Orphans in the Russian Federation
Pity is the last thing Orphans Need! (In Russian)
If you can read Russian, this article from "Moskovskiye Novosti" wonderfully sums up many of the challanges faced in ROOF's work, and particularly makes the point that constancy is important in our volunteer efforts. What we are doing is building nurturing relationships, and that's a personal commitment to stick with those relationships, and not a hobby to pursue one year and drop the next! Happy reading.
http://www.mn.ru/society/20120312/313345207.html
Orphan numbers: dropping or not?
A Moscow Times article on 20th February, 2012, reports that according to a UNICEF study the number of Russian children living in orphanages remains stubbornly high, even as the Russian government attempts to reduce the number of orphanages.
Read the article on the Moscow Times website.
Plans to enact Medvedev's promises
The Moscow Times today reports that "President Dmitry Medvedev has handed 28 orders to the government aimed at fulfilling promises on taxes, children's issues and eased bureaucracy that he made during his annual state-of-the-nation address, the Kremlin said Tuesday.
"Children's issues dominate the agenda, with 11 orders... and social adaptation programs will be introduced for young people emerging from orphanages.
"Charities working with children will get tax breaks on their revenues, while nongovernmental organizations providing social services will get more opportunity to obtain state grants through tenders."
