At the beginning of September we took part in the

On August 29 – 30 we visited Spas-Talitsa orphanage in Kirov Region. The coordinator of the trip was our volunteer Alexandra Dmitriyeva:

A group of volunteers visited again children from this orphanage in Kirov Region. We arranged a very special event with clowns, presents and games and provided a priceless help. Our volunteers decorated walls, repaired children’s bikes and toys, dug potatoes (which we planted together in May), went mushroom hunting to the forest, drew pictures and played football with kids.  Our main present for both children and teachers were 4 personal computers with educational programs. Our friendship started last year when pre-school children visited Moscow. Now we are welcome visitors and great helpers in Spas-Talitsa. 

This trip was funded by Zdes and Seychas (Here and Now) Charitable Foundation.

On August 30 took place a traditional annual bike ride which is organized by Downside Up for the benefit of children with Down syndrome. Our clowning volunteers as usual took part in the closing celebration on the Red Square.

We are grateful to all volunteers who came to Red Square that Sunday to entertain children.

This summer camp took place on the bank of Volga near the town of Ouglitch, where we have got our own (!) piece of land. We were living in tents and doing some constructing.  

Only our oldest kids participated such as those finished school, volunteers and several children from large families. The boarding-schools which we support didn’t allow their pupils to join us because of the hardships of camp life.

We managed to build a fence around our piece of land, a shed over the table and campfire, a planked footway to the river Postnaya and a wooden toy-car on the spot where the future play-ground will be. Next year we hope to start the capital construction, but still some outstanding arrangements need to be made and funds to be found.  

Besides the construction of fence we had an opportunity to help in the village of Ouchma twice which is located on the opposite bank of Volga. Once we helped to cock hay and then were clearing of rubbish Ouchemskaya bay-bar, which is an island with a chapel on it that commemorates the monastery demolished in the Soviet era. Vasiliy Smirnov and Elena Naumova, enthusiastic and exceptional people, started the local history museum. They took us around the museum, the tour was very educational, children were allowed to touch and measure all the exhibits. 

We visited other interesting places in the neighborhood: in the ancient and beautiful town of Ouglitch, as old as Moscow, with its majestic Kremlin and new museums such as the museum of Russian myths and superstitions.  It was interesting to learn that the town of Ouglitch was awarded by Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia for special care of children, ‘the seek and the poor’. In the town of Myshkin (Mouse’s) we visited the Mouse’s Museum, Museum of Russian Valenok (Traditional Felt Boot) and other interesting places.

We also went to the ancient towns of Tver Region, such as Kalyazin and Kashin. There were two training sessions organized for kids: a sports one, when we learned to work as a team, to rely on each other and listen to each other, and an ecological training when we learned much about environmental protection and played new games.

Volunteer Alexander Shishov taught serf-riding and children enjoyed this new sport. Our young people made friends with local summer residents from the nearby village Kabanovo (mainly citizens of St. Petersburg) and got together for campfire and football games. They continue to keep in touch through the internet.

We enjoyed swimming in rivers Volga and Postnaya, boating and playing games. Meals were being cooked on the fire, what a new experience for our boys and girls!

Next year we are eager to come back to this place we all learn to love.

On June 27 kids from boarding school #28 attended an unusual workshop where our guest Masha Kicheyeva from Happy Park taught them to make gingerbread men. Children decorated them with edible trimming and wrote a story about gingerbread boys and girls.