chi | russia | russian adoption agency

Dear adoptive parents!

CHI is constantly supporting our families in their preparation and during the adoption process. For those families traveling to Russia for the first time to meet with the child we offer new way to get the information about the travel, adoption and Russia in general. Please, check CHI On-line Seminar (Power Point Presentation) at http://www.childrenshopeint.org/Travel/russiareferral.htm before your trip. Watch it, talk it over with your spouse/relatives and ask your questions to our In-country consultant. Knowing makes the difference!

CHI Moscow team

Dear adoptive parents, friends and colleagues!

The spring has arrived and brought along joy, hope and good news! We are glad to say the CHI Russia Program is blossoming and growing! We’ve opened new regions, such as Krasnoyarsk, Cheboksary, Izhevsk, Nizhniy Novgorod and Moscow city. Together with recently re-opened Tomsk we are now working in 14 regions and hope for one more! From the beginning of the year 25 children were adopted, only in April 16 families received their referrals, many families are waiting for their first trip in the nearest few months.

We wish this new wind of spring will fill your days with anticipation and hopes for the best .

CHI Moscow team

We are sending you our best wishes for a Spring time fresh with new promises and an Easter bright with happiness! In Russia most people celebrate Easter according to the Orthodox Church calendar which makes it April 27th this year.

Traditionally, during 40 days "fast" before Easter believers maintain a strict adherence to the requirements of Lent not eating meat, eggs or other animal products. Russian spend Holy week doing spring cleaning, baking Easter bread called kulich, making sweet cheese spread called paskha and painting eggs using traditional method of boiling red onion peels together with the eggs. Easter Mass in Russia is held on Saturday night: worshipers congregate in a totally darkened church, which symbolizes the despair of a world without faith in Jesus Christ. As midnight approaches, they light candles and then, at the strike of 12 o'clock, church bells announce the resurrection of Christ. In the morning the Priest blesses the food with Holly Water and worshipers return to their homes for a long family feast.

In nowadays Russia many people do not go to the Church and watch midnight service on TV, they buy kulich at the supermarket and do not adhere to the Great Lent, but almost everyone in Russia paint eggs and exchange them with their friends and families starting Sunday Morning conversation with joyous exclamation “Khristos Voskrese!” which means “Christ has arisen!”

Happy Easter!

Dear friends, colleagues and adoptive parents!

CHI Russia team would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
May all your dreams come true!
May this year brings you a lot of happiness!
Best wishes to everyone!

CHI

Children's Hope International is happy to announce that as of December 14, 2007 we were officially accredited in the Russian Federation!

Children's Hope International is very pleased to announce that as of December 14, 2007 we received official order from the Ministry of Education. We also received an Accreditation certificate, issued on December 19, 2007, signed by the Minister of Education of the Russian Federation Andrey Fyrsenko granting us authority to place children for adoption from within the territory of the Russian Federation. This accreditation is non-expiring.

Congratulations to All Waiting Families!

CHI Russia team

No need to log on!

We open the information about the adoption process in our regions to all our families. Please, be informed that this information is not up-to-date due to the fact that we expect some changes after accreditation according to the upcoming reorganization of the Department of Guardianship and Custody. The process in general will remain the same, but some small changes may occur. We will update CHI web-site once we will have accreditation.

CHI Moscow Team

Dear friends,
Please welcome our March arrivals! In March 9 Russian children found their homes in the US: Sloan Segars, Stella Torem, Kathryn Lanigan, Victoria Thomas, Ellena Thomas, Rebecca Leist, Anna Boblitz, Nickolas Groh and Elizaveta Thompson! Congratulations and best wishes from CHI Russia!

We would like to congratulate Elena Fielstein of Nashville, TN on a wonderful accomplishment! Elena earned a gold medal in the 25th Annual National Russian Essay Contest held by the American Council of Teachers of Russian (ACTR). 1,521 middle and high school students participated in the Contest in all the 50 states of the United States. The theme of the essay, which had to be written in Russian, was My Life in America.

Elena, who was adopted from Russia through our Operation Hope program, joined her family, parents Lynda and Elliot Fielstein and sister Jody, in the fall of 2001 at the age of ten and a half years. Lynda and Elliot were dedicated to keeping Elena’s Russian language. Fortunately, their dedication and Elena’s willingness to learn were happily combined with the opportunity of an excellent Russian language teacher holding classes close to their home. Since 2002, Elena has been attending these classes weekly, and has not only retained and developed her spoken Russian but can also read and write in her native language. She makes A’s and B’s in her high school and is a member of the Junior High Honor Society.

We at Children's Hope International are especially pleased to extend our congratulations and best wishes to Elena and her family. We know that many parents would like for their adopted children (especially for those who were adopted as older school-age children) to remember their native language. It is possible, with hard work and dedication (and a good teacher, we might add), and we are happy to see that this possibility can, in fact, become a reality!

Congratulations, Elena!

Dear All,
Please welcome our February arrivals – kids, adopted from all over Russia who found their forever homes in the US! Best wishes to all of them from the CHI Russia team! Benjamin Nicholas Kampling, Grace Aleksandra Piper, John Alexander Black, Abigail Negina Clobes, Natasha Susan and Mikhail Robert Mairo, Nicolas Sergey Snellings – we hope all of them will become good citizens of the US of whom their parents will be proud.

We are very happy to announce that this year 201 children found their new forever families with the help of Children’s Hope International adoption agency!
Our best wishes to CHI December families: Lynda Diffey, Cathlyn Nigh, Taylor and Andrea Carroll, Ulrich and Rosemary Schumacher, Robert and Melba McRee, Mark and Kelly Logan, Matthew and Kimberly Christ, George and Tina Lauderback, Darren and Rachel Key, and Russell and Anita Miller!
Congratulations to all of them!
Happy New Year!

CHI Moscow Team

Dear All,

Please be informed that due to official Russian Holidays, the CHI Moscow office will be closed from Dec. 30, 2006 through Jan. 9, 2007. Please note that all official institutions such as Courts, Ministries of Education, Vital Statistics Offices, the American Embassy, etc. will be closed as well. We do not expect families to travel to Russia during these days. Duty schedule will be organized at the CHI Moscow office to keep control of emergency cases. We will come back to work on Jan. 10, 2007 on a regular basis. We are looking forward to meeting our families in January.

Happy Holidays!

CHI Moscow Team
Russia

With the magic of Christmas in the air and New Year just round the corner... it's the perfect time to take a break from work and cherish the warmth of the season. Please take a minute to read our news on December E-Newsletter and best wishes from the CHI Russia Team! We hope you enjoy it!

May this season bring you happy memories to cherish always!

CHI Russia Team

With this note we would like to thank every CHI family, every
CHI employee and every CHI friend for your support, understanding and help that you give to lots of Russian orphans. Please follow this link to Thanksgiving Issue Nov ‘06 to view our monthly newsletter. We hope that you enjoy it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

CHI Russia Team

Dear friends!

We are happy to announce that on November 4 the Governmental regulation concerning NGO was finally signed! Now we are expecting to get our Accreditation by the end of November.
Congratulations to everyone and thanks a lot for your patience!

CHI Moscow team

Our dear parents!

We are pleased to announce CHI October Russian Newsletter. It includes updates on the process and answers for frequently asked questions. Please follow this link to view our monthly newsletter. We hope that you enjoy this.

CHI Russia team

COA Recognized by Hague Convention

COA (Council on Accreditation) has been named by the U.S. Department of State as the only national accreditor of agencies that provide intercountry adoption services under the Hague Convention. This is an extraordinary endorsement of COA, as well as the value of accreditation as a means to ensure quality governance, management and service delivery.

Moscow Named World's Most Expensive City

The annual survey, conducted by New York-based Mercer Human Resource Consulting, measures the costs of more than 200 items in 144 cities, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment. Skyrocketing real estate prices have made Moscow the most expensive place on earth to live. http://www.999today.com/business/news/story/3380.html

THE 10 MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES:
1. Moscow, Russia
2. Seoul, South Korea
3. Tokyo, Japan
4. Hong Kong, China
5. London, UK
6. Osaka, Japan
7. Geneva, Switzerland
8. Copenhagen, Denmark
9. Zurich, Switzerland
10. Oslo, Norway and New York, US
Source: Mercer Human Resource Consulting

Dear Adoptive Parents!

We would like to inform you about the latest changes in post-placement procedures accepted recently in all regions we work with. According to the Letter from Deputy Minister of Education of the Russian Federation all regional Departments of Education are to apply into practice the following terms for submitting post-placement reports:

First report - not later then 6 months after adoption court date
Second report - not later then 12 months after the court date
Third - not later then 24 months after adoption court date
Fourth - not later then 36 months after adoption court date

It means CHI Regional Coordinators are to submit reports before the expiration date. Shipping reports to Russia, translating and getting reports notarized takes about two months, therefore we request you to send completed post placement reports to CHI St. Louis office 2 months ahead of time. It’s a must, according to the Russian Law. Please understand that the future happiness of many children and families, who are in the process now, depends on how timely YOU submit post placement reports. This is the main criterion the MOE uses for re-accreditation.

Thank you for your cooperation,
CHI Russia Team

Dear friend and colleagues!

We are glad to inform you about the new hotel we consider to use for our families. It is recently opened The Courtyard Moscow City Center by Marriott, it is a brand new full service property, located right in the heart of town between Tverskaya and Nikitskaya streets in 10 min walking distance from Kremlin, Red Square and Old Arbat street (souvenir marker street). It has spacious rooms that combine comfort and functionality with full amenities for staying with a child – cribs or extra-bed for free, baby-bedding, high-chairs, bottled water, etc. High-speed Internet access is available to our families for reasonable price in guest rooms and wireless LAN in all public areas and meeting rooms (brining your lap-top might be a good idea). Spacious lobby is very convenient for meetings, communication and all paper-work related to adoption activities. Families are welcome to use their Marriott Rewards Points at this hotel. A bank office at the hotel provides a nice exchange rate.

Please be informed that we were able to negotiate a very attractive adoption rate for the CHI Families at this hotel, it is $255 per night for a standard room for two people including two breakfasts for adults and their children under age 12, excluding 18% VAT. Room reservations can be made through the CHI Moscow office. If you would like to try this hotel, please let the CHI St. Louis office know. More information on the web at www.courtyardmoscow.com

Today we are celebrating a happy ending of Patricia Correll's lengthy adoption process. Her story began about a year ago in a freezing Siberian city. After a dramatic experience in Tomsk (the child she had been offered was adopted by a Russian couple), she switched to Moscow and received a referral of a wonderful sweet girl Olya. Today, they became a family, and to celebrate this event the CHI Moscow team made a special present for her. She deserved a cake for her outstanding optimism and patience.

Her story shows that in spite of many challenges and worries you might experience during your process of adoption, you will realize that it was all worth it the moment you get united with you child !

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have a wonderful tradition at the CHI Moscow office to celebrate Thanksgiving together with our families. Every year we invite CHI adoptive families to join us this day in celebrating this American holiday.

This year seven families gathered together at the Russian restaurant “Korchma” to eat turkey and share this tradition with their adopted children. We hope all of them enjoyed the dinner and felt at home that evening.

The Director of Children's Hope Foundation in Russia meets with President at Kremlin

At a Day of National Unity reception in Moscow, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, shook the hand of Boris Chernov, CHIFoundation’s Director for Russian aid, saying thank you for the work done on behalf of the children. Chenov was one of 100 people invited to the Kremlin to attend the reception. Those attending were individuals and organizations like Children’s Hope whose charity activities are of great importance to Russia. From assisting families torn apart by the Beslan school terrorists, to assisting 400 orphans displaced by flooding in Kemerovo, to producing television documentaries to raise awareness of foster care and domestic adoption, Children’s Hope had over 165 projects in Russia in 2004.

During the gathering President Putin said, that the Russian people have always nurtured and cherished the traditions of mutual help and have been ready to share and respond to the sorrows and need of others. He added that the partnership between the state and charity institutions is set to expand greatly in the coming years. He also said, that increased involvement by Russian businesses in charity projects indicates a growing sense of civil and social responsibility.

As you may remember, we spent the first six months of the year 2005 anxiously waiting for the reaccreditation letter from the Ministry of Education with the permission to continue our work in the adoption field in Russia. Five of ten regions where we work were shut down and the other five continued adoptions struggling with many challenges. But, the Foundation kept on working! Those days only strengthened the prestige of our agency as an organization of respectable and sincere people who could sacrifice their interests to the interests of children.

Please take a look at the CHI Foundation Six Months Humanitarian Projects Report here.

This Is My Child, or Mama, You Were Not There When I Was Born!

By Vlada Sergueyeva

This month we continue publishing excerpts from the first Russian book about adoption called “This Is My Child, or Mama, You Were Not There When I Was Born!” translated by Tatyana Yurlova, CHI Special project coordinator with the author’s permission.
This part is about attachment and bonding, read it and you will see that despite of many cultural differences between Russians and Americans we all have to deal with the same problems with adopted children’s adaptation.

Dear parents!
Please, be informed about Siberia airlines luggage limits:
All Siberia Airlines domestic flights allow for a free checked baggage allowance of up-to 20 kg (40 pounds) in Economy class and up-to 30 kg (60 ponds) in Business Class including carry-on per one person. Additional charges apply for overweight baggage approximately $3 per kilo. All carry-on baggage is weighed and is subject to the total baggage allowance. Carry-on items must weigh less than 5 kg (10 pounds).

Please, check for details: http://www.s7.ru/en/flight_info/flying_with_us/baggage-info.html

Please, pack light!
CHI Moscow team

The Golden Heart Award ceremony and a benefit concert took place in “Rossiya Concert Hall” on May 21, 2005 in Moscow. The concert included appearances by famous artists: NATALIA OREIRO, EMMA SHAPLIN, AMICI FOREVER, «Bravo», Alexandr Rosenbaum, Angelika Varum, Leonyd Agutin, Lev Leschenko, Nikolai Baskov, Tamara Gverzitelli and others. The patroness of the event was famous actress SOPHIA LOREN.

The main award “The Golden Heart” was granted to the Rodins family for adopting and fostering of 23 children. Executive director Children’s Hope International Dwyatt Gantt and Associate director Melody Zhang while their visit in Moscow were invited for the ceremony. On behalf of Children’s Hope International Dwyatt Gantt presented the Gift Certification for 11 tickets to Russian Recreation Center “Orlyonok” to the Rodins family with sincere gratitude for outstanding care for children.

The ceremony will be shown on TV (NTV) on June 1, 2005, as part of the Childhood’s Protection Day and SMS marathon to support The Life Line Charity Programme for children who suffer from serious, life-threatening conditions. Please, read more information on http://www.ghaward.com/en/

Official information:

On March, 10th Head of the Government of the Russian Federation
M. Fradkov signed the Resolution ¹ 123 About the authorities of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation in assistance in family placement of children, left without parental care. This resolution imposes a responsibility to release reaccreditation letters for representative offices of adoption agencies on the Ministry of Education and Science.

Those who have been to Moscow may remember that there is a famous place near the Red Square called THE ZERO KILOMETER. It is the point from which we count distance between cities; it is the starting point on any map in Russia. We can compare this Resolution with Moscow Zero Kilometer, it is the beginning of a new period in international adoption in Russia.

CHI Moscow team hopes it will bring us positive changes very soon!

We understand that reaccreditation process may take time, though nobody knows how long it will take the Ministry of Education and Science to process it. One month is a good guess. We have very good hopes that due to CHI Russian Representative office had submitted all the necessary documents in time and in order we can expect to be in priority.

We would like to thank you all for your support. We say THANK YOU to all our adoptive parents for a good care they provide to our children. We appreciate CHI social workers for their dedication to work, especially in preparation Post-placement reports. As an agency, we are respected by the Ministry of Education for full and detailed post-placement reports submitted in time.

Together with our families, we are a very good team!

Thinking about adoption? Boy or girl? Baby or toddler? Older child?
So many questions, so many expectations…

Here is an excerpt from the first Russian book about domestic adoption written by an adoptive mother published in Russia in 2004 with the financial support of the Children’s Hope Foundation. This is very informative and at the same time very private book, you may find it useful. Click here, please.

Take a look at the photograph - this is our 1000th adoptive family in Russia!

The Nussbaumer family has just adopted a sweet little girl from the Moscow region.The girl named Kayla Marlene will be 7 months old on the 25th of December. This family has adopted a boy from Russia before who is now 3 years old.

Congratulations!

Dear parents!

We would like to inform you about the airfares on your flight to the region. Ticket prices vary depending on the airline, different types of air fleet, US dollar exchange rate, etc. At present a ONE-WAY ticket per TWO PERSONES from Moscow to Tomsk costs about $660 in economy class, to Novosibirsk $540-660, to Novokuznetsk or Kemerovo $540-600 and to Kaliningrad two tickets cost $320. Business class is usually twice expensive.
Please, calculate your travel with updated information.

This Is My Child, or Mama, You Were Not There When I Was Born!

By Vlada Sergueyeva

This book was published in Russia in 2004 with the financial support of the Children’s Hope Foundation. It is the fist Russian book on adoption written by an adoptive parent. Today you have a chance to read some excerpts from this wonderful book, translated by Tatyana Yurlova, CHI Special project coordinator with the author’s permission.

One of our own adoptive families, Vladimir and Evgenia Razumtseva of Russia, have been invited to attend the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute’s (CCAI) annual "Angels in Adoption" gala on September 23, 2004 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. They brought up 19 children, 5 bio, 7 adopted and 7 foster children. Gildagart Bott, who assisted with the Razumtseva’s adoption, has also been invited to attend.

The program lends Congress members the opportunity to honor individuals and organizations that work to improve the lives of children in need of permanent and loving homes from this country and around the world.

BESLAN SCHOOL TRAGEDY FUND

No words can express the anguish we all feel after watching and reading about the school terrorist attack in Beslan, North Osetia, Russia. Hundreds of children, parents and teachers died after being held prisoner for almost three days.

How can I help?

What can I do?

Here at Children’s Hope we too asked those questions. Today we found out that we know eight children who were in the attack.

In April of this year, Children’s Hope Foundation helped sponsor 8 girls from Beslan competing in a fashion theater in Moscow. In this “Golden Needle” competition, the girls designed, sewed and modeled their own clothing. Of the 8 girls of this group, six visited Moscow (as you can see at this picture). But all of them attended the Beslan school and 5 were captured by the terrorists.

At this time we know one of these girls died. One girl (wearing pink with fans) Svetlana T. is missing and the others are injured and still in hospital.
Helping the families of these girls is one of the three ways the entire Children’s Hope family can make a difference.
“Since CHI is directing this project, we can insure the security of donations,” says Yuriy Kudinov, CHI’s Director of Humanitarian Aid.

Family Assistance

Medical Rehabilitation Center

Orphanage Security Devices

You can help by mail:
Children’s Hope International Foundation
9229 Lackland Road
St. Louis , MO 63114-5412
USA
I n memo portion of your check:“ Russian School tragedy Fund” or “Beslan ”
-or-

A new and important feature of the Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs website is secure online registration, which allows American citizens to record foreign trip and residence information that we can use to provide our services. On a routine basis, we use the registrations to communicate information about living overseas as an American (for example, updates on absentee voting or passport procedures) as well as security notices. In an emergency, the registration information would be vital in helping us assist Americans residing in, or visiting Moscow.
Americans around the world who travel or reside abroad can access this site either through a link on Travel.State.Gov, or directly, at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs.
We invite any short-term travelers to Russia to also register using this new system. It will let us know who is in Russia at any given time so that we can contact them in an emergency.
Registration also links Americans to up-to-date travel information
customized to their unique travel agendas and itineraries. The data provide is secured behind Department of State firewalls, accessed only by cleared personnel in embassies, consulates, and the Department of State, and releasable only with permission under the provisions of the Privacy Act.

The Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital is located in Moscow, Russia. This hospital gives treatment to 15,000 children annually for leucosis, kidney, blood vessel and other diseases.

Many orphans from all over Russia come here for surgeries. Little patients at the Russian Children’s Clinical Hospital are severely ill and therefore need more happiness and support. Imagine orphans at the hospital without somebody to come and bring them candies and fruits, without somebody who can soothe or cheer them up when they are scared… Thanks to people from the Regional Public Charitable Fund of Help, seriously ill and unfortunate children can come to their church and pray together for hope.

On 18 June, the CHI Foundation in Russia and the Charitable Fund of Help organized a small circus performance for orphans and other children at the Hospital. We wanted to give them a little hope and to make them smile! And we achieved this. Everybody who could walk has come, those who couldn’t walk on their own used their wheelchairs and came. Have a look at these pictures and you will see that the “Train of Hope” has arrived to Russia!

Balloons and T-shirts with the CHI tree was not the only one sign of it! Children’s smiles and their happy faces gave us the feeling that by doing such things we can bring them some HOPE!

We believe that HOPE is the most needed thing at the hospital!

The response to our plea on behalf of the 1,000 orphans affected by last month's flooding in Kemerovo has been larger than we ever dared to hope!
Over $16,000 has been raised thus far and the funds have been divided between five damaged or destroyed children's homes and boarding schools in the region. We received photos that show orphans in the towns of Kaltan and Tashtagol receiving clothes, boots, shoes, bed linens and textbooks. Before the new items arrived, most of the 141 children in the orphanage had almost nothing to wear and many were sleeping on uncovered mattresses. The director of the home, Olga Rodykina, conveyed to us her amazement at the overwhelming response of people so far away.

Thanks to everyone who has given so generously!

In Russia 1st June is celebrated as International Children’s Day. The United Nations General Assembly recommended in 1954 (resolution 836 (IX)) that all countries institute a Universal Children's Day, to be observed as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between children and of activity promoting the welfare of the world's children.

Convention on the Rights of the Child declares “the child, for the full and harmonious development of his or her personality, should grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love and understanding”.

Children’s Hope International supports this idea by finding love and secure families for many children around the World.

On April 3, 2004 the competition of Children’s Fashion Theatres called “Golden needle” was held in Moscow. Children from 22 different regions of Russia and Kazakhstan took part in this annual competition. More than two hundred collections were demonstrated. All the costumes were designed and sewn by children. The beauty of the collections and the talent of the children amazed the spectators. Looking at this parade of various themes in the collections it was difficult to believe that the children were the authors of such a

professional work. Slava Zaitsev, a world-known designer, was the president of the judges and the host of competition.

CHI Foundation in Russia presented an electrical sewing machine to children from the city Derzinsk, Nizni Novgorod region. We are proud that we had an opportunity of making our contribution to support and encouragement of such a developing program.

The annual Easter Egg Hunt was hosted for adoptive families by Children's Hope International in St. Louis. They gathered at one of the local schools with their newly adopted children who brought Easter baskets with them in anticipation of an exciting search for painted plastic eggs with sweet treats inside. The eggs were "planted" by the Easter Bunny (played by one of the adults from the CHI board of directors). They were hidden all around the school yard - in grass, under the benches, in flower pots, etc. Girls and boys of all ages were hunting for little treasures and were trying to find as many as they could.

For some of the kids this was the first Easter Egg Hunt ever since they have been adopted from Russia or China just a few months earlier.
What a fun day filled with sun and smiles that was!

About 3 years ago, the Hlavaty-LaPosa family left Russia with their free girls for their new home in America! Michael and Jane came to Smolensk to adopt sisters Olga and Lioudmila and then returned for the eldest Marina, she was 14 at that time. Michael, Jane and their daughter Theresa opened their hearts for three Russian girls.

Parents always want their Russian girls to be proud of their motherland and do a lot to keep Russian traditions in their family. Last week this happy family of six came back to Russia to meet people and places that is a part of a family history now. It was so neat to watch them being exited about their trip to girls’ native city Smolensk. They met many friends, teachers and caregivers. They also brought humanitarian help for
the orphanage girls were residing at.

CHI Russia team thanks the Hlavaty-LaPossa family for starting such a good tradition of coming back to Russia with adopted children to show them a country where they were born.

Adopted in Russia? Come back! We are more then happy to see you!

We are very pleased to announce new CHI humanitarian project in Vladivostok region. CHI Vladivostok coordinator Oleg Petruk has recently opened his own foster village called “Family hearth”. The mayor of the city Vladivostok leased them old building of ex-military camp in a suburb of Vladivostok city for a very small rent. The main building was rebuilt with a help of participants and now 27 foster children and 4 foster families live there. They are big happy family. Oleg calls all kids who live there “my children”. The main thing they do for a living is farming - goats, a cow and her calf, a horse, rabbits, chickens and a turkey live there and even 10 beehives. Still much to be done but people there are very enthusiastic and energetic!

The local newspaper “Vladivostok news” reported about this project. For your attention, though it is in Russian you may have a look at the pictures. Soon in English!

If you are ready to help, please, click the button “DONATION” on right-side bar and specify your donation to Vladivostok region. CHI Foundation cares about children left behind even teenagers.

The CHI Russia Program conference took place in Moscow.

CHI Russia Program Director Yuriy Kudinov and CHI Chief Financial Officer Dianne Brinner from our headquarters based in Saint Louis, Missouri (USA) attended the conference. For three days we had dicussed the current situation with the adoption system in Russia, reviewed the results of our work and planned the policy of the CHI agency for the next year. We celebrated the occasion that brought us together to share our experiences. CHI Chief Financial Officer Dianna Brinner was pleasantly surprised by the order of finance management. She said that she was glad to find out that the available funds were spent appropriately and reported accurately.)