Reflections: Mission trip to Ukraine
An orphanage mission trip sponsored by the Office of Christian Charity, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA
By Olga Liskiwskyi, Mission Team Member
St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Detroit/Southfield MI

We are all angels with only one wing and we need to embrace each other if we want to fly! These are the words on a poster that greeted us in the general assembly room of the Znamianka Orphanage in the province (oblast) of Kirovohradin Ukraine. The missionary volunteers led by His Grace Bishop Daniel travelled 5 hours by bus to the orphanage on Monday, December 23rd after arriving in Kyiv the day before. Members of our team consisted of Fr. John and Dobrodijka Anne Haluszczak (St. Vladimir, Pittsburgh PA), Joseph Truchan of Allentown, PA and myself. From the moment we entered the orphanage the children who are able to walk or are in wheelchairs greeted Bishop Daniel with such warmth and anticipation it touched us all. We were blessed to be included in this mission trip to meet the children, see the work of the teachers, nannies and caregivers and to get to know the dynamic director – Dr. Tatiana Ivanivna Walko.

There are about 120 children in this orphanage all with special needs. At first glance, it can be overwhelming to see so many children with Cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, severe paralysis, fetal alcohol syndrome, birth defects and developmental issues. But, the children don’t let you dwell for very long on any reservations you might have – their warm greetings and need for hugs and a simple touch of your hand make it easy to be with them. With the funds raised for the trip, we were able to hire a group of actors (Kropyvnytsky State Theater) to stage a Did Moroz & Snihuroinka play for the children. The children, all dressed in their festive costumes (donated by our faithful a few years ago) performed a series of poems and songs for us – we were amazed by how talented these children are – singing countless songs with great enthusiasm and reciting lengthy poems in Ukrainian. A truly moving performance was given by two teenagers – it was a romantic dance interpreted by a young girl of 19 who danced elegantly in her long, white ballerina gown and her partner, a young man confined to a
wheelchair. Their grace and ability to work together during the dance moved us all. We found out later that one of the rehabilitation teachers we help fund was responsible for choreographing this lovely dance and encouraging these performers.

Over the next few days, we celebrated the birthdays of two of the teens at the orphanage – the kitchen staff made a wondrous pizza (a la Ukrainian style) and marvelous tortes and sponge cakes for the children as well as ourselves. Through the generosity of some of my co-workers at KPMG, I was able to gift the birthday boys remote control cars and trucks which truly delighted them. We also had free access to all the children in the orphanage – those who are not mobile and may be confined to their beds. As a rule, the children are washed and fed in the morning and then their nannies take them to various rehabilitation/ Montessori activity rooms where dedicated specialists work with the children. I saw firsthand what an impact these methods have in the development of the children.I worked with one young boy, age 4, who just the year prior was not walking or talking. He has Down syndrome and was not interacting with anyone until they began working with him using Montessori methods. They now call him “the Professor” because he knows all the activities of his classroom and is talking and walking. He even tested me on my knowledge of various animal sounds. There were some very moving moments that were difficult to process – I met a young girl of about 2 years old who was born with no eyes and was deaf – the teachers showed me how they worked with her and to my surprise she was a happy little girl. I don’t know what future this child will have since she will need abundant care to help her develop. In the same activity room, I asked about a girl whose age I could not guess – it later turned out that she was probably a teenager. The teacher told me that she had come to them in March of 2013 after someone found her thrown out in the garbage. They later named her but don’t know anything more about her – she is bedridden with severe disabilities but reacted with laughter when I stroked her head and face as she reached out for my hands.

During these visits, His Grace likes to take some of the older children and those who are ambulatory to visit the small city of Znamianka. This year, it was very icy and foggy and it was getting dark by 4:00 p.m. each day, so we were limited as to the number of children who accompanied us. I was impressed by the shop clerks who recognized His Grace and welcomed the children into their stores. This was not always the case when the local population would see the children from this orphanage. We were able to purchase gloves and other gifts for these children and make sure that everything fit.

During our stay at the orphanage, the kitchen staff prepared all our meals along with baking fresh bread for us. At the suggestion of some of our team members, we invited the older children to our kitchen/dining room where we warmed up the meals (borscht, katlety, holubtsi, mlyntsi) and watched them enjoy this extra special treat. While we were drinking our tea, one of the young boys in a wheelchair, said, “Let’s sing some Ukrainian carols” which we did – I will never forget that evening. As one of our guests was leaving, he turned around to our fellow mission worker, Joe, who does not speak Ukrainian, and said in English “Thank you and I love you.”

Over the last 15 years of our support of this orphanage (along with that of the CCRDF – Children of Chornobyl Relief and Development Fund) more than the material support we have provided, the simple act of visiting, laughing, dancing and holding these children has, I believe, made a deep impact on the lives of not only the children but their caregivers and teachers.

What we have accomplished over the last 15 years with the leadership of our Hierarchs, the Ministry of Missions and Christian Charity and the support of the faithful of the UOC of USA:

• Purchased a used 22 passenger minivan (heated & air conditioned) to transport children to doctor’s visits or for recreational
  purposes.
• Repaired existing elevators in the building so that children in wheelchairs have easy access between floors.
• Outfitted Montessori activity & rehabilitation rooms.
• Funded salaries for physical therapy & Montessori teachers.The orphanage staff is funded by the Ukrainian government ministry and the additional specialists are funded by our faithful and are considered “volunteer” staff.
• Funded water heaters for bathrooms.
• Funded air conditioners for the hallways – to this end, His Grace Bishop Daniel were able to present the director of the orphanage the funds to purchase these units. The orphanage director expressed her gratitude to St. Olha Sisterhood of our parish (St. Mary the Protectress Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral, Southfield, Michigan) for their generous donation towards the purchase. The director had already finished researching the best and most efficient units to buy.
• Generous donations of clothing, diapers, costumes and toys.
• Painted and refurbished rooms and halls in the orphanage.
• Organized Mission teams: College mission groups in the summer and adult teams in December.
• Out of all the discussions I had while at the orphanage, I think the most poignant was a statement made by the night nurse after
  I asked her how her night had gone – she said very succinctly, “It was a good night, none of the children died.” As shocking and difficult as it was to hear this, it spoke to the reality of life in orphanages. The children are sick and in need and only through our continued support will they have a future.
• For more information about this trip, including photos, please follow the link: http://www.uocofusa.org/news_131231_3.html
• If you are interested in joining the 2014 College Age Mission trip to Ukrainian Orphanages, find out more by going to
  http://www.uocyouth.org/uoccollegemission.html. The dates of the trip are May 30 – June 14, 2014. Registration is now open.