RUSSIANS

A Russian girl begs on the street for bread.
- Djurdjevic

Dreadful Toll of Society's Collapse

vidence mounts of the human cost of Russia's social upheaval among the youngest members of Russia's struggling populace. The plight of those least able to protect themselves is a source of growing concern to authorities of the Russian capital and other city centers. And it's viewed with no less alarm by international observers charting a tide of humanity eaking out an existence on city streets. A decade of change destroying much of the fabric of social cohesion has taken a devastating toll of those growing up in Russia. Most shockingly, it has cost four million young lives, according to official figures just revealed at a Moscow news conference reported by information agency RIA-Novosti. Three-quarters of those children died unnatural deaths, according to Vera Lekareva, in charge of a State Duma commission for preventing child homelessness and neglect.

rging approval of a bill already before the Duma to establish a children's rights commissioner, she told reporters the Prosecutor-General's Office calculated nearly two million children were not going to school. Many were involved in crime as victims of traffickers, she said. "Social orphans" who had fled from economically- and socially-challenged families were now a major problem on the streets, she said, calling on the government to secure family conditions which did not encourage the young to be abandoned. This issue is high on the agenda for international experts working to ease the problem. According to a summary by the United Nations children's agency UNICEF in Moscow, "the family is in crisis and does not seem to receive effective support that could prevent its breakdown and children's going to the street."

ven the basic bonds that tie children to parents are breaking, the agency's officials say. Only half the children who fled thought their mothers loved them. Just a third of runaways thought they had their father's affection. Domestic violence has been identified as a key factor in the decision to leave home, inquirers found. Researchers for the UN's International Labor Organization, quizzing 1,500 Moscow street children, found they came, in fact, mostly from outlying or rural areas. Most experts are said to believe there are between 30,000 and 50,000 children working the streets of Moscow. Fifty to 60 percent are aged less than 13, and between 20 percent and 30 percent of the total population are conscripted into prostitution or pornographic movies. Others work as peddlers,salesclerks, guards, cleaners, porters, car washers and in other menial labor. - Michael Stedman, Strana.ru

Webmaster Russ asks, "What caused this catastrophe?" <-(Click)

Join the CRA Foster Parent Sponsorship Program

Sponsoring a CRA Russian Foster Parent

Because there are many more children in need than orphanages can accept, Father Andrei Voronin has started a Foster Parents Program. The program involves a cooperative effort between Russian foster parents and American sponsors. Children in need are placed with local Russian families who volunteer to accept a child. An American sponsor agrees to assist the child through an affordable monthly pledge. The CRA supervises living conditions in the foster family and arranges for medical and other assistance.

As much information as possible about the child and his/her Russian parents and foster parents will be made available to you. We hope that the children, foster parents and sponsors can stay in touch and develop a close relationship. Please remember that your contribution will help not only the needy child, but also the foster family, since catastrophic economic conditions in Russia have left many people unemployed and under-employed, and the social services available for the poor in Russia are much more limited than in the West.

Note from webmaster Russ: I myself sponsor several children, no sweat. I just cut a bit of the schlock and baubles from my monthly budget and was able to save somebody worth saving. You can too. We Americans are, of course, the very guiltiest when it comes to firehosing good money into the ether for shiny junk and huckster entertainment. We need to take responsibility for how our actions and those of our Government affect the world. Take control of your world - tell the greedy manipulators of Hollywood and Madison Avenue to get lost and use some of your spare change to effect some lasting good in the world.

100.00% of an FPP pledge goes directly to support the kid.

Directly.

All of it.

Below is a typical sampling of needy children in Russia which we recently received from Fr. Andrei. For safety reasons, names have been changed and some details altered.

Olga. (10 years old.) Olga's father is in prison, and her mother vanished without a trace. Olga was being cared for by an invalid grandmother. Because the grandmother is unable to work, they must survive on her tiny pension. Until recently, they owned a cow and were able to feed themselves. However, they were forced to sell the cow this winter because they couldn't afford to feed it. Currently, the situation is so bleak that Olga cannot leave the house, since she has no outdoor clothing.

Anna. (10 years old.) Anna's father died two years ago and her mother was killed in a car accident this year. A ticket agent at the Nerekhta train station has volunteered to take her in, but needs some support to meet the added expenses.

Ekaterina. (2 years old). Both of Ekaterina's parents are alcoholics who starved and neglected her. Until she was removed from their home, the infant had no crib or diapers and was left to sleep on the bare floor. Quite by chance, a family learned of Ekaterina's fate. They already had an eleven-year-old boy whom they had adopted eight years previously. Taking in little Ekaterina was a difficult decision for the family, since the mother, a veterinarian, had to stop working, and the father, a fireman, makes a small salary. They must now live on the father's salary.

Dmitry. (2 years old). Dmitry's mother gave him up at birth because she was too poor to care for him. A woman who had given birth at the same time to a stillborn girl and her husband decided to adopt him. Because Dmitry's mother hadn't received adequate prenatal care, Dmitry was small and frail at birth and developed problems with his vision. He now requires eye surgery. His foster parents must find a way to pay for his medical treatment.

Tatiana. (12 years old). Tatiana's father is dead. Tatiana lives with her mother, a brother (born in 1992), a sister (born in 1994), her grandmother and an invalid uncle in a small two-room apartment. The widowed mother supports Anastasia and her brother and sister on a small "single parent" pension, about $30 a month. The mother also knits and does housework to supplement her income, which brings in an additional $10 dollars or so a month.

How you can help: Pledge $30/month, or $60/month, or $180/month, or $360/month for one year. While we naturally hope you will be able to extend this for much longer, we realize that circumstances can change. We don't want to ask for an indefinite commitment. If you cannot pledge a monthly amount, make a one-time donation of any amount. A parish or church group can make a pledge or donation of any amount, or can hold a fundraising activity (such as a bake sale or dinner) and donate the proceeds. All donations are tax deductible. We welcome corporate sponsorships and international support from individuals and organizations.

Contact Natalie Sabelnik

Natalie Sabelnik ngsab@aol.com
Congress of Russian-Americans
2460 Sutter Street San Francisco, CA 94115 (415) 928-5841
http://www.russian-americans.org

Please tell a Friend Relative Neighbor Boss Employee Colleague Pastor Congregant Teacher Student Passerby!

Did you know that 27 million Russians died stopping Hitler? If not them - who?

You.

Website Dedication