One of our first projects was (and still is) the Umilenie child and youth centre in Zaplavnoye, Russia, a town with a population of around 5,000 located 70 km east of Volgograd. Because of high unemployment and an excessive rate of alcoholism among parents, most children are left to their own means and have no outlook for the future. Today, as a shelter for around five dozen young people, Umilenie is going strong.

Here they receive a warm meal and a decent education. The centre has several specially trained social workers who instruct the children in various technical and agricultural skills, among other things. The children thereby experience affection, warmth, care, joy and a perspective that helps them gather hope and courage for the future.

The centre has seen very positive development since its beginnings in 2005. Additional rooms have been renovated and, with the help of the children, colourfully and cheerfully decorated. A choir with members of all ages was also set up. Our activities have attracted further sponsors to Umilenie, and we’ve even managed to spark the interest of local authorities in these children. Public support, aroused as a result of this and a television report, continues to grow — and important motivating factor for those in charge at Umilenie.

The closure of the municipal nursery at the end of 2006 led to major problems in the community. Consequently, an extra nursery group was set up at Umilenie to make sure these children did not fall back into a social vacuum.

The LIGHT foundation provides Umilenie with funding, since this is the only way to ensure that the work done there can be sustained and broadened. By purchasing a passenger van in 2006, for example, we extended the centre’s catchment area, thereby strengthening its activities in the region.