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Russian Teens Face Living Alone
By Julie Cramer
Right now a 15-year-old teenager is wondering how she will survive on the streets of St. Petersburg alone. Twenty more of her friends, ages 15 to 18, are “aging out” of the orphanage system in Russia without basic life skills and vital resources to survive on their own.
On April 21 Orphan Outreach hosted a conference—in partnership with Florida Baptist Children’s Home and Pedagogical College #8—in St. Petersburg, Russia to address the issues orphan “graduates” face. Eighty-five professionals attended, including the directors of orphanages and vocational schools as well as officials from the Russian Ministry of Education.
“These officials know this is a significant issue and they’re looking for models that work,” Amy Norton, director of programs, said. “The system invests all this money to care for orphans when they’re growing up, and then leaves them out there on their own when they graduate. We quit too early on these kids.”
Orphan Outreach is launching a pilot program in the Leningrad region to catch the young people who fall through the cracks. The plan is to provide the graduates an Orphan Outreach caseworker who will help them transition from the orphanage into independent living. The goal of this program is also to partner with the local church to provide spiritual development to graduates through weekly Bible studies. Church members also work alongside caseworkers to mentor the graduates and help them through the difficult transition to independence.
“Every orphanage director we talked to wanted our program in their orphanage,” Mike Douris, president of Orphan Outreach, said.
In a typical orphanage, one caseworker oversees 50 to 80 students. Once orphans graduate, it is nearly impossible for the caseworker to provide them with adequate guidance and individual attention they need to transition. The conference allowed these professionals, Norton said, a chance to network, brainstorm, and resolve problems. “They were encouraged by it,” she said.
In the future, Orphan Outreach plans to hold other conferences and workshops to evaluate the pilot program. Orphan Outreach soon hopes to have two Christian caseworkers hired in St. Petersburg to support and assist graduates to go to college, attend vocational schools, and provide them the much needed guidance and encouragement to help them transition to a successful independent life.
To help an orphan graduate in Russia, click here.
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