Hello everyone,

I hope you are all having a lovely summer and getting some time off to relax and unwind.  I'm writing this to you all from beautiful Clifden in Connemara where I am also trying to take a break...what better place to do it than Connemara!!

Our children are thriving and doing so well, you wouldn't believe how much they have all grown over the last couple of months!!  They have been at their Summer Camps and as always we provided them with new summer clothes (t-shirts/shorts/sandals) in bright summer colours so that they can integrate better with the family children and not stand out!  We also supplied lots of sun cream as it is VERY hot at the moment in Russia...+38 degrees!!

As always our staff were visiting the children with ice-cream and some toys and games to enterain them.  On one of these visits Zhenya, who works with us, noticed a group of children with shaved heads, poor and ill fitting clothing and no toys.  He asked our children who they were and learned that they were from a regional Children's Shelter and had very little support.  Our children amazed me again when they suggested to Zhenya that he give their ice creams that day to these other children who were thrilled beyond belief!!

Of course we decided there must be something we could do for these other children so Zhenya went off to buy them some clothes, sandals and toys and when he returned the next day with the new supplies he said it was like watching children on Christmas morning.  He found it very moving to watch the little girls with shaved heads so absorbed in combing the long blonde hair of their new dolls.  The sight of these little children playing with balls and hula hoops, dolls and tea-sets was the highlight of the summer camps for our staff!

The reason the children's heads are shaved is due to outbreak of head lice and the staff not having any lotions to deal with it.  Don't worry we are providing them with supplies and have also asked Kellogg's, who already do so much for us and our children, to add them to the list of orphanages they are donating food products to in Russia!

As you can see the problems we are dealing with are still there and we have more and more children in need of our help. For now the children are returning to their orphanages, we are expecting 30 new little ones aged 4-6 years of age in September who will need our support and our programs, just like these little ones in this photo!

Another piece of great news to share with all...and the highlight of MY summer is that one of our older girls, Vika, who has been on our programs since 1998 has graduated the medical college in Bryansk with Distinction marks, top of her class AND she has been accepted to study in the most prestigious medical university in Moscow from September where she will study to become a Cardiac Surgeon!!  she is one of only two students in the entire region of Bryansk to get accepted and she is the first orphaned young person to enter this school...did I ever think I'd see this day when an orphan child is achieving at the highest possible levels...I can't stop smiling thinking about her! She has worked so hard, we provided her with extra tuition for some subjects and an Irish family have sponsored her education for the last 3 years.  She is also the first graduate from our orphanage who has fundraised in her College with friends and donated back to the children still in the orphanage...she truly is an inspirational young woman.  We now have Nurses, Paramedics, Lawyers, IT specialists, Engineers, Business Gradutes, Builders, Mechanics, Plumbers, Hair dressers, Beauticians and a soon to be Cardiac Surgeon who have graduated our Final Steps Program that supports orphans through 3rd level education. With 22 more students to enter this program in September the demands on our resources are really streatched to the limit!!

It's been a very tough year for us regarding fundraising.  The Irish Aid funding stream has been suspended and we can see a significant drop in donations.  I know it's a tough time for all of us at the moment but without support we cannot continue our programs and we cannot keep supporting these young people who have no one else and rely on us, all of us!

If you can hold a BBQ/Coffee Morning/Quiz or some event this summer please do...call the office on +353 1 8532920 to find out ways you can help us...and THANK YOU all for everything you are doing to support us!

I'll be in touch soon to keep you all updated, Debbie xxx