Volunteer Opportunity - Paid Trip to Russia

[Chris B. Clough]

Perhaps they're just that desperate for help.


On Wed, 19 Jan 2005 21:09:05 -0500, Elena Gapova
<e.gapova at worldnet.att.net> wrote:
> It is not the calling to volunteers that seems disturbing, but the fact that
> knowledge of Russian, or experience working with orphans, is not required.
> Almost like "anything goes"...
>
> e.g.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list
> [mailto:SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU]On Behalf Of Alina Israeli
> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2005 11:47 PM
> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
> Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] Volunteer Opportunity - Paid Trip to Russia
>
> >I agree. It sounds naive at best and potentially a call for paedophiles at
> >worst. Are there really no local volunteers available in Russia who could
> be
> >vetted and provide this service of cuddling babies and children?
>
> In order to volunteer one has to not be in need of money. For the
> past two decades foreigners were allowed to come and volunteer for
> severely disabled people. Some of those volunteers were occasionally
> profiled in Russian press.
>
> The statistics for orphans in Russia is very severe. A few years ago
> we were talking about one million children (in a country of less than
> 150 million). The adoption laws have been changed a couple of times
> during the last decade. Now foreigners can adopt non-adoptable
> children, that is either sick or too old to be adopted by Russians
> (who usually adopt newborn babies, although not nearly as often as in
> the US). Foster families do not exist as a system. One Omsk orphanage
> recently adopted an excellent idea: week-end family. Those who cannot
> adopt (single or too old) or do not want to adopt have a child over
> for a week-end. But those young and adoptable actually still have no
> parents. And many unadoptable do not have either.
>
> Most of my information comes from my own volunteer work as
> interpreter for an organization called Kidsave which is not an
> adoption agency (but introduces children to families who are
> interested in adopting older children or children with birth defects,
> hair lip, for ex.). Once I had to translate for a director of a Dom
> maljutki - baby orphans. I'll spare you the gruesome details.
>
> Yes, volunteers are needed, orphanages are understaffed, and the
> staff have their own families to care for. I saw maybe a few dozen
> kids get a new family, which is a drop in the bucket. Kidsave worked
> not only with Russia but also with Kazakhstan and Moldova to my
> knowledge.
>
> Keep in mind that there is no tradition of volunteering in Russia.
>
> So there is nothing terribly suspicious about calling to potential
> volunteers. I've heard of Russian language students spending summers
> in Russia working for orphanages (probably for free). If you like
> children, it's a worthwhile endeavor.
>
> --
> __________
> Alina Israeli
> LFS, American University
> 4400 Mass. Ave., NW
> Washington, DC 20016
>
> phone:  (202) 885-2387
> fax:    (202) 885-1076
>
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--
Chris B. Clough
Central Post Office
P.O. Box 0565
Tver, 170000
Russian Federation
chrisbclough at gmail.com
+7 (905) 1285454 (mobile)
+7 (0822) 356011 (home)

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