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We now support 18 orphanages in Latvia having recently
taken on another six centres for disprivileged children.
All of the homes are in need of help and some are incredibly
run down. They are sadly in need of repairs from a shockingly
dilapidated kitchen to the need for toilet facilities ~ all
things that we take for granted. Amazing! We're are trying
to help them at this time with these needs as well as teaching
materials essential for there schooling.
Included in these
orphanages is one for crippled and retarded children. They
are very precious children and deserve all the help they
can get. We are concerned with the spiritual and educational
well-being of the orphans and have endeavoured to place
teaching materials and children's Christian literature in
their hands.
Over
these last years we've cared for orphans in Latvia in a growing
capacity. These children come from families where both parents
have died, or from parents who have AIDS or are drug addicts,
or solo mothers who can't care for the children. We started
providing for a boarding school of two hundred orphans and
at each visit a new orphanage was brought to our care. They
are "government" institutions but the country has no money
to care for the children. The government leaders came to
the Russian church whom we help and asked them to take charge
of the orphanages. These leaders had nothing and so came
to me for help.
Broken little lives are being healed and
amongst them future leaders of these regions are being
prepared. This is an incentive that keeps us providing for
them when funds run low. That happens very often. In winter
we double our contributions to the orphanages so that essential
medicines can be provided to keep some of the children alive.
Apart from the
day to day support of the 9 orphanages we have partnered
with two projects in Latvia two meet distinct and
urgent needs that the government is unable to fund:
Sigulda/Dobelnieki
Four
years ago the Russian Church we relate
to was given five acres of prime land and a derelict,
three-story farmhouse near the Sigulda National Park
an h ours drive east of Riga, the capital. The plan
is to renovate and make it a refuge centre for the
orphans to holiday away from the drab orphanage situation,
and for camps for education and Christian activities
for these disprivileged children. They can accommodate
about 70 children at any one time. The renovations
include replacing the ancient roof, replacing the rundown
kitchen, refurbishing the large bedrooms, making the
huge area under the roof on the upper floor a dormitory,
replacing the broken old flooring putting in an updated
plumbing system and electricity (there is none at present)
and a heating system to be able to use the facility
all year round. They still need $30,000 US
to undertake this for good materials and labour. (labour
is being undertaken by local tradesmen thus giving
employment to the unemployed). We have already conducted
children's, teenagers and adult retreats and camps
for these folk (An update of the last youth camp can
be found in the latest Latvia
ministry segment and have found them very
professional and accurate in what they do. I have personally
monitored amounts of money we have already invested
in this project.
 This
is the same farmhouse after many hours of labour seeing the
benefits of renovation to the present time. The farmhouse
and its grounds we the site of the recent youth camp held
by the Word of Truth Church. Looks are deceiving - there
is still much work to be done.
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