Graduate Assistance Program

Graduate Assistance Program - Mykolaivka

Mykolaivka GAP Program Contact: Rachael Davidson

Sponsorship Needed! View Complete Student Listings: Class of 2010 | Class of 2011

An Orphan Smiles, Inc. is very pleased to be able to provide an avenue of hope and relief for many older orphaned children who are soon to “age-out” of the orphanage system.

Mykolaivka Internat is a “boarding school for orphans”, ages 7 through 18 years. The majority of these children have been orphaned due to circumstances of economic poverty and/or the death of their parents. There are approximately 120 children who live and are educated at this institution.

The location of this orphanage is in Nikolaevka, Donetsk, which is in Eastern rural Ukraine near the Russian border. It is approximately ten hours away from Kiev, Ukraine’s capital city, by train. The nearest town is “Kramatorsk”, a 45 minute drive away. There are no restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, or large stores in Nikolaevka. The roads are often well-worn asphalt, dirt and gravel.

Mykolaivka Internat is considered a special needs orphanage. Many children who become a part of Mykolaivka, typically score lower than average on placement tests, and therefore may struggle academically, and are not eligible for most trade schools, let alone colleges or universities. The children are considered mentally retarded and 'unfit' for further education. Click here to read more about the realities of what life has been like for these graduating orphans.

Program Description and Objectives for Mykolaivka Internat:

Find a sponsor for each child who is due to graduate the Internat generally in May of the year they turn 16.
Maintain sponsorship for grads for two years after leaving the Internat. Government operated vocational programs run for two years.
Provide an allowance of $25 a month for living expenses.
Provide ongoing support for the grad from both Internat personnel and An Orphan Smiles in-country helpers. This assistance may include helping with medical or vocational issues or having an adult available to provide guidance.
Keep the grad enrolled in school for the duration of the program.
Keep the grad safe, off the streets and away from a life of crime.
Provide the feeling that someone cares about them and their future.

Program Details:

Sponsorship consists of $30.00 per month ($31.20 via paypal) over a period of two years.

$30.00 Monthly Breakdown:

$25.00 Student Expenses
$ 5.00 In-Country AOS expenses

Payments:

Check Donation:

Mail your check to (in memo field please enter Graduate's name):
An Orphan Smiles, Inc.
PO Box 175
Kimberton, PA 19442-0175

Paypal Donation:

(To set up a recurring payment for your student)

Click here to visit our Donation Page to make a one time GAP Paypal payment or to help with other programs.

Expectations:

An Orphan Smiles has several in-country representatives who assist with our GAP program. Valentina and Andrei are two volunteers who work at the Internet and Aloysha is a former orphan who works with the Graduate Suppport Center in Kiev. Valentina manages the financial records for the program, distributes letters and interacts with students on a regular basis, Andrei handles communication with AOS coordinators and manages photo transfers and Aloysha provides visitation support, as needed. The two vocational schools that Mykolaivka grads are assigned to are not close to the Internat and transportation back and forth to the Internat is extremely difficult. It is not realistic for the students to be seen or photographed on every visit. Information about the grads will be provided as received by Valentina and Andrei or as provided through letters from the students themselves. Sponsors need to be aware that these children are not well educated and letter writing does not come easily nor will contain a great deal of information. Some letters are extremely difficult to be translated as a result of poor handwriting or grammar. And in some cases, very little information will be available for certain students. Sponsors need to be aware that feedback is not a guarantee of the program. However, the students will sign a receipt when they receive their funding.

Correspondence:

Letter writing is such an integral part of this program. The students yearn for this type of interaction with their sponsors who provide them with a tremendous amount of needed encouragement and friendship. We encourage our sponsors to write as often as they wish. An Orphan Smiles has a Translation Team who will translate sponsor’s letters. If students write to sponsors, we will gladly translate their letters which will be emailed directly to the sponsor after translation.

Click here to view helpful guidelines about writing letters for translation to your sponsored child.

Sponsors can send translation request directly to our Translation Request Center at:

Translations@AnOrphanSmiles.org

On average, each translation request will take seven days for completion, and will be emailed back to the sponsor.

Care Packages:

Sending parcels is not a requirement of the Graduate Assistance Program. However, if sponsors would like to send their student a care package, click here for guidelines on what to send and how to ship a package.

Additional Monetary Donations:

An Orphan Smiles does not encourage sponsors to regularly send additional funding beyond the $30 monthly assistance. Part of the intent of the program is for the students to learn to budget their money. However, small monetary gifts for special occasions like Birthdays, Christmas, Graduation, or possibly a pair of shoes or school supplies are reasonable and are acceptable for sponsors to consider. A general donation to the Myko GAP program for Valentina to react to emergency needs is also another way to help these children.

If you have questions about this program or would like to sponsor a graduate, please contact our GAP Myko coordinator Rachael at RachaelD@AnOrphanSmiles.org