Which orphanage needs help? No gifts to orphanages. How to help children

Because soon New Year, and many will want to polish their karma by showering gifts on complete strangers in the nearest orphanage, I decided to show you one important text. I warn you right away: the text tells you why you can’t do this. And the point is not at all about ethical considerations (although there are those too), but about specific harm. But enough spoilers! Now you will find out everything for yourself.

Since I am not an expert in helping children, a professional will tell you about the problem. A few years ago, the magazine “Takie Dela” published an excellent article that explained why emergency gift giving to children in orphanages is harmful. Unfortunately, over these few years the situation in Russia has hardly changed.

A word from an expert in the field of charity, volunteering and corporate social responsibility, Anna Puchkova:

"No gifts to orphanages. Yes, I don’t mean at all: “Guys, urgently help, we don’t have enough gifts for the unfortunate deprived children in orphanages this year,” I mean exactly: “Please, stop bullying over children from orphanages, showering them with gifts.”

I understand that the text of this article will be very painful to read for approximately half of those who are going to do this (stay strong, positive at the end). And the other half will nod quietly and sadly with the words: “Yes, I talk about this all the time too, but that doesn’t stop anyone.” I know that the first article will cause frustration or even aggression. Therefore, I immediately want to say: “Yes, I also really love children and people in general,” “Yes, I myself also do something to help others, namely, I devote approximately 95% of my time to this, not counting sleep,” “Yes , I have been to a huge number of orphanages in my time and even lived in one for a week, right in a group with children,” “Yes, I deal with volunteers from more than 20 regions of the country, and everywhere there is exactly the same as in Moscow.” . So, guys, instead of frustration, let's just try to make our help at least a little more effective, that's exactly what we all want, right?

So, why is it still impossible to give gifts to orphanages, and what can be done instead?

Let's take, for example, an ideal situation, that is, a situation in which all children received the same gifts, equally, an ideal situation that excludes the possibility that the gifts did not reach the children. A situation in which a teenager did not sell a gift to buy cigarettes or beer. Or when the gift was not used to make someone jealous or simply demonstrate their superiority (“look what I have, but you don’t have the same”), usually after this the gift ends up either broken or stolen as soon as the owner was distracted from it, and, of course, this is very bad both for the owner and for the one who broke or stole.

So, even in this ideal situation (and you understand that this does not happen?), giving gifts to orphanages, boarding schools, social shelters and other forms of state orphanages (I emphasize - especially state ones) is destructive for the child’s psyche , because according to statistics over time New Year's holidays a child from an orphanage attends about 17 Christmas trees and events and receives about 19 gifts (in the Moscow region - 25). Do you understand that this is just a marathon for survival? Do you want to be the 26th person who came running frantically to love a child you didn’t know just yesterday? What about 18? The saddest thing is that you are ready...

In the next month and a half, billions of rubles will be spent on toys, teddy bears, sleds, Barbies and even tablets, phones and iPods (yes, many children ask for exactly this, and many adults buy it for them, although they themselves realize that there is something here) that's not true)

All this is monstrous because it fosters terrible dependency; the child gets used to the fact that everyone is always giving him something, giving him something, doing it, and without any effort or reasons visible to him. Some exalted people constantly come and frantically try to love them all to death in half a day and move on (I know, because I was exactly the same). And then suddenly the child turns 18, and... And nothing, no one visits him, no one showers him with gifts, no one cares about the problems of “an adult healthy guy who has to go to work.” Why should he? You only taught him to ask, you did not teach him to earn. You taught him to accept gifts and entertainment and thought that he should somehow figure out about work himself. As a result, only 10% cope with this state of affairs, and the rest become drunkards, end up in crime and prison, and commit suicide. Think about it! 10%! 90%!

Children in orphanages (and in this case I mean all state institutions of this type) live according to the rules of a gloomy, inhumane and merciless system created at the beginning of the 20th century. Their students are not considered part of society, and therefore they do not become one. They are considered poor and unhappy, wretched and deprived, and only truly sincere and professional charitable foundations work on their socialization, try to restore their motivation to live, strive for something and achieve their goals, fill them with faith in their own strengths and satisfy them to families.

“Well, everyone helps as best they can,” they often answer me offended at the mention of professional funds. No, no, I'm not at all against a little help, and I know for sure that EVERY person can help. But we are not talking about help here. I am writing all this precisely to explain - gifts to orphanages on holidays and without them, as well as a bunch of entertainment events on holidays - this is not help, it is harm.

I will give an example from my own practice, when many years ago I came as part of a group of volunteers to one of the orphanages in the Tver region. We agreed on the visit in advance, prepared competitions and performances, and clarified with the director that there would be no one except us that day. When we arrived, another group of volunteers left right in front of our noses, and the children, stretching, left the assembly hall with gifts. They hoped to go about their business, but the director told them to urgently go back to the hall, because “the sponsors had arrived,” and the children wandered off to watch our next songs and dances, which they absolutely did not need. What benefit did we bring to them by forcing them to sit in the assembly hall for half a day? What benefits can be brought by a master class on weaving baubles and soap making?

Well, what should you do then and how can you help if you have such a desire?

I promised positivity at the end, and here it is - you may not only be needed, but really needed! For example, if you want to organize a truly festive event, then organize it for children with disabilities. Moreover, try to take them somewhere from home; in our country they are so rarely given such an opportunity. Better yet, consult with specialized funds and organize a joint event for ordinary children and children with disabilities. This will be very useful for both.

If you definitely want to give someone a gift, there are children with cancer, there are children from low-income families, and just those who are undergoing long-term treatment in the hospital, you definitely won’t spoil them. There are also elderly people, people in hospices and hospitals, paralyzed people, prisoners (everyone generally forgets about them) - they will all be glad to see your warmth and attention, they will need your gifts and receive them with gratitude.

Well, if you want to do something specifically for children from orphanages, then my advice to you is to donate money or become a volunteer in one of the funds that really change their lives and save them:

"Change one life"- they find a father and mother for the children, and there is nothing more valuable than this gift.

One of the oldest and most professional foundations involved in the socialization of orphans.

"Volunteers to help orphans"- they are struggling to keep as many children as possible in the family and prevent them from ending up in orphanages, and also take care of the youngest refuseniks from zero to four years old.

"Big change"- systematic tutoring and development of orphans, they help them enter universities, find themselves in life, gain independence and independence.

With the money that is spent annually on teddy bears for children living in concentration camps, these funds can truly save them, get them out of there, protect them, take care of them.

Everything that I described in this article is far from new, and any expert in the field of charity will tell you exactly the same thing. Many companies and simply kind people have already realized this and are beginning to abandon the system of giving gifts and entertainment to orphanages, and this cannot but rejoice.

However, finishing the article, I also sadly look into the eyes of its readers, because most of them will agree with it closer to the beginning of the new year, when they return from orphanages, leaving there another dose of gifts..."

The state claims that our boarding schools and orphanages are provided with everything necessary. And in fact, about 20 thousand rubles are allocated annually for clothes alone for one pupil. Meanwhile, the state of many state boarding institutions for orphans remains extremely deplorable, and many of us have at least once collected “stuff for an orphanage.” What's going on? Nadezhda VOLOBUEVA, President of the Dobroserdie charity foundation, told us about this.

The state claims that our boarding schools and orphanages are provided with everything necessary. And in fact, about 20 thousand rubles are allocated annually for clothes alone for one pupil. Meanwhile, the state of many state boarding institutions for orphans remains extremely deplorable, and many of us have at least once collected “stuff for an orphanage.” What's going on? Nadezhda VOLOBUEVA, President of the Dobroserdie charity foundation, told us about this.

— What is the main thing in financial assistance to orphanages? Gifts for the holidays? Cloth? Computers? Repair?
— Medicines, personal hygiene items, and materials for handicrafts are always needed—children take on them with pleasure: sawing, burning, sculpting, knitting. We also need medical equipment, which in almost all orphanages was outdated in the last century. Often in the provinces, renovations in orphanages were last carried out in the fifties - then we need to help with this first of all. But before helping a specific orphanage, it is always better to come and see everything for yourself - the situation is very different everywhere.

“But there is an opinion that orphanages are already overcrowded with both state and sponsorship aid. This is true?
— Unfortunately, not enough money is allocated from the regional budget. Especially in small towns and villages in regions of Russia. There, children's institutions are in dire need of additional funding and assistance. Of course, a lot depends on the leader: if the director is active and does not hesitate to ask for help from local authorities and charitable organizations, then in his institution, as a rule, the situation is much better than that of a less energetic and lively leader.

Then, the main flow of charitable funds to the regions comes from Moscow and other large cities. Therefore, the closer an institution is to such centers, the more charitable organizations offer them their help and visit them. A lot depends on the proximity of large enterprises - they often take orphanages under their wing. Looking at such supervised boarding schools, one might really think that there is abundance everywhere, but this is not so.

Of course, this is not the 90s, and they are trying to allocate enough for food, say. They began to monitor this. But repairs are still difficult. It’s not always clear whose fault it is; it just happens that the money doesn’t reach the orphanage. There are often cases when officials deny an institution the most necessary things. Thus, in the Rostov region, the local administration announced to Azov orphanage- a boarding school for mentally retarded children, that in 2009 they will not buy diapers for them - there is no money. And she invited them to find the necessary amount themselves. Diapers for all the children in the orphanage cost about 130 thousand rubles a month. How can an orphanage find such funds on its own?

Or the state actually allocates about 20 thousand rubles a year for the purchase of “soft equipment” for one child. It seems to be enough, but with these funds you need to buy not only all the clothes and shoes, but also bed linen, a mattress, and such a “mandatory” piece of equipment as a bedside rug. “I honestly tried to find boots cheaper than 1,200 rubles so that they would be good. I didn’t find it,” the director of one orphanage told us. Well, how can we meet this twenty thousand?

Although in our country the number of charitable organizations increases every year, the situation of boarding schools and orphanages is improving very slowly, and, moreover, due to the crisis, companies are sharply cutting funds allocated for charitable needs. And we must remember that we are not helping “children’s boarding institutions,” but children who are deprived of a family. The least we can do is make their life in the orphanage a little more comfortable, cozy, and closer to family life. Then they will be able to feel needed and loved.

— There is also an opinion that the administration of orphanages steals almost without exception. How to distinguish an honest leader from a bad one?
“If you give even the best director the opportunity to steal, there is a risk that he will eventually take advantage of it and put at least a couple of thousand into his pocket.” Many people want to be helped in this way - to transfer money and not require any reporting. This requires meticulous control on the part of the benefactor. If you wish, you can track every penny. But that's what our funds are about. We have no control over the spending of public money.

We immediately say that we will need all the documents, that we will come to look at the orphanage and will control all financial receipts. If the leader is honest, he agrees. In this way, approximately one percent of directors are eliminated. They do not refuse directly, but quietly disappear from the horizon: the secretary starts answering the phone instead of them, they themselves are never there, you ask the secretary to call back, they don’t call back.

— How to provide sponsorship so that children do not develop a consumer personality type?
- How can you spoil a child who does not have the most important thing in life - parents? In our opinion, this is impossible to do. Every child is special, he has his own thoughts and feelings. It is important for him to be valued, his opinion taken into account, and respected. Before you buy new Year gifts, we asked the children to write letters to Santa Claus about what they would like to receive for the New Year. Each letter was different from the others: decorated with drawings and poems. We tried to find for each child exactly the gift that he is waiting for. This way the baby will feel that they were specially thought about, taken care of and brought exactly what he wanted. “Adult” children especially notice this. They want to have something of their own, personal. If children live in a warm family environment, then they will be able to transfer this atmosphere into their future life and create their own strong family.

And if a child develops a consumerist attitude, then this is the fault of the orphanage administration, and not the philanthropists. She is also responsible for preparing the child for life outside the orphanage. After all, a lot depends on upbringing. You can seriously spoil your child if you do not instill in him positive qualities from childhood.

— They say a lot that orphanages cannot cope with raising children (graduates join the criminal stratum) and that the system needs to be reformed and orphanages disbanded. This is true? And - in which direction should we reform?
— What needs to be reformed is not orphanages, but a system that currently does not support their graduates after leaving. If they have housing and work, they will have a better chance of getting on a normal path. Most people commit crimes just to survive. Adoptive families also need to be supported. Now the number of adopted children has increased significantly. We even have to close some orphanages and reorganize them, for example, into kindergartens, because there are almost no children left there. But the number of cases of so-called “secondary orphanhood” has also sharply increased, that is, when a family that has adopted a child, for some reason, returns him to an orphanage. And for a child, returning to an orphanage is a huge emotional trauma.

The fact is that very often communication and psychological problems arise in a foster family. Now in our country they select a child for a family. “I want him to be blue-eyed, calm and like me,” say potential adoptive parents. But you need to do the opposite - look for a family for the child, one in which he will be comfortable, calm, where he will feel loved. It is necessary to provide support to such families and provide them with the opportunity to consult with specialists: family psychologists, teachers. As statistics show, an adopted child behaves in an exemplary manner at first, and parents think that this will always be the case. Therefore, they are not prepared for the fact that after a while the baby becomes irritable, nervous, and his behavior changes radically. Children end up in an orphanage very different. Many have a very difficult fate, most have drinking parents. This cannot but affect their psyche.

And the adoptive parents suddenly begin to doubt whether the decision to take the child from the orphanage was right. And they need to be helped, explained that these problems can be solved with the help of specialists. Then, many believe that by adopting a child, they are doing a good deed, and he will be grateful to them for this all his life. But in order to become a strong family, parents need to make a lot of effort. This does not happen in one day, not in a month, or even in a year. So, in my opinion, we need to pay special attention to working with adoptive parents.

Of course, it would be best if we began to prevent child abandonment. To do this, we need to help single mothers and parents of disabled children. But that's a completely different story.

© Essentials Collection/ iStock. Ekaterina Tamilina/ Higher School of Economics

On average, each child in an orphanage receives 19 gifts for the New Year. If you think this is good, you are wrong. How toys and gadgets prevent orphanage graduates from socializing and how to properly participate in charity were discussed on December 8 at a round table organized by the HSE charity organization "Open Your Eyes" together with .

Leaders of charitable projects, psychologists and other specialists told how to help without causing harm.

Elena Alshanskaya

President of the Volunteers to Help Orphans charity foundation

Ruslana Yatsenko

Psychologist, specialist in working with orphans

Mila Geranina

Coordinator of the project “All together against scammers”

Nailya Novozhilova

Chairman of the Board of the Charitable Foundation "Arithmetic of Good"

Elizaveta Muravkina

President of the Galchonok Charitable Foundation

Ekaterina Grishunina

Head of the project “Taking advantage of the opportunity”

Natalia Tolochenko

Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for the Moscow and North-West regions of Coca-Cola HBC Russia

Anna Chuprakova

Director of the charitable foundation "Bureau of Good Deeds"

As a result of the discussion, we made a checklist for conscious New Year's charity.

How not to help?

“We make gifts for the soul, not for show,” noted the director of the HSE Center for Leadership and Volunteering at the beginning of the meeting. But it turns out that even gifts made from the heart can turn out to be evil for the recipient. “Everyone wants to become a little wizard, and we need to make sure that the magic is not black,” said Irina Vorobyova, a journalist at Ekho Moskvy and the moderator of the meeting.

Here's what you definitely shouldn't do so as not to turn a New Year's miracle into “doing good.”

Giving gifts to children you don't know

Experts are clearly against huge bags of gifts that are brought to orphanages “from sponsors.” And the problem is not only that they have no soul. These are gifts to unknown children from unknown adults.

Elena Alshanskaya, President of the Volunteers to Help Orphans charity foundation:“Such gifts blur the boundaries between what is foreign and what is not. You tell your children: “Don’t take anything from strangers.” But this is what we teach children in orphanages: “Take everything from strangers and hug them!” In general, in our culture it is not accepted that children are given gifts by strangers. But an orphanage resident gets used to this, and if an unfamiliar uncle or aunt starts hugging him or giving him something, he perceives this as the norm. And outside the orphanage, adults rarely do this with good intentions. And that’s why our students more often become victims of unpleasant relationships.”

You can please your child with a gift if you have become his mentor, that is, you visit him regularly and know his needs and interests.

Give material gifts

In fact, orphanages receive many gifts for the New Year - from the state, sponsoring companies, and private donors. Regardless of how much the gift costs, it traumatizes the child’s psyche and prevents him from socializing, studying and looking for work in the future.

Elena Alshanskaya:“When we begin to build a beautiful life for a child from an orphanage with holidays and gifts, he experiences positive emotions, but due to a lack of communication, he gets hooked on “stuff” drugs. That is, by giving gifts, you are raising a person who will really want an iPhone, but will not want normal human relationships.”

Ruslana Yatsenko, psychologist, specialist in working with orphans:“I work a lot with graduates of orphanages, and during this time I noticed that some children, when they grow up, replace any relationship with gifts. They try to express themselves solely by the level of income and the number of gifts they can give to their peers. Children believe that the one who is given gifts by teachers and visitors is cool, and the one who is not is a sucker. And if children start communicating with a person, and then he doesn’t give them anything, they are at a loss. Often the thought occurs to them: “We need to promote this person for gifts.” We really had problems when the mentor came without a gift, and for the child it was something incomprehensible: “Why do I need this person if he doesn’t give gifts?” It takes years to change this attitude.”

Give money and gifts to dubious organizations

If you have any doubts about the integrity of the organization involved in the collection, contact experts who will help you recognize scammers. The first signs of fraud: boxes for collecting money, lack of feedback and reporting, and insufficiently specific collection goals - verified funds never collect money for abstract “gifts”, but always clarify what exactly is needed.

Mila Geranina, coordinator of the project “All together against scammers”:“Who are these scammers? Anyone can be a fraudster. These can be both those who call themselves activists and those who call themselves foundations, but in fact are not. And, unfortunately, representatives of the orphanage can be scammers - corruption has not been canceled either. Any direct transfer of money without some kind of expert opinion is also a type of fraud. You don’t need to figure out whether this is a scammer or not - there are organizations that help orphanages, to which you need to contact with this question. If they tell you that they need gifts, then they really need them. But you don’t need to “do good” yourself.”

What is really needed?

Caring and communication

A child has a very high dependence on an adult, which is why nature has developed such a mechanism as attachment. And what distinguishes a child from an orphanage from a child at home is that the orphanage does not have these attachment relationships, there is no personal adult. And this is a basic, basic need. The longer a child does not have his own adult, the worse his personality develops.

Nailya Novozhilova, Chairman of the Board of the Arithmetic of Good Charitable Foundation:“There is such a thing as a “significant adult.” And this is exactly what the child needs, as well as social and everyday skills. This is a priority because children lack a constant significant adult. You can teach them how to build social relationships and show them the outside world.”

Become a friend to your child. Visit him regularly and communicate, showing that a sign of love and care is not only a gift, but also long conversations and time spent together.

Children in orphanages always lack a “significant adult,” and the best help would be a new mentor, not a pack of paints.

It is important to understand that becoming a mentor for a child is not so easy - you need desire and willingness to devote time to this work. It is also important to take special courses and not abandon the child after two or three visits. This is a very serious and regular story.

Knowledge

Experts emphasized that it is important to look at the “future” of the gift: how it will affect the child and whether it will help in the future. For some reason, many people forget that you can give not only material things, but also life experience, money to pay tutors and mentors, and books.

Ekaterina Grishunina, head of the “Taking this Opportunity” project:“Education is one of the most accessible ways to move up the social ladder. That is why, by helping children from orphanages become smarter, we make sure that in the future they can be full-fledged and productive members of society.”

Money for specific needs

Experts urge donations not just for the sake of it, but for specialized projects that have a purpose.

Ekaterina Grishunina:“On our “Taking an Opportunity” platform, if a person wants to help, he selects a specific case or internal project that fulfills some target task. I look at these amounts [money raised on the platform. — approx. edit] and I always dream that people who spend a lot of money on gifts would simply go to “Take advantage of this opportunity” and complete a specific goal. What confuses people is that the money goes not specifically to helping children, but to their education.”

Elizaveta Muravkina:“At our foundation, the volunteer coordinator makes mailings with small needs, and you can always subscribe to this mailing list. We need to help in this way, because we [charitable foundations. — approx. edit] we know what a particular child needs at a particular moment.”

Donations need to be made not only to orphanages, but also to the elderly, the sick, and young adults, because such collections are difficult.

Socialization

Gifts may be taken away from children, but impressions, knowledge and experience will remain forever. Therefore, experts advise organizing events in orphanages aimed at socializing orphanages, and not at entertainment.

Natalia Tolochenko, head of corporate social responsibility for the Moscow and North-West regions of Coca-Cola HBC Russia: “This year we are planning to hold events that will be organized by completely different guys - with different social status, with different physical and mental capabilities. These events will take place on the territory of their institutions, where they themselves will learn to create a New Year's mood. There will be learning areas where children can learn something. The point is that children exchange contacts, they learn to communicate and socialize.”

Experts recommend organizing events that give children from orphanages useful knowledge and skills that will be useful after graduation. To do this, you can hold lectures, career guidance events and open lessons.

Elena Alshanskaya:“It is important to understand what the child’s prospects are. In a good way, at events you need to draw out the potential from children and remove entertainment, because it will only teach children relaxed consumption. They will not be able to work and think about the future. Therefore, we need help with choosing a university, with self-determination. Master classes and holidays are only part of communication, but not the main form. Imagine if teachers didn’t teach us, but only showed us how to weave with beads. We need to give normal opportunities, not useless skills. It is necessary for the child to leave the orphanage and have the opportunity to compete with you in the labor market.”

Experts are also against mass events. For a child from an orphanage, going to the cinema or theater alone, and not in a group, is an unusual and very pleasant experience.

How to act correctly?

Help systematically

Children need help throughout the year, not just on holidays. Therefore, experts call for donating money to permanent projects or connecting recurring payments.

Anna Chuprakova, director of the Bureau of Good Deeds charity foundation:“Helping once a year and then forgetting about it is wrong. It’s better to invest money in a project that works not only in December, but all year round.”

Contact expert funds

Foundations know how to transform available resources, even the usual 500 rubles from a student, into the necessary help. As with any transformation, 80% of the effort turns into 20% of the benefits, so there is no need to blame expert funds for inefficiency.

Nailya Novozhilova:“Experts know the desires of specific beneficiaries, understand the amount of resources, capabilities and tasks of companies and can use them correctly.”

Track results

One of the main principles of conscious philanthropy is the belief that the donations are beneficial.

It is important not to scatter yourself among many funds and not to forget about donations, but to choose one project and work with it until a visible result appears. Reputable organizations provide feedback and reporting, and you can easily verify that your money or gifts actually made someone's life better.

Spread the word

We don’t talk much about charity, and many people “do good” only out of ignorance. That's why experts say spreading the word is just as important as donating and volunteering.

Anna Chuprakova:“It’s important not just to contribute your 100 or 200 rubles, but to tell your friends and colleagues: “I alone can only do so much, let’s all get together and do it.”

Conduct scientific research

The experts asked students to conduct any type of research on this topic - from sociological to psychological, because the research conducted by the foundations does not have official status, and it is sometimes not enough.

Elena Alshanskaya:“We suffer greatly from the lack of scientific research on this topic in our country. And the existing works that I have read are of very low quality. We, as experts, try to tell you what needs to be studied, and you have the opportunity to explore some things that are very important to us during your studies.”

conclusions

Orphans really need your help. But paints, cookies and toys, which are brought in tons to orphanages for the New Year, are not only unnecessary - they are harmful. Instead of giving gifts to strangers, it is better to donate money for their education and socialization. And the best New Year’s miracle you can create for a child is to become a volunteer and give attention, friendship, communication and experience.

Useful links and funds

"Take this opportunity to" . Here you can create a charity event and raise money for foundations.

Charitable Foundation "Galchonok". Helps children with central nervous system injuries, orphans and children from low-income families.

"Volunteers to help orphans". A fund that raises money for the education of orphans and financial assistance to children's institutions. Here you can transfer funds or become a volunteer.

"Our children". The foundation takes care of children by teaching them useful skills. The New Year's event “Give skills instead of toys!” is held here.

Foundation for the support of the deaf-blind “Connection”. Here you can learn to communicate with deaf-blind people, become a tutor for them and donate money.

Orphanages bring sadness and fear to anyone who has never been there in person. Indeed, what could be sadder than thousands of children growing up without parents in specialized institutions throughout our vast country? Meanwhile, instead of worrying and sympathizing from a distance, each of us can personally help orphans. Orphanages in Moscow are constantly in need of new employees and volunteers, finances and some specific things, and are also happy to accept people who have decided to become parents.

Everyone can help

The concept of charity in our country today is subjective. Almost every week we watch and read news about new charitable events and foundation reports. Most often, organizations boast about the millions they have collected for the treatment of specific children, the turnkey renovations they have made in children's institutions, and other global actions. This situation stimulates the development of a stereotype - only financially wealthy people can do good, and charity as a phenomenon is an expensive pleasure. This is all a big misconception; even orphanages in Moscow, despite the well-being of the region, happily accept any help. And there is nothing wrong with the fact that you want to do a good deed, but today you have the opportunity to spend very little time and money.

Where to begin?

Help can be different - financial investments, communication with students, work in an institution on a voluntary basis. Decide right away how serious your intentions are and what resources you have. If you are afraid that you will not be able to constantly visit the Children's Home, it is reasonable to limit yourself to a transfer to a charity fund or a one-time trip to the chosen institution. For those who plan to devote a significant part of their lives to helping orphans, it is useful to think about regular visits or even patronage of selected children. Decide on a specific orphanage or try to meet experienced volunteers. All orphanages in Moscow have their own special rules and strict requirements for volunteer helpers. It is important to study and remember them as quickly as possible.

Needs of an orphanage

Many institutions have their own websites, on which the topic with a list of necessary things is updated in a timely manner. Needs can be different: from specific toys to interior items and household items. Anyone who wants to help can independently purchase some of the listed items or transfer money for their purchase. Review your specific organization's acceptance policy. Not every orphanage in Moscow accepts used clothes and toys. For a number of institutions, a mandatory condition is the presence of labels and receipts confirming that the item is new. The situation with food is also difficult. Some Baby Homes in Moscow are happy to accept cereals, juices and purees in original packaging, while others flatly refuse such help.

What is patronage?

Children's institutions in Moscow and the region are quite well funded. For this reason, they often require physical rather than material help. We all know that the vacancies “work, Baby House (Moscow)” are not prestigious. In institutions for infants and young children preschool age sometimes they allow volunteers (who have passed medical examination) to care for wards. Also, many orphanages are not against volunteers organizing holidays and one-time visits. And yet, one of the main needs of orphanages is communication. The best option for those who are confident in their own abilities and desire to help is patronage. This type of relationship involves friendship. Usually a volunteer gets to know the selected child by correspondence, and only after contact has been established does he come in person. This option is optimal, since the child’s experiences will be less intense if the boss stops communicating.

Baby house: adoption (Moscow)