Sponsors:Rotary Club of Bigfork, Montana,  Rotary Club of West Springfield, MA, Bigfork High School Interact Club,  iOrphan, Joanne Knutson

These Facility Sponsors make up the Urik Shelter Children's Action Team (CAT)

Urik is a village 10 miles from Irkutsk which is an administrative center for 16 smaller villages.  These 16 villages used to have a very well developed agricultural industry which was completely ruined during the last 10-15 years.  Now the unemployment is 99.9%.  There are NO JOBs at all.  The male population drinks and women are catching up.  Children are neglected and abandoned.  Parents are often deprived of their parental rights, and their children are sent to the shelter.  The only stable income are pensions and "government child support".  For each child the family gets $10 per month.  Some families have 10 children, so get $100 per month.  These children are definitely better off in the shelter than at home where they have nothing to eat.  Very often the neighbors give them clothes.  They actually become street kids. The children never leave the village.  

STAFF AND FACILITY

      Children, staff and Rotarians at entrance to Urik Shelter                        The staff of Urik Shelter:  a pediatrician,

                                                                                                       a nurse, 2 teachers, 2 psychologists, 2 caretakers

                                                                                                       and a cook pose with kids and 3 Rotarians

        Shelter  Director, Vera Makarova       Finance "boss" Natalya Rybina                 Teacher helping with homework 

                                     Teachers and instructors at the Urik Shelter                                      Boys learning vocational skills with

                                                                                                                                              Instructor, Vasily Makarov

                Through a matching grant from TRF, the shelter was able to get a new van and a sports playground from the

                  Rotary Club of Irkutsk and District 5000.  This was completed in November 2008

 FACES OF THE CHILDREN

                   Friends at the shelter                          The children in the computer lab                                 Friends

         The children show off the cabbage field                  After several hours weeding the cabbage field      10 year old Yulya, has been

            that they helped tend                                                       a "dead nap" is required.                      at the shelter over a year.

                                                                                                                                                           Her mother has died and her

                                                                                                                                                           daddy just got out of prison.

                                                                                                                                                           He wants to take her home.

  Finnish Rotarians Lou Hardt and Lena Barr were given a tour of the shelter.    Vitya's 2nd day at the shelter

 Kids proudly show  their  tidy bedrooms.  Three boys share a bedroom in

 the boys' "headquarters".  Seven girls  (overcrowded) share a bedroom.    

                               Birthdays are a special celebration each month.  These cakes and small gifts were donated

                                  by the Rotary Club of Bigfork, MT  (USA)   

                Rotarians and families applaud the children                        Rotarian Vera Kuznetsova brings wool along

                                                                                                      with pattern books for hats and gloves for the

                                                                                                      children to make.  They will see  results when

                                                                                                      they return on the next visit.

       Visitors to Urik Shelter were exchange student                                 14 year old Denis and 9 year old sister, Natasha

       Nastya Michlina, her friend Swetlana, her dad, Yury,                                                                                              

       her  friend, Svetlana, club volunteer, Larissa, and

       Lida Sclocchini.  They brought photos taken by a

 professional photographer.  Each child received 2 or 3 photos.

                          Many of these children have never had their pictures taken.  When a professional photographer came

                          to take their pictures, they wanted them taken with friends and family.  As said by one volunteer,

                         "What we take for granted, these children find very special when they have never had the opportunity."

The favorite room for the children is the handcraft room. Director's assistant Svetlana Boryko            In the library/computer room

 and Vera Kiselyova discuss the assigment while the children pose for the picture. The

children like to do nice things with their hands.  

       15 students and 2 teachers are ready to go to the cultural center to see a puppet show.  3 students aren't able to go due to illness.

        Rotarian Gennady Ivanov in the                                                      The kids love to draw and sketch. 

    hallway with kids artwork in background                   

                                                                              Faces of Urik

                       The three to five year olds get help dressing after their naps.                  Rotarian, Tamara Rogova, former HS principal

                                                                                                                                 takes seriously the kids' concerns.

Shelter Director Vera Makarova opens the box      4 girls from "The Rainbow" dancing and singing group pose in new costumes provided     .

sent by the RC of Bigfork, MT (USA)                      by the CAT team.  Costumes were made by Rotarian Elena Kalinina and seamstresses

of hats and scarves for the children.                        from the dress shop she owns. 

                  On a cold December day, three Rotarians visited the shelter. Two exchange students - Alexis and John -

                    and two foreign students - Paul and Jeremy - both studying Russian at Irkutsk State Univ. joined them.

                    While Alexis (USA) and Paul (S. Africa) were looking at the school textbooks given to them by the

                    shelter kids, laughing and singing, Jeremy (Canada) and John (Brazil) quickly made friends. 

The shelter is very proud of their gardens.  The children take care of the flower and vegetable gardens.  They love to have their pictures

taken in the gardens.

             Natasha and Lena in the flower garden                                            13 year old Grisha             

                                     Three to five year olds showing off the  garden.                              Denis

                The children at the shelter have "adopted" a street cat.  The cat has since had four kittens.  The children take turns taking

                care of the cats.  They feed, pet and play with them when it is their turn.  They love to take careof them.

                    The shelter driver, Vasily Makarov drove in a new van 13 children and Director's assistant, Svetlana Boryko

                     (in two groups) to a nearby village to the Hippo Therapy Rehab Center.  The kids and Svetlana posed

                     in front of the entrance to the stables with the Rehab Center sign in the background.  They watched the

                     "horse competition" at the therapy center.                                                                          

                            The children were pictured with the guests on the playground purchased by TRF matching grant.  The temp

                              was - 40 degrees.  The "remaining" Grandfather Frost is pictured with them.  The children were very

                              happy to play a new game Paul showed them.   Rotarians Gennady and Elena joined them. 

URIK  SHELTER  CHILDREN'S ACTION TEAM (CAT):

     Vera Makarova         Valentina Anishenko   Yury Makhlin       Irina Usova           Joanne Knutson     Lida Schloccini    Heather Howlett

     Shelter Director                   Rotary Volunteers                   2008-09 Club Pres.      Website            Rotary Volunteer      Presenter