A half million dollars in Saint Nicolas’s sack
In November 2003 the Foundation made decision to provide financial support to the Kiev’s orphanage where kids with HIV/AIDS live. That time there were only 12 kids. Nowadays, 23 kids with HIV/AIDS diagnosis live in orphanage. The eldest one, Nadya is 6. She still stays in “Beryozka” orphanage for children from 0 to 4 years old.
Quite young for Ukraine AIDS epidemics began “adopt” children. At the beginning of November 2005, in our country were 10 529 kids with HIV/AIDS diagnosis and children on monitoring*. Almost each tenth kid was left in maternity house or became an orphan as his or her parents died due to AIDS. Only few of them have found new families in Ukraine or abroad – kids with HIV positive status are not adopted on practice. Some children still live in the infectious hospitals, the others - in orphanages. The most of all such children were registered in Donetsk, Dnepropetrovsk and Odessa region. The specialized orphanage for kids with HIV/AIDS diagnosis was created in Donetsk region and Makeyevka.
Home for kids-orphans with HIV and AIDS in Kiev is “Beryozka”. First babies started to live here in 1999. The changes of usual way of life not only for personnel, but for habitants of orphanage were needed.
In December 2003 ANTIAIDS Foundation initiated funds collection to support “Beryozka”. During the concert of the world-famous stars – Vladimir Spivakov and Jessie Norman there were collected almost 200 000 USD.
In June 2004 the Foundation in partnership with the Kiev Mayor started the reconstruction of the building which “was waited” for it for 25 years. The contribution of Foundation to “Beryozka” orphanage reconstruction was 487 400,94 USD: 277 094,87 USD – for reconstruction building works, 210 306,07 USD - for furniture and equipment procurement. But before the reconstruction, for the costs attracted by Foundation, for “Beryozka” orphanage there was bought microbus; play rooms for kids and bedrooms were equipped with bactericidal lamps; personnel of orphanage was covered with insurance. Total costs on that stage were 42 088,56 USD.
In December 2004, first stage of reconstruction works, which was financed by ANTIAIDS Foundation: the full replacement of old slate roofing, as well as replacement of all external windows and doors with the metal-plastic constructions and warming of building facade, was completed.
On the final stage of “Beryozka” reconstruction, the Foundation made decision about additional financing of the project to cut terms of the reconstruction and to improve children’s living conditions in new renovated home. On the request of orphanage administration and Kiev city directorate of health protection the Foundation pledged to supply the orphanage with the equipment for nutrition unit, furniture to kid rooms and office facilities, as well as specialized furniture for disabled children. At the end of the March 2005 ANTIAIDS Foundation conducted series of tenders to procure furniture and equipment, and on June 1, 2005 there were signed contracts with suppliers and producers of stated positions on total sum of 210 306,07 USD.
At the end of July 2005 “Kievgorstroy” company completed works financed by Kiev city administration. On 5 of August 2005 kid’s home warming party took place. It was organized by orphanage personnel, Kiev city directorate of health protection and medical provision and Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation. The kids have returned home in a year time.
The Foundation is planning to care about children of “Beryozka” orphanage further. Because they need not only hot water, warm floor and roof without holes. They wait for our attention and care very much.
* What does “kids on monitoring” mean? Children, born from HIV positive mothers, are born with mother’s antibodies. Due to this, the result of HIV test is positive for majority of such kids till the age of one and a half year. The positive result in this case doesn’t mean that a child really has a virus. Mother’s antibodies usually disappear in the period between 12 and 24 months. Only after that age it is possible to diagnose whether virus was transmitted from mother to child.
For detailed information, please, contact Pavel Piminov, Communications Director, Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation on E-mail: [email protected]. Contact phone number: +38 (044) 490 4805.
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