German organisation and Ukrainian baptists build family orphanages

Last year, the organisations established eight houses, Baptyst.com writes. The buildings are located in the regions of Cherka, Volyn, Dnipropetrovsk and Zhytomyr. They are meant to shelter orphans. In total, the organisations now own 110 such houses.

According to the Ukrainian Baptists, the war has increased the need for attention to children without parents. They refer to statistics from the Ministry of Social Policy that show that more than 4,000 children miss parental care. About 250 of them lost their parents because of war violence.

Each house has a pair of 'named parents', the Baptists write on their website. They are to provide their own children and orphans with love, care, protection, education, communication and Christian upbringing.

Some of the orphan families have fled abroad. However, their houses are not empty. Currently, local churches use the buildings to help refugees and provide them with shelter and evangelise to them.

Garden

According to the website of the German organisation "Bridge to Life", parents can raise up to twelve foster children in one family. They see this service as necessary, as the state lacks the funds to take good care of all these children. Foster parents receive special training from the local authorities, Bridge to Life writes.

Furthermore, the family units are to be as self-sufficient as possible. To that end, they are set up as small farms. "Children learn how to grow fruit and vegetables in the garden and greenhouse and how to take responsibility for chickens, rabbits and other animals", the organisation states.

In addition, children receive education in foreign languages to ensure them of good career opportunities when they grow up. Socialising is also an essential part of their upbringing, and they are to spend time with other children. "This time is also used intensively to make life worth living for the children who are disadvantaged in life – with professional care", Bridge to Life states.