I’m ashamed and embarrassed at what happened. I’m writing to you so that you can understand what you did. I was in the bath, and you came in because you thought I had been rude to you. But I really hadn’t wanted to be rude to you. And you were drunk as usual. You started pushing me under the water, drowning me. Water and air rushed into my mouth and I was gasping for breath. I was really scared. Now I can’t be in bathrooms and in hot places. And when I run fast it becomes difficult to breathe. I know that you don’t even remember this happening. But I want you to know that I’m not angry with you and I have forgiven you. I hope that this doesn’t ever happen again. I hope you love me. I love you.

Anya

This is a letter written by a 13 year old girl who comes to the Love’s Bridge centers. Unfortunately we hear similar accounts on an all too regular basis.

Russia is famous for its long, freezing cold winters, and with good reason! The streets in Perm have long been covered in snow, and kids - many poorly dressed despite temperatures as low as –40 Celcius - come running into the bright Love’s Bridge centers. They are met with piping hot tea and warm greetings, leaving the cold at the door together with the rest of the outside world.

The festive season is a difficult time for many kids in our care, when expectations of a joyful, happy family celebration are cruelly replaced with neglect and abuse. We will give them a holiday season to remember – gifts, games, sledging, ice-skating, snowmen… and most importantly, make them feel loved and cared for.

Thank you for all your support, which allows us to reach out to Perm’s neediest kids. Not a day goes by without us seeing small but significant changes in the kids in our care, and we are proud to see kids that have been through a lifetime of trauma and neglect come out of our centers with the strength and desire to make something of their lives.

Please think about them over the festive season – every contribution goes a long way to improving the lives of some amazing kids.

Standing up to violence

We recently teamed up with a local student group who are raising awareness of child abuse and promoting ways of reducing it. Unfortunately the huge majority of kids we work with experience abuse, both physical and psychological, in their lives. This isn’t just restricted to home life, but also in schools, orphanages and in public places too. We asked children from Love’s Bridge to write about instances when they have suffered from violence and abuse and would like to share one story with you:

Dear Mama,

I’m ashamed and embarrassed at what happened. I’m writing to you so that you can understand what you did. I was in the bath, and you came in because you thought I had been rude to you. But I really hadn’t wanted to be rude to you. And you were drunk as usual. You started pushing me under the water, drowning me. Water and air rushed into my mouth and I was gasping for breath. I was really scared. Now I can’t be in bathrooms and in hot places. And when I run fast it becomes difficult to breathe. I know that you don’t even remember this happening. But I want you to know that I’m not angry with you and I have forgiven you. I hope that this doesn’t ever happen again. I hope you love me. I love you.

Anya

Cheering on the hockey team!

The kids at Love’s Bridge love sports, and were very happy when the Perm hockey team gave us free tickets to their games. They are called Molot-Prikamye (‘The Kama Hammers’, named after the main river in Perm). They are currently top of the local division, and our kids have been doing their best to support them – hopefully we will cheer them into the Premier League!

In Memory of Kostya, Alyosha and Oleg

December 1st is World AIDS day, which is observed in order to raise awareness of the AIDS pandemic, reduce prejudice against those living with HIV and remember those who have died from this condition. Experts consider the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Russia to be ‘out of control’, with the vast majority of cases being amongst teenagers and young people.

At Love’s Bridge this is a problem which is very close to home… Over the past year and a half there have been three HIV related deaths amongst young adults who were cared for in our centers. One of those young people was Oleg Z., whose story we would like to share with you and whose memory we would like to honour.

“Oleg had so much life and energy and a good sense of humor.  I also found that he was one of the more rational kids (when he was sober) and easier for me to reason with. Thank you guys for watching over him until the end.  At least he knows he was loved in this life.”  (Christina Greenberg, former project coordinator)

Oleg started running away from his alcoholic, abusive father when he was 11. He came to our Day Shelter, but was very addicted to sniffing glue; he was cute and outspoken but could be a real rascal too. He moved into the Love’s Bridge shelter when he was 13 and went back to school, but getting him to study regularly and give up sniffing was an uphill struggle. At the age of 17 Oleg ran away from the shelter completely and returned to the streets.. Oleg started injecting drugs and abusing methylated spirits. Over the course of the next three years Oleg would appear regularly at the Day Shelter, where we continued working with young adults once a week. His condition gradually became worse as the effects of living on the streets and abusing alcohol and drugs took their toll.

It was during this time that we found out that HIV was rapidly spreading throughout the young people living on the streets, and it was with some courage that Oleg amongst others went to get tested at the HIV center. The result, as for many, was positive.

Oleg’s last year was spent living on a hot water pipe in a make-shift shelter on the edge of the city. He never lost his sense of humor and energy and even at this stage we would see the potential for him to turn his life around.… but it wasn’t to be. After a long period of living on the pipes Oleg contracted tuberculosis and only agreed to hospitalisation when he was in the final stages of the illness.

Oleg died in hospital on October 20th this year, three weeks short of his 22nd birthday.

“We used to play ping pong. I used to call him “Zakhar” (meaning sugar, because his surname is “Zakharov”) and he used to call me “Markovka” (carrot). He had a very keen sense of humor, and was lots of fun. It’s very sad that his life didn’t become what it could have.” (Jered Markov, former project coordinator)

At Love’s Bridge we believe that prevention is better than cure; we are currently working with children and teenagers who are at high risk of contracting HIV. These are the kids that need to be educated now to prevent the epidemic from spreading further. We also work with older HIV positive teenagers, help them access treatment and psychological help in dealing with this condition.

Every donation made to Love’s Bridge helps vulnerable young people lead long, healthy productive lives – a gift that truly goes a long way after the festive season…

Facebook and final thoughts…

Some people have been in touch, asking how they can support us through Facebook. For those of you who are members and want to show your support whilst raising awareness for Love’s Bridge, you can do so by following these links:

Facebook Page
Love’s Bridge on Facebook Causes

Thank you for your support over the last year! On behalf off all the kids, staff and volunteers at Love’s Bridge we wish you a joyful and happy festive season and best wishes for 2010!

Starting Life Afresh

We’d like to share some good news with you about Denis, a young man who used to live in our shelter. Denis has had a difficult life – after his mother died he was left to be brought up by his alcoholic father, who took little interest in the fate of his son. Denis ran away from home at a young age and was soon addicted to glue and toxic substances. After meeting volunteers from the Love’s Bridge centers Denis moved into the shelter and spent several years beating his addictions and getting an education. Things were looking positive, and Denis was even reunited with his aunt, who took responsibility for his upbringing as if he was her own. Then in the winter of 2005 Denis suffered a relapse and returned to the streets, and on one freezing night he was beaten up and left in the snow at the central market. As a result of the severe frostbite most of his fingers and toes were amputated.

Sadly, since this incident Denis became a very successful beggar at the same market where he incurred his injuries, and became the main “breadwinner” for the group of teenagers with whom he was living on the streets. For some time now we have been offering Denis the opportunity to escape this life and start a rehabilitation program at one of the centers in the Perm region, and this summer we were delighted that he finally agreed to make the first steps and we prepared him for his new beginning.

Denis has now been in the rehabilitation center for almost three months and we are delighted at the changes that have taken place– he has broken his addictions to substances, alcohol and tobacco and has been learning skills that will help him return to the city with a purpose. He is learning to rely on his own strengths to resolve problems and has met many inspiring people who will be able to support him make the steps back to an independent, healthy life.

Denis said to us when we last visited him:

Since moving into the rehab center I have completely given up all my bad habits, including swearing! I now feel as if I never once sniffed glue, never once abused alcohol or drugs. I feel as if I have been like I am now all my life, like I’ve been born again. I’m glad that I’ve been given another chance.

To donate to this worthy cause, just follow this link and specify on the donation form that it is for Denis. We will keep you informed on Denis’ progress as the months go by!

Rapper’s Delight!

On the opening day of the center on the 1st September we were delighted to give the kids a special surprise – a popular and famous rapper from Perm came to meet the kids at Love’s Bridge and present us with two new computers and a donation for the project! The kids didn’t hesitate to ask their hero questions, get autographs and have photographs taken. He and his musicians told the kids about their own childhood experiences and how they made it in life:

Marina*: Where did you study at university?

Rapper: I still haven’t been to university. I understood that music was my calling and wanted to go and study, but the course I wanted to do was in Moscow and I couldn’t move there at the time… But I want to say to you all that it’s really important to stay in school – never forget that having an education will help you have a happy adult life!

We were delighted that the musicians found the time and energy in their busy schedule to come and hang out with the kids, to share their life experiences and values, and most importantly, to say to the kids that a life which is free from addictions really does lead on to great things!

A New Project

This summer we made some big changes at our day shelter, which has been in need of a revitalizing renovation for some time! We teamed up with voluntary organization Memorial to find a group of international volunteers, including Love’s Bridge teenagers, who were willing to do the job. We also got the huge majority of materials free from local construction companies.

As you know, the direction of the project here in Perm has been gradually adjusted, as the numbers of street children have been falling over the last decade. Our day shelter operations have now been reduced to the bare minimum, and we are using the property to run courses and training programs for teenagers and young adults who are having problems leading a healthy and independent life. Together with local government institutions such as the shelters, prisons, police departments and social services, we will be able to reach out to teenagers who would otherwise be at high risk of ending up in prison or on the streets.

We’d like to say an enormous thank you to the Memorial volunteers who did such a wonderful job of the renovations and all those who contributed materials to the project! Now the center is ready for action!

We are currently looking for funding to begin educational programs at the new consultation center – if you would like to help a vulnerable young adult turn his life around, please send us an email containing the text “Consultation Center” and we will send you more details on how you can help!

Freaky Fun and Ghoulish Games!

Halloween has firmly become a favorite holiday with the kids at Love’s Bridge – it’s a great chance for everyone to relax properly and go a little wild, our staff and volunteers included! The kids went round trick or treating the staff in our center, playing games in all the different rooms. They helped make and devour a Halloween feast – witches’ fingers and eyeballs!!

Now we’re starting to prepare for New Year and Christmas, and putting lots of work into making the festive season a time to remember for our kids. We look forward to sharing some more news about that with you in our next news update!

Thank you for your support!

* Children’s names are changed to protect their identity.
]]> http://www.lovesbridge.org/news-november-2009/feed http://www.lovesbridge.org/vera-semyonovna http://www.lovesbridge.org/vera-semyonovna#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 20:39:01 +0000 hamish http://www.lovesbridge.org/?p=910

My name is Vera Semyonovna. Most of my life has been dedicated to children who find themselves in difficult situations. More than anything I value in people the ability to listen to others. My creed is: it’s not what a person does that counts, but how much love is put into it. I love working with children. In the Love’s Bridge centre I run the programme “Joyful Russians”, in which children learn to talk about what’s on their mind, debate skillfully, and understand each other.

My hobby is cooking on an open fire and hiking overnight to meet the sunrise. I’m always learning something new and I find it important to look after my own growth. I really like finding a way through difficulties, it makes me stronger.

I’m happy that I have the opportunity to help children, working as a teacher in “Love’s Bridge”.

New Website
We are extremely happy to announce that our long-awaited new website is on-line!! A big ‘thank you’ to Oli Ashford and the other guys at Kite for making it happen.

On the new Love’s Bridge site you will find lots of updated information, new photographs and a range of films, including our promotional videos. Please pass on the link to all your friends and acquaintances, and let us know if you have any feedback!

Off The Streets
It has been a very busy last few months at Love’s Bridge; the summer started with a series of fun and informative courses which covered various topics. One of them was about local history, and the Love’s Bridge Center was turned into a time machine to help the kids understand more about their city.

One of the participants who particularly benefitted from the course was 12 year old Boris. He was adopted from an orphanage last year and suffers from learning difficulties. His adoptive mother didn’t know what to do with him over the summer whilst she was at work, and was delighted to find out about our program.

Boris said: “Our course was fantastic! There are lots of nice people here. We went swimming, did first aid, and I liked learning all about maps. I made new friends, and we help each other out. It will be great to go on a rafting trip; I’ve never been on one before”

Kids from underprivileged backgrounds are generally left to roam the streets all day during the long school break (which runs from May to September), so our aim is to get them active and interested in doing something positive with their time. Participants have been rewarded with rafting and camping trips to the countryside – a rare chance for many to escape the city and leave their problems and addictions behind them.

Appeal
The new school year is about to start, and we have a whole program of new projects ready to help Perm’s most vulnerable children. In order to get them up and running we are still short of vital funds to cover the costs, so please help us in any way you can!

Your donation will help to provide:
- individual work with children who run away from home
- educational support for underachievers
- fun activities for Perm’s neediest children and young people

Follow this link to make a real difference now!
http://www.lovesbridge.org/make-a-difference/donate

Making Perm Happier!
This summer Love’s Bridge teamed up with the human rights organization Memorial to make Perm a happier city. Like in all major cities, there is a real graffiti problem here, the main problem being that much of it is of an abusive nature. Swastikas, racist slogans and hateful language can be found all over the city’s buildings, and rubs off on Perm’s children and teenagers.

We decided to team up and do something about it, and so groups of Love’s Bridge kids and Memorial volunteers hit the streets armed with their own spray paint! The kids really enjoyed making their city a better place to live in, and talking to passers by who thanked them for their work. It’s so important that at-risk children and teens learn that they are capable of making a positive contribution to change the world they live in.

Thank You…
…to everyone who contributes to Love’s Bridge in any way, shape or form! Every one of you makes a real difference to the lives of Perm’s most vulnerable children and young people. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments – we would love to hear from you!

I’ve always wanted to work with kids, and the opportunity to combine this with my love for Russia was impossible to turn down! Running the project we experience a huge variety of emotions and see some huge transformations as well as some really depressing situations.

The most uplifting moments are definitely seeing kids gradually realizing the importance of leading a healthy, productive and active lifestyle and absolutely loving all the opportunities we offer them!

Working with our team of Russian staff and also closely with other NGOs and government bodies has really opened my eyes to the extent of the social problems in Russia, and I’m proud to be running a project which is working effectively to change things on a grass-roots level.