120 adopted children from Donbas appealed to Ukrainian President

11:04 / 25 Sep. 2015 / 1078

September 25, «The forum of adoption: Donbas children» was carried out in Ukrainian House by community initiative “Restoring Donbas”. The forum was devoted to the Adopter Recognition Day, which is traditionally celebrated on September 30, a day of honoring of Faith, Hope and Charity and their mother Sophia by the Orthodox world. 20 families attended this event (adoptive parents, orphanages, foster families) and 120 children.

According to Elena Petryayeva – the head of the community initiative – noted: “Our aim is to attract attention to Donbas families, who were taking orphans (children deprived of parental care) during the hostilities. They were formalizing them as their own children, and moving to peaceful territory. It is extremely important to draw attention to the problems of such families and the conditions of their life today”.

There were told both the stories of some families and the history of child care staff, who were risking their lives in order to ensure the evacuation of orphans to peaceful territory. Activists of «Restoring Donbas» made short videos about the most famous families (Stavtsevy, Bantsevy, Zaretsky, etc.). It comes about the stories of adoption of their children and moving from ATO area.

“Honor and respect to people, who have given parental love to the children. In addition, we delighted due to your fortitude and heroism “- stated Yuriy Pavlenko – the former Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for Children’s Rights, People’s Deputy of Ukraine. At the same time, he noted that “unfortunately, during the last year, half as much children got into families and twice as much children went to boarding school.”

Among the participants of the Forum has become Oleksandr Lukyanchenko – acting Mayor of Donetsk. According to Andrey Romanov (master of ceremonies), this person has created such a governance structure, which is still ensuring the life of the city during the wartime.

Except for routine of IDPs (work, housing, health care), adoptive families have added one more (the most important) thing – taking care of children. It is difficult to find adequate housing for the families with 5, 6, 7, and sometimes more than 10 children. State has to help people in such situations.

Unfortunately, not always there is a positive solution to the problem. According to the latest data, among the 36 family-type homes, which have moved to a peaceful territory, 16 of it were not able to adapt to the new place and had to return to ATO area.

The most critical situation is in those families, who do not have decent living conditions on peaceful territory and at the same time had lost their homes in Donbas due to the hostilities. Thus, by September 25, 52 houses, there the families were raising orphans, were destroyed in the region.

Participants of the Forum appealed to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. «We are Donbas children and we ask you, our President, to do everything not to allow children to play with shells and hear explosions; our moms and dads were healthy, they were with us; children were living at home; our cities and villages were restored; mothers and grandmothers did not cry; Children did not lose their parents and relatives; We were growing up in a peaceful Ukraine».

For the participants of the Forum there was organized a concert. Dmytro and Nazar Yaremchuk (Honored Artists of Ukraine), Peter Chherniy (Honored Artist of Ukraine), Dmitry Ivashchenko (a finalist of the «Golos krainy»), Elena Diamandi (a participant of the project “Golos krainy”), Kyril Pahar (accordionist).

Dmytro and Nazar Yaremchuk – Honored Artists of Ukraine

Honored Artists of Ukraine Peter Chherniy

Kyril Pahar – accordionist

From life of some invited families: The whole country was talking about Tatyana Savchenko in June 2014. Mother-teacher did not allow to take her adopted children abroad. Nowadays, the family with 10 children is living and building a house in Letichev city, Khmelnitsky region.

During the Ilovaisk Kettle, Bancovy family was gathering evacuated children (from 3 institutions), created a foster family, and then went to Ivano-Frankovsk.

Nowadays, Zaretsky family with 10 children is living in Zaporozhye. The house, which was presented children by Mircea Lucescu in 2013 (near Donetsk airport), is destroyed by war. One year later, after relocation family live in a house, which was provided by mayoralty of Zaporozhye City.

Statistical information: About 1 million children was living in Donbas by the beginning of the hostilities.

15 thousand of them have the status of orphans and deprived of parental care. 80% of these children are brought up in families (foster, family type homes, trustees).

On Donbas territory there are 3500 adopted children, about 3000 children after the adoption dispersed throughout Ukraine, and 1700 children were adopted by foreigners (they are living abroad).

In 2014, in spite of military action in Donetsk region, 238 children were adopted, 112 more – live in foster families and family-type orphanages. 962 children were taken by residents of the region.

In Donetsk region there was created 54 family-type homes and 346 foster families, where 919 children-orphans and children deprived of parental care are bringing up. As a result of the armed conflict, by September 25, 84 foster families (156 children) and 20 family-type homes (118 children) have moved to the peaceful regions of Ukraine. Another 16 family-type homes (more than 130 children) were not able to adapt to life in a new environment, and returned home in ATO area due to the lack of home in a peaceful region.

Also by September 25, 52 houses, there the families were raising orphans, were destroyed in the region.

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