The citizen of Ukraine Gennadiy Mokhnenko is quite a special personality. He is not only the founder of the largest in the former USSR rehab center for children “ Republic Pilgrim” and also of several foster homes of family type, he is a historian and a writer, as well as a pastor and adoptive father of 32 kids. “We ride around the world with the former street kids and propagate adoption and if you like we can call ourselves the fans of adoption”. – shared Gennadiy with Tyumen journalists.
Alongside with pastor- pilgrim 2 more family “flocks” take part in the action and also some guys from unsafe families. Altogether there are 35 people who take part in the action. “ We came up with this special word – “bike action”. Bike trip is boring and we are quite serious so it si bike action in our case!” – shared Gennadiy.
The partakers of the action told that the idea of adoption was met positively in Russia and it was supported both spiritually and financially. According to Gennadiy Mokhnenko said that the idea of the bike action found its reflection in the programs of the state department of Russia. “Our words were heard by the Russian President. I won’t go into details but one of my friends was talking to the President and the latest said that he had a dream – Russia without orphans and for all the orphanages to be ultimately close down”. All the words of the President were typed by an official sitting in the corner of that room”. In several weeks they came up with the federal program “Russia without orphans” and the theses of this program are literally quotes of what our credo is and what we propagate.” – Gennadiy shared.
The partakers of the bike action insist on the idea that not only “cute and healthy” kids have right to be adopted but handicapped as well and HIV+ kids too. The adoptive father of11 kids, 7 of which are HIV+ kids Eugen Isayev is with us on this bike action he and his wife Svetlana have a title “ people of the year in Ukraine”. It is the first family in Ukraine who actually adopted an HIV + kid.
The guests praised the local roads and the inhabitants of Tyumen for such a hospitality, and the only complain they had was this unbearable heat. They was a concert program organized by the building of the local cinema “ Sovryemennik” and a crowd and local mass media gathered there to hear what the bikers will say and show.
The Mokhnenkos have behind them – The Elbrus, The Ararat, the wilderness and mountain rivers. The adoptive father Gennadiy called these sports achievements of his adoptive sins – “the athletic feats” and ahead of them there is ascension in Africa, the marathon and sky diving.
Very soon the bikers will head to the eastern part of Siberia but for now they are going to have some dinner, warm bed and then real Siberian “banya” (sauna).
