The Orphanage

Now, I know many of you are wondering about the orphanage here in Priluki. Rich and I have been pleasantly surprised after hearing so much about the state of other orphanages in Ukraine. Like I’ve said, we seem to be the first to adopt from here (internationally and special-needs) so there was no info we could get before we came. We want to pave the way for more children here to find homes!!! There are about 80 children here in the “baby house” which is for children ages 1-5, and about 10-15% of those have noticeable disabilities. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, and one little boy with Downs Syndrome that we have seen.

The director of this orphanage is a woman named Lidia -which endeared her to me right away! She is a very sweet, happy person who genuinely seems to care about the children in her care. She also cares about the upkeep of her orphanage and we have seen repairs and ongoing maintenance while we have been here. She also works closely with a humanitarian group from the Netherlands to supply toys and such to the children. We don’t know how often this is, but the children seem well-supplied (although not as well supplied as individual American children). Rich and I are hoping to find some way to help this orphanage in the future.

The chief medical doctor of the orphanage is also a woman- a very nice lady with a few English words in her vocabulary. She loves for us to take Mira on walks and tells us to pick flowers for Mira. She was very worried that we wouldn’t be able to understand all of Mira’s needs and has asked several times if we are sure we understand what certain terms mean. She is very open with us about Mira’s family and medical history, which we appreciate! She oversees individual nurses which come around to check on the children with specific special needs and who also dole out medicines every day. They come every morning, making their rounds with a huge tray laden down with all kinds of medicines. The medical staff here is very organized!

The only men we really see at the orphanage are maintenance crew. They have been working on painting one of the baby houses (we think it’s for the really young babies) and re-welding the metal stairs. Otherwise, all the workers are women. There seem to be about 8 workers for each group that rotate- we see a few different ladies every day. I think we’ve seen all of Mira’s caretakers now! There are about three that seem to really work closely with Mira and have a sweet relationship with her. There are 6-10 children in each group and three caretakers at a time to watch them.

As you can see from the photos, the orphanage is a very clean cheerful place. These people do the best with what they have and for that we are grateful! No, an orphanage is no substitute for a real family- with two parents as God intended. However, this one does a good job of “holding” this sweet little ones until their forever families find them. Everything is very clean and safe, the children get plenty of fresh air and sunshine, and the caretakers seem to love the children in their charge.

Beautiful flowers like this all over the orphanage grounds! Mira loves to pick flowers and pull all the leaves and petals off the stems. It keeps her content for a long while!

Mira is in a group with 7 other children. Here is their bedroom- nice and clean! Her crib is the one with the blue chair in front of it.

Mira is the oldest in her group. We believe that the reason she is still in this group is because she doesn't yet walk. Here is a common sight in her group- caretakers chatting while rocking baby strollers back and forth!

Our visiting hours seem to coincide with outdoor playtime. All the little darlings follow their nurses and caretakers out to their group's assigned play area. The children are very sweet and well-behaved, holding hands with each other to get across the path. As soon as they see Rich (men are a rarity at the orphanage) they all start to point and wave and shout "Dadda" or "Papa." These poor dears NEED a daddy!!!!

These two statues are on either side of Mira's "house." Mira doesn't like things she isn't used to and she was hesitant to touch these. Any idea what these represent? I think the bear looks like "Little Bear."

We are allowed to visit Mira twice a day. We visit in the mornings from 10am until noon, and in the afternoons from 3:30 until 5 o'clock. Sometimes we play on a rug on the grass in her group's play area, sometimes we take walks around the orphanage grounds. The staff here does a really good job of keeping the play shelters bright and colorful, as you can see. I imagine that with the harsh winters they have here, these murals have to be re-painted every year.

This last photo is of Rich pushing Mira in her new stroller towards the gate that we usually come in when we come to visit.

Coming up...our court experience, food in Ukraine, and out and about in Priluki!