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Moldova Children-at-Risk by Calvin Klaus At present we have about 75 children with whom we have contact. In the next year this could double. The challenge is to do enough to change lives. What is enough? That is the hard question. Feeding is not enough. Consistent intervention is just a start. Helping a child until their life is changed has to be the goal. For one child, the end work might be helping to go to a professional school to learn how to fix electronics, style hair, paint cars, or bake bread. For another child, it might be helping through university. Here I go back to the question "What is enough?" The best answer I can find, I guess, is "Enough is not the stuff we need to do the job or the funds to get it done. But, Enough is that as many children at risk as possible will feel loved by us year after year until they can learn to love others in a healthy way and in this process come to a place where they will be givers into society. See Moldova Children-at-Risk - continued on page 2 Ukraine - 16 year olds are evicted from state run orphanage - quotes from Carol Allison A major milestone was achieved on June 14, 2006 in Odessa as property was rented for a SAFE-HOUSE for girls. The Executive Director tried to rent a home from fourteen different landlords and every time he was told an emphatic "No". Fourteen times. On the 15th attempt, an apartment was leased. Carol Allison (Canadian volunteer serving with her husband as Mission Directors in Odessa Ukraine) writes: "Today is June 15th and this weekend the 16 year old girls will be aged out of the Internauts (state run orphanages). Finally, YESTERDAY we signed the lease to a three room apartment so that we can get some of the girls moved in." "This, we hope, will be temporary because it will only house 8 girls and we really want to get a bigger place so that we can have more girls in the program. Lina, the program director at First Step Center has agreed to be the "Mom" to these girls and I can't tell you how lucky these girls will be to have HER as a mentor." Horizons Foundation is supplying all the furniture, appliances, linens and everything necessary to completely furnish this apartment. Horizons Foundation has also committed to paying the rent for the apartment until a permanent home may be built for these girls. See Ukraine - 16 year olds are evicted from state run orphanage continued on page 5 Peru - Microlending program concludes successful first year From June 2005 thru May 2006, Association Horizons of Peru made 291 loans, with a default rate of 2.7%. However, the best news is that the program is succeeding in creating a self-sufficiency program to support the orphanage in Pacasmayo, Peru. The orphanage now has 17 children in it since the government approved occupancy in November, 2005. As of May 2006 the donations from the micro-entrepreneurs supplied the funds necessary to run the orphanage that month. We have had some staffing issues to contend with and now the Board of Directors and Al are personally being more directly involved with the day to day running of Association Horizons of Peru, in order to insure the success of the program. We found that some of our former personnel were not meeting all the requirements of the government and those issues have been dealt with and corrected. We are having outside auditors review all transactions for the first year in order to insure compliance with all regulations. So, now we're in our 2nd year and like a lot of 2 years olds, we are learning to walk before we run. And sometimes we don't go as fast as we'd like, however we are meeting the primary mission of Association Horizons of Peru, which is to build a microlending organization that creates an opportunity for the local entrepreneurs to support their local orphanage. And it's working!!! Moldova Children-at-Risk - continued from page 1 - by Calvin Klaus "I am sending this note just to say thank you to Horizons Foundation and all of its supporters. Over the years their have been many changes here in Moldova. But one thing that has not changed is the need for special programs to work with children. Over the years your continued support in Balti has allowed us to continue an ongoing program with children at risk. Its name is Casa Vietii (translated House of Life). Horizons foundation ongoing support has provided the salary for Corina show in the photo below with two young girls that have just graduated 9th grade. In Moldova that is a great step for children especially for many of the children that we have worked with over the years that would have not made that step with out our intervention. "This is a photograph of Corina with Diana Timciuc (left) and Ina Climenco (right).  The photo is taken on their graduation day. Both girls are fatherless and have been living in a state run orphanage while in school, coming home on the weekends and during the summer. Diana's mother wants to send her to France where her brother is or some where to work, really no care about the dangers of what will happen to her. This is a great fear for me. She needs to at least attend a profession training of some sort so she has a skill. Ina has had her heart set on becoming an elementary teacher. For some time she has been attending the music school that you help support with equipment and salary for the teachers. She knows that she needs to know music as part of the elementary school teacher training. She really has her heart set on helping children. Her grades might not be good enough to go to school with out having to pay. It will take about 300 a year for school, and about as much for books, transport and other stuff. That would not include anything for living. "These are just two of the young girls that we have in our program. For close to seven years, almost every day, we have fed children here. Not only feeding them but intervening in their lives as needed. Visiting in the schools to talk to teachers, finding medical help, helping with shoes, clothes, heart to heart talks, encouragement, and at times a good scolding, doing what ever it takes to help children not fall into the many traps of the at risk in Moldova. Things like mafia, drugs, alcohol, and prostitution which are ever so rampant. "We have been able to help a few young ladies and young men through high school and some into university. One young man that started coming to the children at risk program in Chisinau  years ago and after graduation 9th class, came to Balti at the insistence of the at risk program director in Chisinau. The Director said that Sasha could really do something if given the opportunity. Seems she was right. Out of four people accepted from Moldova to a very prestigious university in St. Petersburg Russia he has been given a scholarship for their special without frequency school, which means that he would have to be there three or four times a year for 3 weeks and take test and then start new courses, then go home and learn on his own. His being accepted says a lot since Russia has only given 200 scholarships to Moldova students, none of which are regular residential programs."However, to really learn electrical engineering that system would not work, he needs to go to a regular university. The one in St. Petersburg and also the one in Cluj, Romania have about the same requirements. If you pay you can study. The cost for both is about the same, $3500 to $4000 a year for tuition, fees, and medical. Then there is needed about $3000 a year for room and board. I have never seen some one so dedicated to learning, even though it is not easy for him. He will spend hours at a time until he understands an advanced mathematics problem, physics problem or technical electric situation. He knows that if he is able to attain his hope that he will be able to help his 4 younger sisters through out their lives. Kind of interesting for the price of a new car a young man could be educated to where he could find work through out Russia or Western Europe. "What is happening in Moldova? Life has really changed in some ways. Statistics say that 60 to 65 percent of the adult work force works outside of Moldova. About two and a half years ago that started a giant inflation. An apartment that sold for $8000 is now $28000 or more. Prices of every thing has sky rocketed. The real problem is that costs have soared but the wage of those who remain in Moldova has remained the same. Every home and every family feels the pressure. Those that are responsible for the continued work in Balti; the three young pastors, Corina - the Casa Vietii director, Brother Sasha the Music school director and teacher, and others have continued to help those in need even though they are under great pressure themselves. "What will happen? For the immediate future, there seems to be a coming crisis for the children in the at risk population. Their parent or grand parent with whom they stay will have much less with which to help the child. This will cause a greater need to intervene in the children's lives. Even though the conditions are bad for these children, it is still better to remain in their home with a parent or grandparent in most situations than being sent out some were. What can be done? For the House of Life (Casa Vietii) program, music program and other work we have with children we need to be ready to do more than ever before because there will be more children who need intervention. "Little Ecaterina Micsanscaia is a good example.  "She lives with her father and grandmother in a two room apartment and they rent out one room to help pay for the expenses. At present we have about 75 children with whom we have contact. In the next year this could double. One of our present problems is that we need to have the program in two languages, both Romanian and Russian. We have the children mixed together which always puts one group at a disadvantage. Even now we need two workers but as the inflation grinds those who do not work outside Moldova to the ends of their means we will for sure need other full time workers. "The challenge is to do enough to change lives. What is enough? That is the hard question. Feeding is not enough. Consistent intervention is just a start. Helping a child until their life is changed has to be the goal. For one child, the end work might be helping to go to a professional school to learn how to fix electronics, style hair, paint cars, or bake bread. For another child, it might be helping through university. And yet for another it might be helping in a wedding celebration and others in helping bury a parent or sibling. "We are thankful that so far this year from other places we have received some help toward a camp for the children for the summer, a group is bringing some tents for the camp, funds have come to help purchase books so the children will have school books to study from, three computers of our desired 10 computers are on the way for a computer lab. "Here I go back to the question "What is enough?" The best answer I can find, I guess, is enough is not the stuff we need to do the job or the funds to get it done. But Enough is that as many children at risk as possible will feel loved by us year after year until they can learn to love others in a healthy way and in this process come to a place where they will be givers into society. "I thank you; we thank you for what you and all of Horizons Foundations supporters have done over the years. We thank you for your continued support and encouragement in Balti Moldova. "In His work in Republic of Moldova. "(signed) Calvin W. Klaus" Ukraine - 16 year olds are evicted from state run orphanage continued from page 1 "And that is not ALL the good news. Beginning June 1st First Step Center is now open from 10:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. One of the things that we identified throughout the winter was that there are a number of boys who come to First Step who are somewhat territorial and tend to tell the street kids who CAN and CANNOT come to "their" Club. "By opening it during the day, our staff is now going out to the streets and bringing in children throughout the day to give them a meal, get medical care and get a bath and clean clothes, etc. etc. These new kids are not being intimidated by the older boys so they now know where First Step is and hopefully will come on a regular basis."There was something else we identified through record keeping and that is we NEED a completely different program and different time schedule for the number of boys who have been coming to First Step Center for years but are now over 18 years of age. "First Step Center was developed to help street children and we've noticed that the ages of those coming to the Club are getting older and older. HOWEVER, with the new hours, we are back to serving younger children and their needs are even greater because they are not wise to the ways of the streets and they are so vulnerable." Rescuing these children and others like them is why Horizons Foundation exists. Please join us in saving one life at a time. THANK YOU FOR YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT - YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN In His Service, Al and Charlotte Lockhart Horizons Foundation Donations may be sent to: PO Box 6022St Charles MO 63302 Al Lockhart Past Newsletters: 30 November 2003 31 December 2003 01 January 2004 01 February 2004 01 March 2004 01 April 2004 31 May 2004 30 June 2004 01 July 2004 01 August 2004 30 September 2004 31 October 2004 30 November 2004 31 December 2004 31 January 2005 28 February 2005 31 March 2005 02 May 2005 02 July 2005 31 August 2005 11 October 2005 18 December 2005 02 April 2006 30 June 2006 31 October 2006 |
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