Help 8 disabled ophans to have a real Christmas

For over eleven years the volunteers and specialists of the Charity Organization Shag Navstrechu have been making daily visits to children living in orphanage No. 4 in Pavlovsk.

 Children learn and they also teach us. To be strong when it seems that you are about to break; to be brave when you are scared; to smile when you feel sad and sick at heart; to love common things; to be kinder as well as more attentive and patient. Our dreams and hopes are common. And one of these dreams has come to life at the very beginning of this year – we spent magic New Year holidays in a friendly company of 8 children and 12 volunteers, became closer friends and came to love each other even more.

At this time during six frosty days of January we have managed, learned and achieved so much. Tangerines are sweet but with a sour spark and a Christmas tree can be made with our own hands, colored and hanged at the ceiling! Well, everything is possible! It is possible not to eat baked pudding for breakfast but to have tea with chocolates instead, to watch cartoons when you feel like it, to tell fortunes with ketchup, to dance to Sinatra before going to sleep, to make lanterns from light emitting diodes of various colors, to help the cooks make dinner: to cook Olivier salad, dressed herring, fruit and meat dumplings together, and to dress as Superman for Mister and Missis Winter contest and to save Father Frost himself!

Eight children represent eight discoveries, events and stories. Unique, different, so important, long-expected and tightly braided in a single narrative.

For instance Fedya B. is a performer and a joker who quickly stole everyone’s hearts, children and volunteers alike. He is the first participant of Morning music circle who knows all instruments by heart, one of the main actors in all theatrical performances, he also loves face painting and is a living embodiment of the art of changing appearance, he is fond of colored pencils as well as Whatman drawing paper and draws bright pictures with character. He is a true one-man band!

Elya B. celebrated her 16^th Birthday in our winter camp and opened to us. When a part of the group this frail beautiful girl usually sits in a tight ball and does everything to remain unnoticed and any attempts of people to touch her or speak to her are being immediately stopped by her small and strong hand pushing the “opponent” away, not giving him a single chance for contact and friendship. But in this huge house in the village being surrounded by warmth and being involved in common activities Elyechka sought companionship herself and closely watched over everything going on around her, she rejoiced in every new day and even danced with everyone at the disco.

Fedya Z. is a powerhouse boy who loves to laugh, is interested in many things and who can do a lot. Fedyenka practiced yoga with pleasure, watched cartoons, tried different delicious things made by our warm-hearted cooks, made a mask with burning fires in place of eyes and took an active part in costume contest where he was one of the brightest and most charismatic participants.

Tanyusha Sh. – this active girl was not able to go to previous camps with her friends due to poor health, but this time on the New Year’s eve a small miracle happened and Tanyusha went on a Christmas trip with us, where she was interested in everything and wanted to participate in every activity and communicate with everyone, write letters to her favorite volunteers wishing them happy holidays and hoping that their hearts' desires would come to life!

Oksana Sh. and Natasha B. surprised us by their independence and the ability to quickly overcome self-service difficulties; they easily learned new things and quickly responded to requests from their elders. Oksana made it a rule to read books every day in order “not to waste time” as she said herself. On those days when she “woke up on the wrong side of the bed” she warned everyone about this in the morning and when her mood got better she started to smile and tell funny stories or even her dreams to those around her. Natasha is a kind and very vulnerable girl; she was a good friend to everyone in the camp, being a tender and very responsive person. She has also drawn our house, it is red which is Tusya’s favorite color and is covered with shining snow playing with golden sun which dwells in the azure sky right above the house.

Yasha V. and Sasha K. told us back in the summer that they were waiting for a winter adventure including a Christmas tree with twinkling sparkle of fairy lights, long evenings with hot tea and conversations before the fireplace, walks in the crisp snow and also lots of laughter, freedom and creativity. We promised that everything they had wished for would come to life and could not help but keep our promise. The boys were impressed by shadow theatre which the children made for the adults; they also responsibly participated in setting out the festive table together with the cooks, and involvement in a theatrical play about the sea has gotten their undivided attention. For several days children prepared for the camp’s final evening with the teacher of theatrical arts to show a performance about love, happiness and harmony to all volunteers.

New Year and Christmas holidays are the time for the traditions of kindness. And we now have one such tradition which is to get together over a big round table in a warm wooden house as a happy family and to be grateful that we are together, that the New Year has come and to believe, of course. To believe in miracles, to believe in each other and that everything is possible for us.

We say a big thank you for the assistance in setting the January New Year camp to everyone who supported our project!