[bdaddy]

Here is the entire article, sorry I did not see it posted below on a different thread.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/art...685562,00.html


Russian orphanages spending less than a penny a day on each child

Tom Parfitt in Moscow
Friday January 13, 2006
The Guardian


An investigation by the Russian general prosecutor's office into violations of the law in state orphanages has found some institutions allocate as little as 30 kopecks (0.6p) a day for each child's care.

The report reveals catastrophic conditions in thousands of children's homes across the country, many of them crumbling buildings where children go barefoot or without adequate clothing. Critics yesterday blamed the scandal on President Vladimir Putin's decision in 2004 to transfer responsibility for funding of most social services to Russia's 87 regions, many of which are cash-starved.


Announcing the report's conclusions, deputy-general prosecutor Sergei Fridinsky said it had "established that in many regions of Russia the guarantee of social support to orphans is being violated; that is, not fulfilled".


Commentators said the report was a stark reminder that although high oil prices are pushing a boom in the economy, the revenues have yet to trickle down to some of the country's most needy.

Boris Altshuler, director of the Right of the Child organisation, said conditions in many institutions were "absolutely terrifying", citing a recent case of a child who was forced to dig a grave for another orphan. Results of the prosecutors' investigation have been sent to health minister Mikhail Zurabov with a demand to rectify the situation.

A separate report on conditions in institutions for mentally disabled children, which is being drafted by the Kremlin's human rights ombudsman, has recorded numerous complaints of maltreatment, the Guardian learned yesterday. "We found cases of beating of patients, children being used as forced labour and cleaners standing in for medical personnel," said Natalia Yakovleva, of the ombudsman's staff.

An adviser to the state duma's committee on women, children and the family said the decision to pass social spending to regional authorities had caused "very serious problems".

Corruption and poor training are thought to be factors in the abuse. Mr Fridinsky identified funding as the key problem, with most institutions short of minimum budgets by 5% to 20%. Last year 68 of Russia's regions had to rely on federal handouts to break even. Orphanages for retarded children in Mordovia had a budget of 2.8 rubles (5p) a child a day, those in Karelia had 1.4 rubles and one centre in Petrozavodsk, western Russia, was allocating 30 kopecks a child.

Experts said the critical funding situation was compounded by poor public oversight of orphanages, and obstacles to adoption. "These are practically closed institutions which are completely unaccountable," Mr Altshuler said. "MPs have repeatedly rejected the idea of independent public inspections of children's homes without prior announcement." Alexander Filimonov, the director of the Kardymov orphanage in Smolensk region, said increased help to parents who could give orphans a home was vital. "A lot of money could be saved if we placed kids with families, where they are much more likely to prosper," he said.

[bdaddy]

How horrible for the children. My prayers go out to them.


Hopefuly the reality of this report will get Russia to process adoptions and reaccreditations quicker..for the sake of the children.

[votemom]

i believe with all my heart that the orphanage my referral is in fits into this category.

what i saw in that building will haunt me forever.

[lovestruck]

All I could think when reading this is why aren't they doing all they can to reduce the number of children in these facilities why do they insist on making it so darn difficult for us!!! My fear of going to Russia.....I am afraid I will never forget the faces of those left behind as I bring my baby to a better life and after votemom's response i'm sure my fear is very realistic.

[votemom]

lovestruck - the trip you will soon (Lord willing) take, will indeed alter your life forever.

but in a good way. it's reality. and it changes your worldview.

that is why i think it's so great when older kids can go along on these trips. my kids were FOREVER changed by their experiences there.

my daughter worked building playgrounds at three orphanages for three weeks. the children were at her side, in front of her, behind her. everywhere she looked, she saw them. she helped braid their hair and polish their nails. that experience will never leave her. she came back DIFFERENT. not just less self-involved, but with a new perspective on people and families and hardship and suffering.

my son held two young orphan boys in his arms. he tickled them and chased them and shared his food with them. i cannot even put into words how he was changed. he is a 6 foot 15 yr old teenage boy who will, at the mention of their names, get a look in his eye that is beautiful and haunting.

they ARE and WILL CONTINUE TO BE better human beings because of their trips ro Russia. tears run down my cheeks as i type this.

if sasha never comes home to live in our family, he will forever be in our family. and i would NEVER trade our experiences or this journey for anything.

yes, this article is awful and makes our hearts feel heavy and are stomachs feel ill. but, it's just one terrible reality out of millions on our planet.

a few years ago i would have read this article and felt sad for a few minutes. then, i would have gone on with my life and it would have been forgotten.

i'm so glad i'm not that person anymore. i am different. i've been impacted and changed. it's personal now. and experiencing what i did in russia now has grown in me new empathies and compassions for other "stories" out there that before would have just made me momentarily sad or disgusted.

Thank you God (Slava Bogu!) for sending our family on this detour to russia!!!

[mschweber]

What strikes me is that the same guy who issued this report is the one who has done as much as anyone to delay the reaccreditation process through his report saying (mostly with out real merit) that the prior round of reacreditation included many agencies that should not have been reaccredited. This IMO sent everyone scrambling to dot the i's and cross the t's before doing anything to make sure they did not get into trouble later.

So is Fridinsky for the kids or against them? With conditions so bad he should see that international adoption is a good way to both find good homes for many of the children and to bring funds and support into the system.

[kimber413]

Originally Posted by lovestruck

All I could think when reading this is why aren't they doing all they can to reduce the number of children in these facilities why do they insist on making it so darn difficult for us!!! My fear of going to Russia.....I am afraid I will never forget the faces of those left behind as I bring my baby to a better life and after votemom's response i'm sure my fear is very realistic.

You WON'T ever forget them. DH and I are still haunted to this day by the face of one child we nicknamed "Smiley". We now wish we'd requested him as well, and hope that he found a good home.

Yes, it will forever change you life and your views of the world, and you'll have a whole new appreciation for what you have and where you are.

[Alison_inPA]

Last summer a regional MOE official told us that they spend $50,000 (yes, dollars) per child per year in Tyumen to support children in orphanages. Tyumen is a rich region, but there is certainly no evidence of this level of spending in the orphanage itself.

[Jim_in_PA]

I concur with Alison that the condition of the facilities our girls lived in and learned in were not steller and not indicative of the level of spending disclosed. (something hard to judge, however) But I'll also say that while run-down, they were clean and organized...and all the children we met there all appeared to be healthy. (We really were not restricted from contact other than not being allowed to visit the classrooms as school was in session) If I could wish the facility one thing...it would be indoor plumbing. 100+ children plus caretakers, teachers and staff would likely benefit greatly from that.

[mschweber]

I will say that Rostov is a relatively well off region of Russia and fairly international adoption friendly (meaning they gets donations and support from abroad). The baby homes though poor were clearly better supported than the report indicates

[tbristow]

We weren't really supposed to see the other kids, but I'm haunted by the 3 I did see. The look on the older boy (about 3 or so) would break your heart. He knew why we were there...you could see it in his eyes.

I really wish they'd make it easier for everyone too. I'd love to go back, but with costs going up and the rules changing, I don't know if we'll make it.

[ddahl]

I am with Theresa! I wish it was easier as well. We are planning to adopt again. THe looks on the faces of the older children left behind will haunt me forever. We will make it back and we will get as many as they approve us for!