Tuchkovo Orphanage

RECENT EVENTS AT TUCHKOVO: Tuchkovo 2013 New Year Party

Tuchkovo is a small town located 80km west of Moscow in the Moscow Region. Around 35 orphaned children (mostly social orphans) live at the School-Internat in Tuchkovo, which is classified as a Type 8 educational institution. Type 8 schools use a special correctional program which gives the children the equivalent of a primary education over the entire period of their schooling, with the intent of preparing them to go into practical profession which requires no more than a primary education. The orphaned children who live at the School-Internat attend classes on site with other children from the neighbourhood who are also deemed unable to study at the usual academic level.

Since being contacted by the adoptive parents of the sister of siblings who remain in Tuchkovo, ROOF has been steadily seeking effective means of sending volunteers into Tuchkovo to work with the children there on a regular basis. Our goals -- as in any of the locations where we work -- are to establish lasting relationships for the children with people from outside the institutional environment, and to introduce innovative educational programs that can help the children realize untapped potential.

ROOF programs in Tuchkovo were launched with a sports away-day which was run in partnership with the Moscow-based Ronald MacDonald Fund as a New Year party for 2012. ROOF volunteers accompanied the children on their day-long New Year's outing and have continued to visit the orphanage since that time.

Our volunteer core for Tuchkovo is unique in including, for the first time, a group of high-school students from Moscow's Eastern Region (Vostochniy Okrug) who are the same age as many of the orphanage children themselves.

In August 2012, ROOF organized a summer camp for the children of Tuchkovo orphanage, who had been left without any organized activities for this period of the school holidays. For 15 days from dawn until dusk, the camp -- which was organized around traditional Russian sports -- focused on teaching the kids discipline and respect for themselves and others. The strange and wonderful sports provided a natural opportunity to discuss history and culture, and the opportunity to teach lots and lots of general knowledge. (See pics from Tuchkovo 2012 Summer Camp!)

ROOF volunteers again greeted the New Year with kids from Tuchkovo in 2013. See 2013 Tuchkovo New Year Party!

<Links to Tuchkovo archived pics and reports will shortly appear here.>

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