PROJECT HOPE - RUSSIA

DAY CENTER FOR CHILDREN IN CRISIS

Ministering to the children of the City of Saint Peterburg, Russia.

http://projecthoperussia.com

Project Hope - Russia had it's beginning in 1997 when volunteers began meeting with children in crisis situations. At Metro stations and other places they began to share the love of Christ with street children. They provided food, clothing and other social services to these children. Through these meetings they began to build a trust level with the kids and decided, in order to help the children better, they needed to have a facility for them to come to.

In July of 1998, PHR started sponsoring a summer camp where street children could come for an entire month and live in a stable and loving environment. Being away from the danger filled streets of the city, the drugs and alcohol, the children noticeably changed. The next step was opening the new Day Center in January of 1999, where the kids could come for five days of each week. Here they were able to receive food, clothing, hot showers and medical help, as well as counseling with social workers and psychologists. They also began reaching out to the families of street children in March of 1999. The primary purpose of this program is to share the love of Christ and to encourage a desire for change in the lives of all the family members. In July of 2000, PHR expanded this ministry by beginning the Family Social Support Service which now provides opportunities to help the parents of street children overcome their addictions and potentially return the children to their home environment.

Today, PHR staff are involved in many facets of ministry. Not only have they continued their work in the Day Care Center, they have branched out into other areas as well. They have adult support groups run by professional Social Workers, Psychologists, Psychiatrists, Medical Doctors and Team Leaders. They have adapted the 12-step program into the "12 steps for Christian Growth". They "directly address the issues of alcohol and drug abuse focusing on the principle that real and lasting change will take place as people give their lives to the Lord."

Monday through Friday they have 30 to 50 street children visit their Day Center every day. On the first visit a child must meet with a counselor whose task it is to discover the reasons for the child being on the streets. The child also gets a medical and dental check-up that they might not have had for several years. All children are provided with the opportunity of receiving food, clothing and hot showers. The children are divided into groups and team leaders provide daily spiritual help, support for the children and accountability. They encourage each of the children to develop their full potential. A trained counselor defines each child's specific emotional problems so that the staff can most effectively work with the child's strengths and weaknesses. ROH gives each child an opportunity to develop talents through sports, arts and crafts. Education is a very important part of the program. Many children have missed years of school due to their lifestyle. PHR provides classes and tutoring in Math, English, Reading and Bible studies. Many children have been able to reenter the public school system as a result of the PHR classes and tutoring sessions. The goal of these groups is to help each child come to know the love of the Lord and develop a strong and lasting personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Several times a week, children meet in these small groups where they can freely discuss their individual problems and seek Gods answer for their particular situation. Discipleship of a child is a high priority as they come to know Christ.

The Family Support Ministry provides different types of help for families in crisis. They hold classes on sewing, repairing shoes, woodworking and haircuts and styling, too. Most of these families are impoverished and government programs that would assist these families are limited. PHR provides food and clothing when these items are available. They also provide a family access to the facility's wash machines and they provide some families with employment counseling services, as well. PHR volunteers have even gone to individual homes to assist in the cleaning of the home. PHR staff members work with families to encourage them to spend their weekends with their children going to parks, museums and other interesting places. They teach families that there are healthy ways of spending time together and building quality time into their relationships with their children.

PHR also has a presence in Prison Ministry in Saint Peterburg. With over 2,000 children in the prisons of Saint Peterburg, most of them from the street population and many of them are charged with crimes as simple as stealing watermelons for food. Most prison officials express unusual concern for the children under their care, but their resources are almost non-existent and have little they can do for these kids. PHR started a ministry to these children whose objective was simple; to have the children experience the Love of God through the loving care and concern of the Christian workers who come to visit them. There are three youth prisons in Saint Peterburg and three times a week PHR staff members bring these children food, soap, toothpaste, and other items that are so badly needed by the kids, especially during the winter months.

PHR Ministries holds a summer camp session for over 100 children of the streets every year. The summer camp session is one of their strongest ministries as it allows the adult staff members and the street children the unique opportunity of being together as a Christian community for a whole month. The time they spend away from the abusive environment of the streets can change their lives dramatically. Summer camp is located in the forest near a lake. They sleep in tents, play sports, have special competitions, swim, ride bikes and hike. The staff plans daily activities to, keep the children busy with interesting and creative ideas. Through these activities the staff try to teach the children new ideas that will help them to develop their gifts and talents.

The nightly camp meetings are fun and exciting for the kids as they sing worship songs, perform skits and other activities that teach the Word of God to the kids. Through time, love and attention they are able to break down walls that they have built up and they open their hearts to a relationship with Christ and God's love.

The various ministries of Project Hope - Russia need your help as they open a new and larger facility than the original Day Center. PHR needed to find a new facility because the old one had become too small. They are in the process of refurbishing the new facility with a kitchen, showers, electrical wiring, heat and medical facilities. There is a lot to do and they need our help in the form of financial support. You can send them a check for any amount to the following address :

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Kokomo Rescue Mission
321 W. Mulberry
P.O. Box 476
Kokomo, IN 46903-0476
USA
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[ Please designate any donation for "Project Hope - Russia" ].

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at john@needyfeet.org