BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/12/2005

St. Joe's students extend Christmas spirit to Belarus orphans

By Peggy Roberts

REGIONAL (Dec 9, 2005): Imagine growing up without receiving any affection. No hugs, no kisses. No snuggling along with a bedtime story.

Thousands of orphans in Belarus are being raised in appalling conditions - little nourishing food, crumbling facilities. And no love. What's more, they have no way to escape the cycle that turns many of these children first to alcohol and, later, to jail or prostitution.

Windham resident and Saint Joseph's College student Mariya Barankevich is part of an organization determined to make a difference in these children's lives.

As a summer volunteer in several Belarus orphanages, Barankevich experienced the conditions and felt the children's emptiness firsthand. And when she shared the plight of these needy orphans with her human development class, they realized they, too, needed to become involved.

"It really brought awareness to us," said classmate Amy Pratt, "and that's what we need to do."

The 13-member class, taught by Dr. Karen Lemke, decided to raise money for the orphans by setting up a collection table in the cafeteria. Their goal is to raise $1,000 by Friday to send with local Russian-Americans traveling to Belarus on Saturday.

"There are 1,800 orphans we are trying to provide for," Lemke said. "We will spend $2.50 per orphan to give them candy, fruit and a small toy. The money will be converted to rubles in Belarus and the gifts will be purchased there."

In a soft-spoken Russian accent, Barankevich shares with passion and sadness her experience with the orphans in Belarus.

"There's a horrible, horrible cycle there with the economic depression," she said. "The people are so depressed; they don't have money, so they turn to alcohol. Families are falling apart. These children are all alone; nobody loves them. They have nowhere to turn to."

Located in Eastern Europe, Belarus was the region hardest hit by the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 with two million people and 25 million acres contaminated by radioactive fallout. The country currently contains about 30,000 orphans and the number is growing by 5,000 a year. About 86 percent of these are "social orphans" - children whose parents are unable or unwilling to care for them.

With no foster care system, Belarus houses these children in a number of impoverished orphanages run by the government. Although a few of the facilities are "country clubs," maintained to show tourists, most are filthy, dilapidated and overcrowded.

Barankevich and those making December's trip to Belarus are a part of Hand in Hand, a youth ministry established in 2003 by the First Russian Baptist Church on Route 237 in Gorham. The group's mission is to provide for the spiritual and the physical needs of these children by giving them love, bringing them the gospel, providing them with food and clothing and offering them a chance to have fun.

They carry out their mission by running summer "camps" for the children at some of the orphanages. During their month-long stay, members of the group eat and sleep in the orphanage and participate in daily chores. Then, during their free time, they lead games, crafts, songs and Bible lessons.

As soon as the volunteers arrive until the last moment before they depart, the children cling to them, desperate for love and attention. Between trips, the members of Hand in Hand stay in touch with the children through regular letter writing.

When asked how she can bear to see these children in such an environment of despair, Barankevich points to her faith and trust in God.

"While you're there, God really helps," she said. "You do feel it, but He gives you the strength not to cry - you're supposed to comfort them."

For more information or to donate to the orphans, visit the Hand in Hand Web site at www.handforyou.org or contact Charmaine Daniels at Saint Joseph's College at 893-7723.

Source:

http://www.keepmecurrent.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=12510