Humanitarian Aid in Russia
Thousands of orphaned and abandoned children live in Russian orphanages. Many facilities lack basic necessities like heat and working kitchens. Others are without the resources needed to properly stimulate and educate the children. Wide Horizons For Children (WHFC) and its partners have served children living in these facilities for more than 20 years.
Current Efforts
We are focusing on a very special orphanage in the Leningrad region that houses more than 100 sight-impaired children ages 7-21. The facility lacks certain resources crucial to a child’s proper growth and development. We are providing new kitchen furniture, medical equipment specific to vision disabilities and books in Braille to help improve the living environment and educational opportunities for these children.
We can continue to transform lives for Russian children with your support. Please donate online now or contact us at 781.894.5330 for more information on our work in Russia and how you can help.
Past Projects
Voronezh Regional Specialized Child Home – This orphanage is home to children age 4 and under with congenital developmental abnormalities, genetic diseases and central nervous system lesions. A fire in the region forced the evacuation of the home. The children were temporarily relocated to another facility that was unable to meet their basic needs. We provided funding for urgently needed items while repairs were underway.
The Nadia Fund: Vocational Training and Pottery Project – Vocational training is vital for children who “age out” of state facilities in Russia. Without marketable skills, these teens struggle to earn a living, placing them at high risk for life on the streets and human trafficking. The Nadia Fund, established in memory of our former representative in Russia, funded two years of cosmetology training for young women from the Zilair Orphanage (Ufa region). The fund also covered a pottery project for 30 Zilair children with special needs. The children were taught how to mold clay into toys and crockery. The goal was to help improve their self-esteem and social integration in a society that often tends to underserve these children.
New Playroom for Vidnoye Baby Home for Children – Located in the Moscow region, the Vidnoye Baby Home is among the most decrepit of Russia’s orphanages. WHFC funded renovations to the playroom, providing new carpeting, doors, windows, paint and structural improvements. Children at Vidnoye range in age from newborn to 4 years.
Winter Clothes for Orphans in Tyumen – Russian winters are very cold, and orphanages often lack the funds to provide children with warm outdoor clothing. WHFC provided a grant to purchase fur hats, fur coats and winter pants for 120 children ages 4-18 living in the Yarovsky Orphanage.
Medical Equipment for Special Needs Children – The Center for Psycho-Motor-Social Development in Moscow provides services that stimulate and encourage the social adaptation of children with physical, social and/or learning disabilities. The center offers legal and medical support to parents and institutions and trains teachers who care for institutionalized children with special needs. WHFC funded the purchase of equipment for diagnosing and treating psychomotor and social disabilities, making it easier for the children to integrate socially with peers.
Other WHFC Humanitarian Aid Work by Region
Moscow – Provided furniture for the Kashira Children’s Home, windows for the Orekhovo-Zuevo Specialized Baby Home, playground equipment for the Podolsk Baby Home and furnishings/renovations for a special classroom for teaching social skills at the Kolomensky Baby Home
Ufa – Purchased a computer and copy machine for Baby Home No. 2
St. Petersburg – Replaced the electrical, water and sewage systems at the Kalozhitski Orphanage
Leningrad – Purchased clothing, school supplies and a washer, refrigerator and furniture for the Slantsevsky Orphanage
Rostov-on-don – Funded computers, booklets and outings for the Shakhty Orphanage and children’s furniture for Baby Home No. 4
Yekaterinburg – Purchased food, toys and other items for Baby Home No. 2
