Red Cross Helps Russia's Hungry Orphans

Written by Stephanie Kriner, Staff Writer, RedCross.org

As an infant, Victor Chuvashov was left at a Russian orphanage emaciated and unresponsive. By the time he was 2 years old, Victor still could neither walk nor talk. His unresponsiveness led orphanage workers to believe he was mentally retarded. Weighing a mere 7 kilograms (15 pounds) and standing only 71 centimeters (2 feet, 4 inches) tall on his second birthday, he cried incessantly.

Victor suffers from rickets, a disease that stunts the development of malnourished children. Many children at the orphanage in the eastern Siberian city of Sludyanka, have suffered from malnutrition, but Victor's case was particularly severe. Orphanage workers were helpless in curing Victor's illness — the cash-strapped institute simply did not have enough funds to provide him with the food he needed to recuperate.

Victor is recovering slowly from illness brought on by malnutrition.

Now a spunky 3-and-a-half-year-old, Victor is still small for his age, but he looks like a happy, active toddler. A year ago he began walking, and just three months ago he started talking. He also has started to grow and now weighs 9.5 kilograms (21 pounds) and is 76 centimeters (2 and a half feet) tall. Orphanage workers credit the American Red Cross with the dramatic turnaround that may have saved Victor's life.

The American Red Cross is supplying food to orphanages affected by Russia's struggling economy, through two separate programs. One program, made possible by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, supplies orphanages and other struggling institutions throughout Siberia with flour, rice, beans, buckwheat and vegetable oil. Another program brings fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy products and other items required for the proper development of children, to 10 orphanages housing more than 1,000 children in Siberia as well as in the Moscow region.

"As a result of the food programs, all the children are starting to gain weight," said Elena Novopashina, who watches over Victor and nine other orphans. "It's only natural that when they get better food, they are sick less often, they play more and are more active."

The American Red Cross does not typically support orphanages, but when the Russian economy collapsed in 1998, and support to institutions diminished, it was clear that the lives of hundreds of children were at stake. During its first year, financial support for the effort, which began in April 1999, was provided in part by donations from the U.S.-based Indy Racing League and CHS Cares, a nonprofit organization established by the technology company CHS Electronics. An anonymous donor is supporting the continuation of the program through the end of this year.

Food continues to arrive at a critical time for Russian orphanages. Like many institutions throughout Russia, orphanages are running on no more than 50 percent of their operational needs. As prices continue to rise and provisions decrease, the situation grows more and more difficult.

The Sludyanka Specialized Orphanage, where Victor lives, is home to more than 100 children from infants to 4 year olds. The orphanage mostly serves children suffering from a range of neurological, congenital and mental disorders. The American Red Cross supplies the orphanage with $1,500 per month to purchase desperately needed supplemental aid, including fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and formula, meat, medicine and vitamins.

"Our support to the Sludyanka orphanage is particularly important," said Jennifer Sparnicht, an American Red Cross delegate in Siberia. Until the age of 5, a child's resistance to illness is still being built, she explained.

Victor is much more responsive to the orphanage staff than he was before Red Cross help arrived.

No one at Sludyanka Orphanage seems to know exactly how Victor wound up in the system. According to orphanage records, authorities revoked Victor's mother's parental rights. Due to his suspected mental retardation, he was switched from another orphanage to Sludyanka after nearly a year. Russian children such as Victor end up in orphanages for a variety of reasons, but only a portion of them have actually lost both parents. Orphanage officials say that Victor's mother likely lost her parental rights because of alcoholism, a common reason for children to be taken by the government. Many children, especially the mentally and physically handicapped, are abandoned, because parents are unable or unwilling to care for them. Widespread poverty among Russia's working class adds to the problem.

"Most of the children who come here had poor, sick or alcoholic parents," said Andrei Patrushev, the orphanage director. "Social factors are usually the cause."

Still some 4 pounds lighter and 9 centimeters shorter than the average 3-year-old, Victor has a way to go before he recovers from the effects of rickets, said Dr. Michael Shupruto, a neurologist at the orphanage. "He still can't eat as much as is necessary for him to recuperate. He's still rather weak and his physical movements are restricted," Shupruto said. "Children with serious cases of rickets get so weak that they don't develop physically or mentally."

Only with the continued support of American Red Cross and other donors can Sludyanka continue to help children like Victor. Unfortunately, Patrushev said, the Sludyanka orphanage, which runs mostly on donated dollars, is in a constant struggle to find funds, especially considering the poor state of Russia's economy. Staff members sometimes wait months to receive their salaries, the children have few toys and pieces of cloth suffice as diapers. "There are many problems here," he said. "But food is the most urgent need."