Orphan Outreach has seen the tremendous needs of orphan graduates in Russia. These children have to leave the orphanage at age 15 and 16 and have very little hope for a successful future. There is usually one social worker for all of the children in the orphanage. This can be anywhere from 80-125 children. That social worker also must try and meet the needs of the children who are about to graduate from the orphanage, those who have already graduated and the children who are coming in to the orphanage. There is no possible way for the social worker to meet the needs of all of these children, especially the significant needs of those who are about to graduate.
Most of the children leave the orphanage and end up in drugs, prison or commit suicide. They have no one to help them find a place to live, encourage and support them through school or teach them how to function independently. Orphan Outreach began it’s orphan graduate program in January of 2009, focusing on orphans from the Tomachova orphanage in the Leningrad region. We have an Orphan Outreach social worker who is works with those graduates who will be leaving the orphanage this year. She is also working with the children who will be graduating several years from now, helping them to learn how to live independently, find a place to live or transition to a vocational school or university. This social worker also maintains a close relationship with those children who have graduated and encourages and supports them as they go through this difficult transition. We also involve the local church in mentoring these children and giving them the hope of the Gospel. Our desire is for each of these graduates to know Christ personally and to have the support of the church before they leave the orphanage as well as once they are on their own.
Our goal is to develop a model program in partnership with the Leningrad Ministry of Education which can be duplicated at other orphanages. We will be expanding our program to orphanages in St. Petersburg. Our desire is to hire more Christian social workers and get the local church involved in supporting and mentoring these children to become successful, hopeful and faith-filled individuals who can become productive members of society and support their own families.
2009 Nikolsky Graduating Class
2009 Graduates in Luga receive Graduation Gifts
2009 Graduating Class
You Can Get Involved
Travel on a Mission Trip
Your commitment to travel with Orphan Outreach allows the children we serve to know they are not forgotten. In ministering to these children you become the hands and feet of Christ and profoundly impact their lives as well as your own.
Your financial gifts to Orphan Outreach will help meet the physical, spiritual, and educational needs of children living in orphanages and substandard situations around the world.
Spanning 10 time zones, Russia is the largest country on earth in terms of surface area, covering across Eastern Europe to Asia.
•
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, its shaky orphan-care system also fell.
•
No country has such a severe alcohol abuse problem as Russia. Official estimates are that 40% of men and 7% of women are alcoholics.
•
Over 750,000 children live in orphanages, ranging in age from newborns to 18 year olds, with another 1.2 million living on the streets
•
An orphan's average life expectancy is less than 30 years.
•
At age 15 to 18, children are forced to leave the orphanages (emancipated) with little or no formal schooling, very limited life skills, and no one to turn to for assistance.
•
Within the first year of leaving the orphanage, over 50% are involved in prostitution or crime, another 30% are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and another 10% commit suicide.
Untitled Page
Orphan Outreach is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization Orphan Outreach • 2001 West Plano Parkway, Suite 3700 • Plano, TX 75075 • 972.941.4440
