News

Committed students
One of these days there was a special day in “Republic Pilgrim” – the official ceremony to the commission to be students. The heroes of the day were not only first graders but the new comers – new citizens of the state of former street kids who started studying for the 1st time in their entire life.

In the Day of City – a cake from the mayor
The birthday of the city of Mariupol is a especial holiday for the Republic Pilgrim. The former street kids love their city and they celebrate this day always in a special way. This time they had a special surprise.

School season for pilgrims
After the extreme summer with trips and journeys the pilgrims started to study again. The first day of study is always special for the pilgrims. The staff and the kids get prepared for this day in advance: they get the school uniform ready, organize a special concert – the children learn poems by heart. And everybody – kids and teachers look forward to this day.

To get out of crisis to the new life
Almost a year ago at the Charity Fund “Pilgrim” was open and successfully functions a rehab project in the village Polevoe named Crisis – center. This is a place where homeless people can sleep as well as those who are drunkards, addicts and many others. Here they can come to, they will be rendered help, tidied, and then offered to change their life, to have a rehab course and to start to live as normal people.

Guests from the prison at Sunday Worship
10 prisoners from the colony of settlement get temporal freedom to attend Sunday Worship in the Church of Good Changes . Many of them have never been to the service in modern church that is why being so impressed they make a decision to stay and serve to God in Mariupol when their term is over.

The fight at Kulikovo is actively held
The first and basic dream that people in the rehab center in Kulikovo pray for is to develop youth ministry that would attract young people of this village and the nearest ones.

The graduate of “Pilgrim” has passed the casting to All – Ukrainian contest “Everybody dances”
Sergey Cherepanov, nickname Pushkin, used to compose poems. But presently he found himself in other direction. The former street kid has become a professional dancer.

Will the pillgrims wake the Volcano Reiner up?
Having quite a big experience in rehabilitation of teens addicted of drugs and alcohol the workers of the Charity Fund “Pilgrim” decided to help the teenagers in the US.

Mission can be accomplished: the Czechs and the pilgrims
In early august the long awaited guests from Czech Republic and Poland came to the center of children’s rehabilitation “Republic “Pilgrim”.

14-year-old alcoholic dreams to become a builder
Sergey tried alcohol when he was 5. His first alcohol beverage was handmade vodka that was made by his neighbors. His Mom didn ’ t mind him “to try” .

“Gennadiy”
For the first time the world known documentary makers had got to know about the social work that has been carried out in Mariupol by pastor Gennadiy Mokhnenko and his team in the charity fund “Pilgrim” in 2012. Purposeful work with street kids, drug addiction and injustice in the lives of many people made a great impression on them. According to the director Steve Hoover his team and himself realized that it is necessary for the whole world to get to know about this work.

Adoption is not something to be scared of – proved by the partakers of the worldwide bike action
The bike trip “Russia without orphans” whose purpose is to propagate the family forms of upbringing children is being passing through the territory of Krasnoyarsk area being supported by the regional department of the party “United Russia”.

The adoptive family – The Kovalenko – “children need family more than anything and no difficulties can compare with their eyes shining with joy and happiness!”
In 2008 Andrei and Larisa Kovalenko made a decision to adopt a child since they didn’t have their own kids. Presently, in 5 years after that, they are the large family where the parents raise 4 kids. They are not going to stop on this. They are convinced in heart that their family can be even larger.

The partakers of the bike action “Russia without orphans” have reached Kansk
Today Kansk was visited by the participants of the international bike trip “Russia and the world without orphans”. This action is unique because among 40 participants there are kids who used to be street kids and now they are adopted, and their adoptive parents ride the bikes alongside with their children. They have ridden 5000 miles by this time and they have the city of Baikalsk ahead of them! Their main purpose is to tell the entire world that it is not that difficult and scary to adopt a child.

Heart miles of the bike action “World without orphans”. Siberian stage.
Mariupol former street kids from the center of children’s rehabilitation “Republic Pilgrim” performed another feat: within 48 days they rode 3100 miles of Siberian roads taking along their dream and the call to not be scared of adoption but to adopt to go to orphanages and take kids from their into the families

My sons, I have written this letter to you, but I had no time to give it to you. But I know you are “Googles” so you will be able to find it and read it online….
Today, when everything is over for almost a year till next summer, when there are 6200 miles behind us, we rode this distance together on bikes along Ukraine and Russia, the Urals and Siberia, and now when I am sitting by the bank of the Baikal Lake and you are making yourselves comfortable in your sleeping bags.. I would like to tell you something important.