In a previous report I described the disabled children’s orphanage that we help. It is located in Zaporozhye. Children with disabilities (CP; Down’s; and all other “special needs” are placed there). The disabled are placed in one of three levels of institutionalization. The first is for the newborn to approximately 3 years old. The second is for those 3+years old to 30 years old. The third is for those 30+ years old until death.
In Ukraine these disabled are treated with compassion and respect. Those involved in their care face the most difficult tasks with the least possible support from the State.
Today I visited two locations that deal with the disabled and troubled. One was a school for children from kindergarten to graduation. There were 300 in that location. Brother Jerry Morgan had visited this school on his last trip and helped provide educational supplies, laundry detergents, and other items that were urgently needed. The school needed some soccer balls and that job was left for me to supply. We stopped on the way and bought 4 soccer balls and 2 basketballs.
The homes for the older disabled residents are generally located in the countryside. Such was the situation with the third level disabled home that I visited in Sniatyn, Ukraine today. There are 214 men 30+ years old living there.
Ivan has shared a number of items from containers with this third level care site. Today we were met by the city mayor, a member of the Regional Rada, and the Director of the men’s home. They took us on a tour of the facility and assisted us as we interacted with the residents.
The Director has been in position for only three months. He resigned a position in the city administration to take the job at the men’s home. He was excited about my visit and told me he wanted to show me everything and wanted to be totally transparent in everything. As we went from room to room he would point out chairs, filing cabinets, bed sheets and blankets, and cabinets that Ivan had brought from our shipments.
In one room there was a large storage of clothing. The Director pointed to these and held up piece after piece saying, “This came from you! This one came from you!” Finally he gestured at the entire room and said “Well EVERYTHING clothes came from you!” He went on to say that most of those living there were incontinent and so they needed lots of changes of clothes. He pointed out that each one arrives there from a previous home and has nothing of his own.
One fellow kept following us around (Gena) and he had a plastic bag. The Director said that he arrived with a plastic bag with basically nothing in it but he always wants to have that bag with him. When one bags wears out they give him another one and he is very content.
A great delight in the Director’s voice was the many jeans that had been received. He said, “See here are jeans and there are jeans!” When we walked outdoors he pointed to groups of men saying, “Here are your jeans again!” I thought of Don & Cindy Wood who were the primary sorters of discarded uniforms from CINTAS. They went through TONS of uniforms and threw away probably two-thirds as they sought to find jeans and jackets that were acceptable. They were not the only ones involved in that sorting but they were the primary movers of that effort. And today I saw the results of their many hours!
The Director told me that he wants the men to go to Church but will not force them to go. So he said he told them that every man that goes to Church will get a white shirt and new suit. The Director said the white shirts came from our containers and he arranged for the new suits. He said that several decided to attend.
It was a delightful visit and took all day. It was encouraging to see the respect and compassion that was shown to those men living in that home. The Director is remodeling the school little by little. It was a structure first built in the 1930s and needs repairs. Right now they are working on the kitchen and hope to have it remodeled by the first of the year. He said that he can use any equipment that can be used in the kitchen and feeding services.
We arrived back in Ivano-Frankivsk 30 minutes late for our evening class. Thankfully Volodya had been teaching a class. We once again had a roomful and then the children’s room was also full.
It was a very good day over here!
Please continue praying for us!
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
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