Peter Wooding & Clayton Metcalfe at Chernobyl orphanage
Tuesday 06 Jan 2009
EEO’s Good Works in Chernobyl
By Peter Wooding
UK and European Bureau Chief
The Missionaries News Service
Thursday, November 6, 2008
CHESTER (MNS) – Just thirty kilometers from the Chernobyl radiation zone in Ukraine is the Vovchkiv orphanage. Children at this orphanage would feel completely forgotten by the rest of the world, if it wasn’t for the support of Eastern European Outreach (EEO) and its dedicated team.
“Not many people come to visit these children because of the radiation and all the dangers,” EEO staff member Zhenya Gaft told me recently while I was there filming a report for the Missionaries News Service.
“However this orphanage and its territory are safe because people have checked the radiation,” Zhenya said.
“However, the villages nearby are contaminated and it’s dangerous to be there.”
“Most of the children come from these villages because they grew up here in this place.”
“For those that come, it is safe for them to be here; there is nothing scary about it.
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Chernobyl children singing and dancing.
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“Still radiation is a scary term for many people in the world. That is why as soon as people hear about radiation they’re really afraid to come here.”
“These kids come from very difficult families,” Zhenya said.
“Some parents are alcoholics. Some kids are missing their parents; they don’t know about their parents at all.”
Weekly Bible Lessons and Love
Every Wednesday the Eastern European Outreach team spends the afternoon with the children singing worship songs, doing bible lessons, doing crafts and playing with the children.
“This place is very special and I see how deeply needy these children are,” Zhenya said.
“They not only need financial support, but they also need love and care and attention that they didn’t get from their parents.”
“It is a great place because children are very grateful. They receive whatever people teach them about God. They really love Jesus and you can see this from the bible lessons as they sit very quietly.”
“They are very attentive and answer all the questions after the bible lessons. They’re always looking forward to seeing the EEO team.”
Thanks to Nelya Rudenko
Zhenya told me that the way they are able to openly share God’s love with the children is thanks to Nelya Rudenko, the director of the orphanage who is a committed Christian.
“She loves the children very much and you can see it from the way she talks and the way she treats them. She really has a heart for these children.”
Camp activities
Zhenya said that during school breaks the children of the Vovchkiv orphanage have nowhere to go, so they stay the whole year here.
“Unfortunately the government doesn’t provide for this time,” she said.
So Eastern European Outreach has stepped in and now provides camps for the children.
“Actually next week we’re planning to have a camp here and people from the EEO office will come. We’ll have different activities for the children.”
EEO Sponsorship Makes a Difference
Thanks to the EEO Children’s Sponsorship Program, children at the Vovchkiv orphanage receive help to go on camps, medication, and even funding for renovation work on the orphanage building.
“What I see from coming here is that these children are very, very special,” Zhenya said.
“Unfortunately they are deprived of parental love and they live here without hardly anyone coming to visit them.”
“Still they’re very kind, grateful, and helpful. They help their director and they help each other.”
“It’s very much fun to work with them.”
Zhenya also told me that she really appreciates the people who sponsor these children and the work of EEO work. “I would really love to see more of this work,” she said.
The Love of Christ
Zhenya said that the children of the orphanage “can see the love of Jesus through their sponsorships and through the support that they receive.”
“The most important thing is that they can see that people are interested in helping them and this is really awesome that there are people who are willing to sponsor children like this, and coming to visit these children.”
She said that EEO has had several camps where visitors from the United States have come to visit the children and to help.
“Many of these children are in need of medication,” she said; “because of the radiation.”
So the medical programs that EEO brings: can help them a lot.
Building Repairs
EEOs financial support is also repairing the building of the orphanage.
“Right now they’re having construction done on the roof,” Zhenya said.
“The whole summer they couldn’t change the roof which was leaking all the time and it gets pretty cold inside.”
Currently there are 22 children at the the Vovchkiv orphanage, but the number fluctuates as children come and go. Some go back to their families. Some are adopted.
To find out how you can sponsor EEO’s work at the Vovchkiv Orphanage go to www.eeo.org You can also see Zhenya’s report on their visit to the Vovchkiv orphanage by downloading the free Safe Worlds software and going to the EEO Channel in the Faith, Hope and Charity section.
An audio interview with Zhenya Gaft in mp3 format is also available to radio stations with proper attribution. To request your copy email Peter Wooding at peter.wooding@safeworlds.tv
