Brief introduction to the
Located in Grozny, Chechnya
And the branches in Kaunas, Lithuania September 2006
Mrs. Chadizhat Gataeva is the founder of the privately organized and financed orphanage Rodnaja Semja. Rodnaja Semja means “own family”, explaining the philosophy of the orphanage: all children live together like brothers and sisters, helping and protecting each other. Chadizhat and her husband Malik are accepted as parents. They have adopted at least 15 children who have no relatives left. Some of the younger children have never had another family. They were found infront of the orphanage or brought as new born babies.
The first war in Chechnya
During the first Chechen war, between 1994 and 1996, Chadizhat had been working as a nurse in a hospital. After a bombardement someone brought her a couple of children to take care of. These children hadlost their parents and homes. They had been living on the streets and ruins of Grozny. No one else was interested in these orphans, so Chadizhat eventually rented a flat in Grozny to have a place for the children to stay at. More and more street children were given to her. By the end of the war, when it was clear that the children would stay with her, she founded the orphanage and registered officially. The orphanage then was financed by spontaneous financial help from foreign journalists and friends and by the income from a small laundry, Chadizhat and her cousin had opened to become financially independent.
The second war in Chechnya
At the beginning of the second Chechen war, in autumn 1999, the orphanage and laundry in the city of Grozny was one of the first buildings to be destroyed by a russian air attack. Chadizhat had to flee with all the kids to the neighbouring republic of Ingushetia, where they stayed until 2003. Since summer 2000 they have received financial support from the german NGO Cap Anamur. In autumn 2003 all refuges were forced to move back to Chechnya. Cap Anamur has financed a new orphange in Grozny and the children have moved back home.
Between 1999 and 2000 the number of children living in the orphanage increased to 90. Amongst the orphans were many street children and social orphans. Refugees, desparate widows and relatives begged Chadizhat to take their children forever or for some time because they did not know how to survive with the children. And another case increased dramatically: teenage mothers, victims of rapes and mass rapes who became outcasts of the society as they were non married mothers. Almost every day people come to the orphanage and ask Chadizhat to take more children. In summer 2006 Chadizhat had 35 children and teenagers officially living in the orphanage in Grozny.
and the work of Kaukasuskinder e.V. (“children of the Caucasus”)
Since 2000 the orphanage Rodnaja Semja has had a branch in Kaunas, Lithuania. In spring 2000 10 children and teenagers from Chadizhats orphanage got an invitation to stay for a couple of months in Lithuania to relax from their war trauma. They finally got a guest right to stay as long as they wanted. They got a flat in Kaunas, but they were not incorporated into the Lithuanian social system. They first got help from a Polish organization to afford their living but after the flood in Poland they withdrew from the work in Lithuania. In 2001 the friends in Germany started helping out in Kaunas. The goal was to support the kids as long as they were at school or learning a profession so that they could stay forever in Lithuania fully integrated into the local system. We founded the non-profit organization Kaukasuskinder e.V. (“children of the Caucasus”) to give our work an institutional base and to collect donations professionally.
The kids are growing up. We see the first successes: 8 school years in 6 years, good marks and many plans for the future, including interests in several professions. The youngest, Chakkie, first went to kindergarden and then for 2 years to school. As this project is a long term project and the orphanage has none of its own income we constantly need to raise funds to finance the children`s livelihood. The entire political situation and the fact that Chechnya and its people are put on the international axe of evil makes this work rather difficult.
Our pilot project and the cooperation with the Lithuanian authorities went so well that our new partner, the Waldorf organization, has decided to collect money through their WOW-day project to buy a house in Kaunas and to make it possible for more children to come from Grozny to stay in Lithuania. 7 children and 6 teenagers have arrived in Kaunas in summer 2006. The present material situation is disastrous: the house needs to be restored as soon as possible and the financing of the children`s livelihood is only guaranteed until October 2007. Kaukasuskinder e. V. Is officially responsible for the orphanage`s maintenance costs.
We always look for support, hints, recommendations, cooperation, partnerships and funds!
For further informations please contact:
Sandra Schumann
Kaukasuskinder e.V. Weidenweg 5
10249 Berlin
Germany
Fon.: 0049/30/42809699
Fax: 0049/30/42088273
Mail: noneblonde@yahoo.de
From Germany : From abroad :
Kaukasuskinder e.V. Kaukasuskinder e.V.
Sparkasse Oder-Spree Sparkasse Oder-Spree
KNR.: 3000638864 IBAN: DE85170550503000638864
BLZ.: 17055050 SWIFT-CODE: WELADED1LOS
Purpose: Project Nadeshda or Orphanage Rodnaja Semja etc.
Please, don`t forget to give us your postal adress in case you need a receipt!
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