Breakfast in Unit 5 - High Dependency
The very special children of Unit 5 are at the very heart of Vesnova Orphanage in more ways than one. Here,at the end of the corridor on the ground floor, are 24 wonderful boys and girls aged from 7 to 19 who have stolen the hearts of many people in Ireland and around the world.
I am in this unit 5 or 6 hours a day.
My bedroom is quite near this Unit, and every morning just before 8am I can hear the rumble of the trolley carrying the buckets of porridge, bowls, bottles and plastic spoons.
The carers and volunteers arrive before 8 and spend the next hour or more feeding the children. Every child has different needs and therefore some may take quite a while. Amazingly, unless they are sick, they all seem to be able to devour a huge bowl of porridge, and maybe also take a bottle. Of course, the last time they were fed was 6 pm the previous evening, so this may explain their appetite.
This will be their only food or drink until 1pm.
With all children fed, it's time for our own breakfast.
Then it's back to the Unit to change all the nappies, dress the kids, change whatever sheets etc need changing, and bring the children to the Day Room, where they will spend the rest of the day, unless they are lucky enough to be brought out for a walk.
Everything is generally quiet, the silence being broken sometimes by a child crying or groaning. There is no music playing, just the low sounds from a TV which no-one looks at, except the carers from time to time.
The volunteers bring an air of fun and optimism to the room, and sometimes you can hear a child laugh in response.
In many cases the children are uncomfortable, because their wheelchairs ( if they have one), do not fit them, they have grown out of them, or they are just plain wrong for them. However, the CCI Board and Medical Staff under the careful and caring eye of Marie Cox have created a very safe space for these children with funds from Ireland and abroad, and the monthly assistance of volunteers. It's hard to keep up with the needs of these growing children, and funds are always needed for new supplies, equipment etc. A nurse is always on duty ( funded by CCI) to assist with the medical care of the Unit 5 children.
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| Nurses and Carers in Unit 5 |
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| Julie with Lena |
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| Triona, Tatiana, Ann and Michelle feeding in Unit 5 with the Boys' Houses being rebuilt in the background |
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| Unit 5 Walk in the grounds |
By 11.15 or so, everyone is out in the Day Room. The weather, thankfully is sunny and mild, and children can be taken out for a walk. For some children, getting coats, hats and shoes on can be a little traumatic but they love the fresh air, the change of scenery and the one-to-one attention. 
Meet Nina: “I’m very sure my parents want me to come home. They don’t say so. But they write letters and say they will visit someday. They haven’t yet. They’ve been very busy.”
Nina is 18 years old. She has been in institutional care since she was 8 years old. She escaped the fate of lifelong institutionalization when she came to live in an independent living home for mentally and physically disabled young adults, set up by Chernobyl Children International. It is the first of its kind in Belarus.
“I remember the last time I saw my home, but just a little. It was summer. A woman came to the house. She said she was a psychologist. She took me to a van. I was crying. I didn’t want to go. I remember my parents, standing there. A man drove us to the child home, and left me.”
“Can I tell you something that happened to me at the child home? Me and a boy were sent to the roof to clear off the snow. He pushed me off the roof. Both my arms and legs were broken. I had to stay in the hospital for a long time. I don’t know why he did that.”
“One of things I like to do here is work in the workshop the volunteers built for us. I love making things. I made some stools. The boys don’t think I made them very well, and they don’t like it when I go to the workshop. But I still go!”
“I have a job here that I really like. Three times a day, I go to the Vesnova orphanage and feed the children that have to stay in bed. They take a long time to swallow. I am very patient. I love them. I love feeding them.”
“There’s a woman from my old baby home who keeps asking me to go live there to help take care of the children. But I refuse. I love living here. I love having my own home.”
Feeding starts again at 1pm in the Day Room. At some point after we try to get together for some lunch.
Some afternoons we bring in Petits Filous as a treat, the children may doze after lunch, there might be another walk.
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| Yana in the Ball Pool |
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| Natasha in the hammock |
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| Roma in the Ball Pool |
All the children in Unit 5 are high dependency in many ways - photos will lead many to believe (rightly) that physical needs are the first priority to be addressed - feeding, clothing, changing nappies etc.Emotionally and socially these children are also very highly dependent. A few minutes with a child in this unit is not enough. Each child requires HOURS every day, and you are not in a position to give this.
5 Critical Emotional Needs of Children
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| Michelle and Yana (9 yrs old) |
To give attention, you may have to stay exactly in that child's line of sight all the time, as he may not be able to turn his head.
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| Michelle with Vasa (12 years old) |
All of these are worth it. You have changed that child's day in that moment or those few minutes.
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| Vlad giving the "High Five" |
There are so many children looking for your attention, you have to make choices. But how do you choose?
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| Roma (15 years old) |
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| Marina (19 years old) |
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| Vlad |
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| Carina |
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| Lena ( 16 years old) |
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| Dima ( 19 years old) |
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| Ann and Vlad enjoying the "High Fives" |
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This is Kolya (9 years old). he spends all of his day in his wheelchair or in bed with his
hands tied so he cannot harm himself. He is blind and cannot walk.
This is the same Kolya.......!!
Nessa and Rosie spending quality time with the Unit 5 children in the Sensory Room
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| Maeve and Vlad out for a walk (photo by Rosie Nixon) |
This is Natasha ( 13 years old), who spends her entire day in this position in a wheelchair that was not designed for her
Or on this beanbag
This is also Natasha after some quality time....
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| Masha (6 yrs old)...our "Polly Pocket" |
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| Andrea and Maryna (12 yrs old) having quality time |
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| Michelle with Yana |
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| Roma (15 yrs old) gives Frank the High Five |
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| Michelle takes a breath between bubbles... |
Click here to meet little Marina in Unit 5 (7 years old)
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| Victor (14 yrs), Sergei (12 yrs) and Stas (12 yrs old) |
Luckily, some very much needed help has arrived. The CCI Truck has arrived from Ireland driven by Jim Kavanagh and Pierce Cullen with nappies and other supplies for Institutions in Belarus supported by CCI, including Soltanovka Adult Mental Asylum. , the baby hospice in Minsk, and Vesnova, amongst others.
A chat, a little music, a cuddle or a bit of play is on the Agenda for Unit 5 until it's time for sleep.
In the meantime, volunteers try to find time to cook their own dinner and have a bit of "down time" for rest and recuperation!!
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| the end of a long day for us all........ |
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| Michelle, Frank and Pierce Cullen Ideas for Fundraising Ways you can donate |
