Spotlight: Ukraine

Living in abandoned building

While most of our projects for children are in Brazil, we support a very important mission in Odessa, Ukraine.  This Child Here is a non-profit ministry that provides support services to street children.  The organization is led by Robert Gamble, a Presbyterian minister who answered God's call to care for the homeless children in Ukraine.  These young children and teenagers often live in sewers to be near heat cast off from steam pipes.  Drug abuse, including inhalants, is prevalent.  Many of the children have injuries or disease with no means of medical care.  Robert and his volunteers seek out these children where they are through daily street patrols.  He partners with local government agencies to get children interested in athletic programs.  He provides temporary housing, food, and first aid supplies to help children get off the street and search for employment.  Robert recruits and trains youth workers in Europe to expand the reach of his programs, and he always provides the children with spiritual emphasis to help give them hope.

Alternatives to Violence seminar

Beyond Our Borders provides funding for psychological services that are targeted at prevention activities.  The most cost effective and human energy saving approach to helping street kids is prevention.  Once children are on the streets, it is very difficult for them to choose to live in shelters or orphanages.  A trained leader named Alla Soroka offers group counseling for the at-risk youth at one of the local shelters, using her Alternatives to Violence approach that has been successful in prisons and orphanages.  Alla comes to the shelter twice each week to work with the children concerning life in the community, self esteem, additions, and personal boundaries.  Alla is a Christian, and her faith shapes her discussions with the children.

The Beyond Our Borders team is considering a trip to Ukraine in 2011 to visit with Robert and explore how we can help the children more.  For more information about Robert's ministry, you can visit his website here:  thischildhere.org.