For the past 13 years, my greatest passion has been volunteering with a group that assists disabled and learning disabled Ukrainian orphans while they are young, during post-secondary education and with emergency needs as they try to make it on their own in the world. I have made several trips over the years and lived in Kyiv, Ukraine in 2019.
During the recent tragedy, our group, called An Orphan Smiles, is funding evacuations and providing money for food. We are also working on shipping food, hygiene products, and medicines into Western Ukraine from Germany and Poland to be distributed throughout the country as it is safe to do so. Our orphan graduates have babies and children and many will find it difficult to stand in lines with their disabilities. They are among the most vulnerable – without families and connections that enable survival.
The mission of An Orphan Smiles is to improve the social, educational and physical welfare of orphans in Ukraine. Our focus is on school age children and those aging out of the orphanage system. The orphanages we support include the Kyiv special institution for orphans with minor learning disabilities in Kyiv; Tsurupinsk Children’s Home in the Kherson region of southern Ukraine, which is home to over a hundred physically and learning disabled children; and the Mykolaivka Internat boarding school, home to approximately 170 children with physical and learning disabilities.
Your donations would be gratefully received:
Donate to An Orphan Smiles, Inc.
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