[CivilSoc] Philadelphia-Donetsk Partnership Delivers Help to Disabled Ukrainian Orphans

[Moderator]

The following item was posted recently to the EurasiaHealth mailing list,
part of the
EurasiaHealth Knowledge Network, http://www.eurasiahealth.org
CivilSoc moderator's note: According to the Philadelphia organization DVOU,
mentioned below, in Ukraine most orphanages or "internaty" for children with
special needs are located in remote parts, where there is little public
knowledge of them. The disabilities and illnesses of these children range
from cerebral palsy and Down's syndrome to tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Some
are actual orphans, but many are half-orphaned (having only one parent) or
abandoned. The story told here is an example of how partnering, and not a
lot of money, can make a large difference.
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Disabled & Vulnerable Orphans of Ukraine (DVOU) Successfully Completes First
Humanitarian Project
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Philadelphia (Feb 2003). The Disabled & Vulnerable Orphans of Ukraine (DVOU)
recently announced the successful completion of its first humanitarian
project to support severely mentally disabled orphans in Torez, in the
Donetsk region of Ukraine on January 20th, 2003. DVOU was able to execute
its first task to help Torez's orphanage through a partnership with the
Ukrainian charity organization Dobrota in Donetsk city. The DVOU-Dobrota
relationship was formed to assist the Donetsk region's orphanages for
special needs children through humanitarian aid, medical relief, and
children's rights advocacy.
Dobrota effectively assisted in project management, which included orphanage
assessment, cost accounting, plus monitoring and control of the distribution
of goods. DVOU contributed $837 to the Torez orphanage, and
more than $300 were donated by Dobrota, totaling over $1,100. Various items
purchased with DVOU funds included food, medicines, clothing (diapers &
hats) and miscellaneous items such as towels, lamps, switches, basins and
plug sockets. Monetary contributions were used to locally purchase needed
supplies for the Torez orphans, instead of buying and shipping items from
the United States. "In addition to supporting the special needs orphans in
Ukraine with donations, we feel that purchasing goods near the orphanage
assists in stimulating the local economy as well, " said Lillian Horodysky,
DVOU's Executive Director.
Greg Higgins, an American Peace Corp volunteer working at Dobrota, was
present at the contract signing between Dobrota and the orphanage; ensuring
the accuracy of the amount of purchased goods and its distribution.
Furthermore, Mr. Higgins assisted with supplies packaging at the warehouse
in Donetsk, where the materials were organized and stored just before the
delivery.
Dobrota is a charity organization in Donetsk, Ukraine whose mission is to
combat poverty through charitable social partnerships in the Donetsk
community, as a means for solving the most urgent social problems in the
area. The foundation financially supports and aids local educational, health
care, and social protection institutions in addition to public organizations
for the sick, disabled, multi-children families, needy families and
individuals. For more information on Dobrota and their activities, please
visit their website at http://www.dobrota.donetsk.ua and click on Donetsk
city charitable fund "Kindness" for the English version.
DVOU is a non-profit organization located in Philadelphia, PA aimed at
identifying and resolving critical issues and emerging areas of need in the
lives of special needs orphans suffering from HIV/AIDS, Cerebral Palsy,
Downs Syndrome, tuberculosis and other diseases. Services offered include
humanitarian aid, health care, advocacy, education and training. DVOU can be
found online at http://www.dvou.org or call 1.215.725.1003 for more
information.