Klockan klämtar för de föräldralösa barnen

I morgon kommer mängder av svenska ungdomar att ta studenten och flyga ut i verkligheten. Det är en glädjens dag för de flesta. Familj och vänner sluter manngrant upp kring studenterna och delar leende deras sprudlande glädje. Nu börjar livet på allvar och resan mot barndomens drömmar och förhoppningar ska äntligen påbörjas.

För mängder av föräldralösa barn i Ryssland har klockan redan klämtat för terminen. Deras student går i moll, den är ensam, dyster och utan hopp. För många av dem börjar en resa mot en mardrömslik tillvaro som de inte ens kunde föreställa sig i sin vildaste fantasi. De flesta av dem har levt hela sina liv på en institution efter strikta regler och scheman, de har inte fått fatta några egna beslut, de har inte fått lära sig hur man klarar sig själva i livet. Dagen då de ska ta sin student står de där som fåglar som ska släppas fria men som aldrig har fått lära sig att flyga. De är lätta byten för alla skrupelfria rovfåglar i världen utanför barnhemmets trygga väggar. En framtid av hemlöshet, droger, alkohol, kriminalitet, fängelse, prostitution eller självmord väntar ungefär 90% av dem…

Även om framtiden för före detta barnhemsbarn ser mycket mörk ut så finns det några oaser dit de kan vända sig för att få stöd och hjälp att klara sig själva. En sådan oas är Grace Family Center som har sin verksamhet på ett rysk-ortodoxt kloster i St Petersburg. Arbetet på Grace är mycket framgångsrikt och ungefär 90% av de före detta barnhemsbarnen som fått hjälp och stöd på Grace har kunnat anpassa sig till ett normalt liv. För dem som aldrig har haft någon riktig familj är platser som Grace värda sin vikt i guld. Även om arbetet på Grace Family Center är mycket framgångsrikt är de i ett skriande behov av pengar för att kunna fortsätta sin viktiga verksamhet.  

Om du vill får du gärna stödja Grace Family Center genom att antingen ta kontakt med mig så hjälper jag dig att förmedla dina pengar via en betrodd svensk hjälporganisation eller så kan du donera pengar direkt till Grace via biståndsorganisationen Star of Hope, USA. Även om de inte själva jobbar mot Ryssland ställer de gärna upp och förmedlar pengar till Grace: Donate to Grace

Text och foto: © Mikael Good, All Rights Reserved

Mirakelbabyn som gav sin mamma ett nytt liv

A Oasis Of Grace In The Wilderness

Places like Jayer in St. Petersburg are dark places that make far too early graves for young people who never stood a real chance in life. Even if the situation is tough for young adults who´s graduated from institutions in Russia there are some oases of Grace to be found in the Wilderness.

When orphans turn 18 they are dropped from the institutions where they grew up. One day they where kids and the other day they were grownups who don´t know how to live in the real world on their own. The problem is that they have not learned to deal with the various problems of life that they now encounter. They are completly left alone and don´t have any parents, siblings, grandparent or other persons who care about them and can help them in this new situation. They often lack the everyday knowledge that others children learn in their families, such as washing clothes, cooking, managing household cash. They often feel lonely and left out, and in reality, they really are.

The statistics for orphans who graduate from institutions in Russia is very dark. Only 10% of them can adopt to a normal life in the society after graduation. The other 90% are doomed to a life in misery which often puts them in far too early graves. Some of them are lured into prostitution and criminality, some of them becomes alcohol or drug addicts. some of them end up as homeless or couch surfers and some of them take their lifes.

Jayer is street talk for a girl who is willing to do any kind of sexual act with everybody she meets. It´s also the name of a unfinished hospital in S:t Petersburg. Jayer is a house of death were young prostitutes sell their bodies for drug money and they spread HIV to customers who often refuses to use condoms. It´s a place where heroin addicts injects slow death into their veins. Most of them are HIV-positive and when they share their needles they also share their deadly disease. Jayer is also a place were homeless people live and young hipsters get together to have Squat Parties in the weekends. Those who come to Jayer are exposed for GHB and heroin and many of them end up as addicts.

Nearly 70% of all heroin addicts in Russia are young people and you can find places like Jayer all over the country. It´s estimated that between 1.5 to 3 million out of 142 millions Russians are heroin addicts. The Russian authorities are not powerless before the big drug problem in the country. In recent years, the authorities have invested a lot of money on drug prevention among young people. And they try to limit the supply roats of heroin and other drugs flowing in from Afghanistan. 21% of the heroin produced in Afghanistan goes to Russia. Even if the future for former orphans are very dark. There are some oasis of Grace to be found in Russia.

One such oasis are Grace Family Center which is located in a Russian Orthodox monastery in St. Petersburg. The work at Grace is very successful and according to Valentina who is the volunteer director at Grace 90% of the orphans who have received help and support at Grace after their graduation have been able to adapt to a normal life. For orphans who has never had a family of they own, places like Grace Family Center must be worth one's weight in gold.

At Grace Family Center, orphans meet and spend time with adults who give them support and encouragement and help them develop into independent people with strong self-worth. The staff, at the project, prepare an individual plan for each young person who comes to it. The work is based on Christian principles. They live and work in an environment where they can meet and know the saving grace of Jesus. Even if the work at Grace Family Center is very successful. They are in a desperate need of money so that they can continue with their important job.

Maybe it's you who read this article that shall provide an economic miracle so that Grace Family Center can continue with their important work among the least of our brothers and sisters. Star of Hope USA concentrates their efforts on different countries than Russia. However if you wish to donate they will be happy to funnel your gift to Grace Family Center. Click the following link if you want to donate money via Star of Hope: Grace St. Petersburg

"Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done". - Proverbs 19:17

"We can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by the society - completely forgotten, completely left alone. That is the greatest poverty of the rich countries." - Mother Teresa

Klick the following link if you want to see the pictures in the slide-show on your cell phone or on your pad: http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasid68/sets/72157633493146234/

Text and Photo © Mikael Good, All Rights Reserved

Grace is a thought that can change the world

Grace can be a name of a girl. Grace finds beauty in every face. Grace finds goodness in everyone. Grace is a thought that can change the world. Grace is also the name of a Russian Orthodox Family Center for orphans in St. Petersburg.

Over 2000 of the verses in the Bible encourages us to support orphans, poor people, widows and those who are oppressed. Grace Family Center in St. Petersburg work hard to help young adult orphans to adopt to a normal family life after they graduated from their orphanages. The work is very successful but the Family Center are in a desperate need of money so that they can continue with their important job among orphans and young single mothers.

When I visited Grace Family Center in march 2011, it was like coming home to my own family. Taking photos at Grace was like taking photos of my own family and not of strangers. For orphans who have never had a family of they own, places like Grace Family Center must be worth one's weight in gold. Even if it´s one of my hallmarks to make people feel comfortable in front of my camera, it usually take a while for me to get the pictures that I want. But at Grace that comfortable feeling was right there as soon as i crossed the doorstep.

The work at the Family Center is very successful and according to Valentina who is the volunteer director at Grace Family Center the majority of the orphans and the young mothers who have received help and support has been able to adapt to a normal life. The statistics for other orphans who didn´t get the same opportunities are very dark. Only 10% of them can adapt to a normal life and many of them end up as criminals, prostitutes or homeless.

Although the work at the Family Center is very sucessful, they are in a desperate need of money so that they can continue with their important job among all the orphans and young mothers that are in their care. For the volunteers at the Family Center. Grace is not just a thought that can change the world . Grace is something that they live,  breathe and share.



You can read more about the important work at Grace Family Center here: www.chasid68.blogspot.se/2013/03/saving-grace.html

You can also donate money to Grace Family Center via the NGO Star of Hope, USA:  www.starofhope.us/give/donate-now/670-donate-now-2.html

Text and Photo: © Mikael Good 2011, 2013, All Rights Reserved

Årets julreportage blev en smärre succé

Man kan lugnt säga att årets julreportage blev en smärre succé. Reportaget har hittills haft 1200 besökare i mina båda bloggar och jag har fått mycket positiv respons från mina läsare. Men det som har överraskat mig mest är att mer än 1800 besökare från hela världen har sett bildspelet på mitt flickrkonto. Tack vare den uppmärksamheten har jag fått en inbjudan om en publicering av reportaget om Lisa i en ansedd internationell reportagetidning.

Men det viktigaste för mig är inte att få många läsare och positiva ryggdunkningar. Det viktigaste för mig är att Lisa och hennes barn har det bra idag och jag är mycket tacksam för att jag har fått vara med på ett litet hörn och hjälpa Lisa och barnen till en bättre tillvaro och en ljusare framtid.

Du kan läsa hela julreportaget om Lisa här: Julreportaget - En trygg famn för Lisa

På den här sidan kan du läsa en återrapportering om Lisa och hennes barn, artikeln är skriven på engelska: The Christmas story - There was a girl named Lisa

Text och foto: © Mikael Good. All Rights Reserved.