Podolsk orphanage bids "farewell" to graduates

In September the orphanage in Podolsk held a farewell party for its graduates. This year 4 children left the orphanage. As one of the teachers said, the orphanage is the place where they are and will always be loved, remembered and waited for, and so far their only home.

The songs, jokes and games at the farewell concert were prepared by the teachers and the children themselves. Several songs in Russian and English were sung almost professionally by a former graduate. The orphanage has a singing group of its own and this time it sang of love  that one gives and receives. The concert was followed by the teachers addressing the graduates with warm, heart-felt words. Most of the children are mature enough to understand these words and appreciate all the care that the teachers and the orphanage staff have given them, while some take the care for granted, as children will, without noticing that the adults have been serving them with all their hearts. The adults say: “They will understand… later… What is most important is that they live a happy life”.    

The graduates are all very different. Everybody cried saying good bye to Anya. The teachers say she is their “helper”. At the age of 16 she is serious, responsible, friendly and open-minded, she is quite ready to live on her own. Anya has entered a pedagogical college in the town of Serpukhov and she’s got a dream: to work with children helping them to find their place in life, to get a taste for learning new things, as her teachers did. After the college she hopes to enter a pedagogical institute, and the main thing: “to have a family and children”. Zhenya has entered a college to study equipment servicing. Speaking about him the teachers sighed: we are so sorry to let him go… But we are not worried about him, he will be fine. Zhenya is kind-hearted, sympathetic and optimistic  -  these features will bring him happiness.”

Ilya and Kirill will study at the same college with Zhenya to become landscape designers and Xenia plans to enter the pedagogical college in Serpukhov, the one Anya is at now.

ROOF finances studies in many school subjects in Podolsk orphanage. Children attend individual and group classes after school getting help with their homework and preparation for tests and exams. There are a few children who will have their state exams in the coming year.