most of those over 10 years old were left to fend for themselves, and began coming to Pastor Leonid’s church for help.

Not long after, Leonid was caring for his son in the hospital when he noticed a little boy roaming the hallways alone every day. When the boy approached asking for candy, Leonid cheerfully supplied. This continued for many days, so Leonid finally inquired to the nurses about the boy’s parents and discovered he had been abandoned at birth at the hospital. The staff had been caring for the boy until he would become old enough to go to a government run orphanage at the age of 3.

These events touched his heart, and Pastor Leonid knew his mission was to open a home for the neglected and abandoned children of his community. He sacrificed his own opportunity to immigrate to the United States along with his family, choosing instead to stay behind and establish Awakening Orphanage. The little boy from the hospital became the first orphan under his care.

House of Hope Community Centers began a relationship with Awakening Orphanage in 2005. Since that time, our Sponsors and Donors have generously contributed to several projects that have improved the lives and well-being of the orphans under Pastor Leonid’s care, including:

• New windows throughout the orphanage
• New roof over dormitory wing
• Indoor boys and girls bathrooms
• Safe bunk beds and bedding for every bedroom
• Purchased garden property adjacent to original building
• Concrete fence to secure the orphanage property
• New minibus to replace one that was burned
• And most recently, a full commercial kitchen upgrade

Our desire for Awakening Orphanage is not only to provide for their basic needs on a continued basis, but also to give them an opportunity to acquire skills for a successful and self-sufficient future while serving their community.

To learn more about the world of difference we are making in Ukraine, please view our past newsletters and video presentations in the archive or contact us.

Why Ukraine?

Though many orphans in Ukraine are ‘biological’ orphans, meaning they have lost both of their parents due to death, the orphan crisis is primarily a social one. Due to the overwhelming poverty levels in Ukraine, many parents leave the country in an effort to find work and simply leave their children behind. Some parents work all month in the mines and factories to earn a meager wage, only to find that there is no money for them on payday. This type of economic crisis has influenced rampant abuse and neglect in the home, often as a result of parents’ alcohol and drug abuse. Approximately 10,000 parents per year have their parental rights terminated by the courts, and more than 1000 babies are abandoned at birth each year throughout Ukraine.

According to a recent study, there are over 200,000 children living on the streets of Ukraine – 90% of them are addicted to sniffing glue, and many have chronic infectious or sexually  transmitted diseases. Sadly, of all prostitutes in Ukraine, 31% are between the ages of 12 and 17.

The number of orphans under government care increases approximately 2% annually. Under their constitution, Ukraine guarantees a number of privileges to orphans; however, there are very minimal financial resources made available to carry out these provisions, making them essentially just words on paper. The aim of government facilities for orphans is mere survival through age 16. These children are not sufficiently prepared with life or job skills, and upon ‘graduating’ from the orphanage at age 16, they are sent out into the world to make their own way. After ‘aging out’ of the government orphanage system:

• 60% of males enter a life of crime and end up in prison
• 50% of females turn to prostitution at least once as a means of survival
• 20% will commit suicide
• 76% are afraid to leave the orphanage knowing the perils of the world that awaits them

There are no government operated orphanages in Krasnoarmey’sk, Ukraine. Pastor Leonid has established himself and the church-run Awakening Orphanage as a well respected resource for the orphans in his community. Regularly, people in both the private and public sector refer him to children in need of help – neighbors who notice that children in their building have been abandoned, police officers who find groups of homeless children surviving together in gangs, or sibling groups found scavenging in the village dumpsters for food. At times, children have even walked in to the orphanage off the street because they have heard it is a safe place to find refuge in a loving, family environment. Through the personal dedication and sacrifice of Pastor Leonid, his family, and volunteers, Awakening Orphanage is positioned to make a world of difference in Krasnoarmey’sk, Ukraine. But they can’t do it without the help of many.

Currently, over 80% of the funding needed to operate Awakening Orphanage comes from the financial support of House of Hope and our sponsors. Our hope is to come along side Pastor Leonid and his volunteers to transform Awakening Orphanage into a place where orphaned and neglected children can not only find the comfort of a home, but also hope for a better future through education, training, and service projects. Will you help us make hope happen by becoming a sponsor or volunteer?