The beginning of 2014 is supposed to become the time of work completion in the second “Happy Home”. In particular, builders have been sheathing the walls of the building with gypsum plasterboards for the last month, tiles have been purchased and the contractors started laying them, and the ceiling has already been fixed in the room. In addition, the penthouse over the porch has already been made but it hasn’t been installed yet. All electrical works have already been completed. According to the builders, all they have to do is to plaster and paint the walls. Within the next 2 weeks it will become clear whether we will have enough time to make this gift to the girls before the International Women’s Day - March 8th. In any case in order to complete the work we still need your support and assistance. In particular, the builder will be paid 150,000 hryvnyas (16, 742 US dollars) for the performed construction works some of these days. And we urgently need at least another 80,000 hryvnyas (8,930 US dollars) to pay for the last stages of works. We will also need money to purchase some furniture.
This is how the second "Happy Home" looks like now, thank you for your help!
For nearly six months a massage therapist has been working in Kalinovka, one cannot but notice benefit of his work. Some bed-ridden children became hyperactive, educators often do not manage to control them touching everything, overturning flowerpots or playing with personnel’s clothes. The fact is massage helps not only their bodies but also their souls. No exaggeration.
Thanks to constant work of the fund educators, creative activities of Kalinovka dwellers expand their horizons. Now both children and adults not only do beadwork or embroider with beads, but also make crafts out of paper, and what they do is called quilling – such an unusual word. At the same time adult dwellers managed to make extraordinarily beautiful things of disposable tableware.
I would like to thank the educators for the diligent work and to sponsors for purchase of materials. Last month the Dimex Company purchased beads and other materials for embroidery and beadwork for the third time within the last 1.5 years, which should be enough for a couple of months. Thank you very much!
The educator, whose work is disbursed by our foundation, has been working with adults for three months in a row. In breaks between the work on the farm, watching TV and just doing nothing, these adults with the level of development of 5-year-olds do beadwork, embroider, shape out of plasticine, do crafts using even cereals. Some of them have fun playing table football presented before the New Year. Somehow, I always lose at this game playing with them.
Besides the continuing work that we do on a daily basis, every month, we, along with other sponsors and volunteers, try to bring a bit of joy into the life of these guys. Sometimes it includes a search of new resources - both material and human. For instance, last month thanks to Transit Production and Fashion Group Demidova & Volodkova we managed to collect 1,265 hryvnyas (142 US dollars) at a charity auction organized by them. This money will be spent on the construction of the second "Happy Home".
In January children and adults of Kalinovka made new friends - volunteers from "A Child’s Smile" Foundation. Besides having brought toys, stationery and socks volunteers organized a workshop on felting wool. Not only did volunteers help children and adults make their first hand-made articles of wool, but also entertained them with soap bubbles - for this a few of them put on clown suits in the beginning of the workshop. No matter that it lasted only an hour, the guys got a stock of positive emotions for the whole day.
Oleg was particularly happy that day as it was his birthday, and after the workshop all the children sang him a song and gave him a toy ambulance car as a birthday gift. Also on that day volunteers spent 15 minutes in the group of bedridden children and promised to come and walk with the children when it gets warmer, as they realized and saw that first of all these kids need simple warmth of human contact.
Photo by www.061.ua
And, of course, the most memorable last month’s event was a trip of five children to Foros. This trip was a birthday gift to Oleg from the "Happy Home". I sincerely hope and believe that his next birthday he will celebrate with his new family, but I am also sure that such birthday neither he nor his friends will ever forget. Neither will volunteers, who accompanied the children in the trip, nor the educator, who went with them. Great thanks to those who helped implement the other people’s dreams and turn them into reality.
Educators’ Work Report:
In the "Happy Home" Valentina K. taught Yuriy Ch. to compare objects by size. She did applique using threads with Sasha Z. Together with the children the tutor learns a poem to Defender of the Fatherland Day. Educator Sofia Sh. in the same group teaches the children to count using counting sticks.
In the group of bedridden children, Raisa G. does exercises with Yegor G. on the ball. In the same group tutor Olga M. repeats words with Danil K., Nastya M. and Roma M., and Olga R. tries to repeat sounds and say a few words.
Needs of Kalinovka as of February 18, 2014:
1. Construction materials for the Second Happy Home.
2. Furniture for the Second Happy Home.
3. CDs with sounds of nature and children’s music
4. Book "Applique with young children" by Yanushko
5. Book "Preschoolers on a stroll" by Suhar
6. Masks
7. Mats
8. Batteries, regular and big ones
9. Woolen socks
10. Musical instruments
11. Color wool
12. Sledge
13. Big inflatable ball
14. Acrylic lacquer
15. Thick cardboard of large size 40x30 or 50x50
16. Acrylic paint
17. “Dragon” glue
18. Colored napkins
19. Scotch tape
20. Medical plaster
21. Picture frames, size A4 and 13x18
22. Photo wall-paper (mural)
23. Threads for knitting
24. UFO heater
25. Binders
26. Mathematics textbooks for the first class
27. DVD
