News about the second Happy Home
On June 3rd, in the village of Kalinovka in the Chernigov district, the new "Happy Home" opened its doors. This house is for girls only. A week ago the children moved into the new house. Even though this house is a little smaller than the first "Happy Home", which was for boys only, it seems to be very cozy and full of sunlight. The walls are brightly patterned and pretty curtains decorate the many windows.
The construction of this house began two years ago, and finally, those who will fill it with a home-like ambiance are here. The children have the opportunity to develop together, with the help of classroom lessons, walks, and also interacting with each other, although only a few of them are actually able to speak. But, given the example of the first home, one can certainly appreciate that such living conditions cause major changes, because the boys living in the first home have made progress in the three years since moving in - some started walking for the first time, some started reading, counting, improving their memory, talking, and even doing sports.
For the opening ceremony, the teachers and children decorated the door of the house with balloons and toys, and the music was provided by a playlist put together by one of the older residents of the group home.
Before the beginning of the ceremony, the children were having fun, making faces at the microphone, dancing, and singing. They were very happy to see that so many people came to visit them, and they have an audience, because they had prepared so much for this day - some memorized verses to recite, and some had rehearsed a song they would sing. The adult residents came up to the visiting journalists and were telling them about the items they needed to get repaired and the items they needed to purchase, and proudly told them about what they did here.
The formal part of the ceremony was opened by Nikolai Slavov, the director of the group home, who thanked the foundation for their constant help. After him, the speakers were the first assistant to the governor, Grigoriy Samardak, and the director of the "Happy Child" foundation Albert Pavlov, who spoke about the continuation of the project of building the family-style group homes. In particular, he discussed building the third "Happy Home" in the village of Ukrainka.
During the second part of the celebration, the children performed for the guests. They were very excited about it and had spent a lot of time and effort preparing for their performance. The adult residents had prepared three songs, and sang them, dressed in national outfits. After this, the red ribbon across the doorway was formally cut. Then the guests went in to see the new house.
After the end of the official ceremony, the children continued dancing to the music, popping balloons and anticipating the trip to the summer camp, to which they went directly after the opening ceremony.
We again want to thank everyone who helped in implementing this project - everybody who donated, the social work department and the director of the group home for their help in building the happy home for the girls. Our special thanks go to the teachers who take care of the children there and to the children, for letting us know that our lives are not lived in vain. Do good to others, and it will definitely come back to you. Thank you!
