|
|
May 30, 2003
Helping Russian orphans
Lauri Donahue Leff is the founder of Yeladim.org.
KYLE BERGER REPORTER
About four years ago, before spending a year living in Israel,
Lauri Donahue Leff, the wife of Beth Tikvah Synagogue's Rabbi Barry
Leff, read a news article about the first children's home to open
in the former Soviet Union (FSU).
She immediately decided to look for information on how she could
contribute to this cause. To her surprise, it took six months of
phone calls and digging to finally get in touch with the right people.
At the same time, she tried to do general research on Jewish orphans
in the FSU and found that just as difficult.
"What I found was that there was no list of information on
Jewish orphans in the FSU," she said. "There was also
no easy way of connecting people who wanted to help with the organizations
and the children."
As a result, Leff made a commitment to make a difference by establishing
the Web site Yeladim.org,
which provides easy information about the status of orphans in the
FSU, the organizations that exist to help them, as well as current
news.
Leff explained that through the connections she developed she has
also played matchmaker for many orphans and organizations.
"I kept networking and one place would lead me to another place
and often you'd have two organizations working in the same country
that didn't know about each other," she said. "Because
I knew about both of them I would play matchmaker."
Those efforts have helped several children find orphanages that
might not have otherwise.
The orphan situation in the FSU is unique in that roughly 90 per
cent of the children still have at least one parent or close relative,
but their families are unable to care for them due to drug and alcohol
abuse, mental illness or financial strain.
There are several organizations running a handful of Jewish orphanages
and children's homes but they are all overloaded with long waiting
lists, leaving thousands of children in secular orphanages or on
the streets.
The children on the streets are often left for pimps and pedophiles
or suffer from diseases like HIV and tuberculosis.
While funds raised through Jewish community fund-raisers, such as
the Combined Jewish Appeal, do go to programs in the FSU, most of
them focus on efforts to help the needy elderly, providing only
minimal support for the orphanages.
Yeladim.org
does not accept donations directly. However, the site makes
it easy to contribute to some of the organizations that do need
assistance.
A unique opportunity for the local community to get information
about adopting Russian orphans will take place June 17, 7 p.m.,
at the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver.
Sponsored by Caring Homes for Orphaned children, an inter-country
adoption agency networked with several B.C. agencies to facilitate
adoptions from Russia, the event will feature expert and parent
presentations, followed by panel discussions.
As well, one of Canada's most successful Russian adoption facilitators,
Arnie Gotfryd, will update adoptive applicants, agencies and support
groups on the current status of the children, the country and the
adoption process.
There will be a $15 cover charge for the event. For more information,
call 416-630-2472.
Kyle Berger is an award-winning freelance journalist and
a graphic designer living in Richmond.
^TOP
|
|
