Small children in need of care
“Please, take a picture of me juggling tomatoes!” says ten year old Sasha Alexandrova excitedly. The tomatoes are still green. Sasha and her friends grew them in a greenhouse in the grounds of the Otradnoye social rehabilitation centre where she lives. She proudly showed us the fruits of her labour. How could she resist feeling proud of perhaps her very first creative achievement! A year ago the Otradnoye Centre, which is supported by UNICEF, became Sasha’s second home. At that time she had had no schooling whatsoever and no idea of any letters or numbers. Her mother is an alcoholic deprived of parental rights pursuant to a court ruling. When the Centre’s social workers came to her home they were horrified by its unsanitary conditions. “It is astonishing how she managed to survive there,” Jamal, one of the Centre’s employees, wondered. The disorderly way of life had inevitably affected Sasha’s development. She had never been taught how to use a hairbrush or a toothbrush. Today, it is difficult to comprehend the difference in Sasha after her six-month stay at the Centre. She can read short sentences, and enjoys music and drawing. But this is only the beginning. Now the main task of the Centre’s staff is to facilitate her return to her own family and help construct better relations among family members and a more child-friendly environment in the home. In some cases it is better that an alternative family be found willing to take on a child and provide appropriate care and support.
Hundreds of children have stayed at the Centre and many have transformed their lives. One of Sasha’s peers is Nastya. The Otradnoye specialists assisted Nastya’s mother in undergoing a course of treatment for alcohol addiction, found her a job and got her involved in the Parents’ Board activities. And now Nastya and her Mom have been living happily together for two years and praise the efforts of those who helped them through hard times. No such luck to date for Sasha’s mother who has proved to be less receptive to the work of the specialists. But for Sasha at least, the shelter has allowed her to discover a new life – full of colors and joy. As Sasha herself says, “If you take good care of tomatoes and put them in a snug place, they will turn red with pleasure.” UNICEF supports the activities of the Otradnoye Centre for Social Rehabilitation of Juveniles, as well as other projects aimed at assisting families and children, early intervention services, family reintegration and alternative family placement for children without parental care.
For more information, please contact: John Brittain
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