Help us help the children of Ukraine
September 4, 2006 (Press Release) --
Crouched down near the manhole, Stas takes a defiant drag on his cigarette. His fingernails are covered with dirt, his oversized green jacket dirty and torn. He is 12 years old, and has been living on the streets of Kiev for two years.
"My mother's an alcoholic. She used to shout at me and hit me. She told me she didn't want me. So I left. Now I live here, at the manhole. I sleep on central heating pipes. The police sometimes pick us up, but they let us out again."
Kiev is dotted with tiny figures like Stas. They wander among the crowds begging money or hang out near cafes or McDonalds searching the trash for leftovers.
Often we see children—some are just seven or eight years old—bury their noses in plastic bags, sniffing glue to relieve the hunger, fear and loneliness.
Stas is just one of over 50,000 children living on the streets of Kiev. At 12 years old they are already young adults who know only negative experiences. Their hurts and sicknesses sometimes cripple them and may lead to an early death. Medical treatment is often not available. Father's Care brings hope and light into this hopelessness…
12,500,000 children in Ukraine
1 in 500 is homeless
1 in 100 is brought up in a broken family
1 in 100 is an invalid
Reference: Institute for Social Research Work Data
Children are often caught in the turmoil of society and end up paying the price. The vast majority of today's street children have run away from parents who drink heavily, have no means to feed their kids or routinely abuse them. Often they resort to petty theft or prostitution in order to survive. Most are addicted to sniffing glue because it offers them an escape from reality and takes away hunger in exchange for physical and psychological problems.
The economic crises suffered by Ukraine during its transition from communism have certainly played a role in the problem. But with more children on the streets today than immediately after World War II, experts believe that the erosion of the family is a significant factor.
Street children live in abhorrent conditions including basements, abandoned buildings, city garbage sites, and sewage systems.
The majority of street children suffer from various diseases caused by their living conditions and lifestyles.
"My mother's an alcoholic. She used to shout at me and hit me. She told me she didn't want me. So I left. Now I live here, at the manhole. I sleep on central heating pipes. The police sometimes pick us up, but they let us out again."
Kiev is dotted with tiny figures like Stas. They wander among the crowds begging money or hang out near cafes or McDonalds searching the trash for leftovers.
Often we see children—some are just seven or eight years old—bury their noses in plastic bags, sniffing glue to relieve the hunger, fear and loneliness.
Stas is just one of over 50,000 children living on the streets of Kiev. At 12 years old they are already young adults who know only negative experiences. Their hurts and sicknesses sometimes cripple them and may lead to an early death. Medical treatment is often not available. Father's Care brings hope and light into this hopelessness…
12,500,000 children in Ukraine
1 in 500 is homeless
1 in 100 is brought up in a broken family
1 in 100 is an invalid
Reference: Institute for Social Research Work Data
Children are often caught in the turmoil of society and end up paying the price. The vast majority of today's street children have run away from parents who drink heavily, have no means to feed their kids or routinely abuse them. Often they resort to petty theft or prostitution in order to survive. Most are addicted to sniffing glue because it offers them an escape from reality and takes away hunger in exchange for physical and psychological problems.
The economic crises suffered by Ukraine during its transition from communism have certainly played a role in the problem. But with more children on the streets today than immediately after World War II, experts believe that the erosion of the family is a significant factor.
Street children live in abhorrent conditions including basements, abandoned buildings, city garbage sites, and sewage systems.
The majority of street children suffer from various diseases caused by their living conditions and lifestyles.
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