The Dnipro Appeal Child Sponsorship Scheme....The Way Ahead...
How did we start?September 2005 and a UEFA Cup trip to the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk for Hibernian FC sees a handful of supporters organise a charitable collection for some of Dnipropetrovsk's orphans. Within a few months the idea has snowballed and the well meaning Hibernian support has an official charity to its name, The Dnipro Appeal.
One year on and the charity is stronger than ever, with an established committee made up of Hibs fans, Stevie Carr, Mark Strachan, Colin Dudgeon, Babs MacDonald and Alix Stewart. It also seems that more and more members of the Hibernian Community are adopting the Dnipro Appeal as their charity of choice, which makes us very proud.
For full details of how the charity has progressed have a read through the news pages of this website.
What do we do?
Well, in its first year the charity raised around £16,000 in donations from supporters and this has been used to help the children of Dnipropetrovsk in a number of ways. As well as purchasing basic items such as winter coats and boots it has also been used to purchase medical equipment, improve educational facilities and supplies, make repairs to the building's where the kids live and generally improve the lot of the kids in our adopted city. The funds have also been used to purchase baby food, baby essentials and clothing for an independently run Crisis Pregnancy Centre in the hope that helping mothers whose partners have abandoned them and are struggling to cope, we can prevent the children from becoming orphans.
How is this done?
Quite simply it is down to the individual generosity of the ordinary supporters. The Dnipro Appeal Committee organise events such as the forthcoming race night to be held in the Hibernian Supporters Club on the 2nd of December and we are constantly thinking of new ways of raising funds, but we are dependant on the support from the Hibernian Community. As long as the supporters continue to back the charity with donations, then the Hibs fans that make up the Dnipro Appeal Committee will continue to work towards helping as many of the children of Dnipropetrovsk as they can.
What are we doing now?
At the moment the support we have received has enabled us to make quite a difference to the lives of the children we have managed to help. Thanks to the overwhelming support that the Hibernian community has given the charity, we have actually managed to add another orphanage to the list of places we are able to help out. The Odinkovka orphanage in Dnipropetrovsk has 50 orphans aged between 5 and 15. On our last visit we were able to buy each orphan new trainers and underwear, as well as gift them all a Hibs top and chocolates. We were also able to purchase some toys and games for them to play with in the orphanage.
Does my donation make a difference?
At the moment we have a number of supporters that pay a monthly amount of £10 to the Dnipro Appeal. Some of this money has recently been used to pay for the medical treatment of a young girl called Nastya who suffered from spinal problems. Medical treatment in the Ukraine costs money, and it is money that many of the orphans simply don't have access to. Without this operation there is no doubt that Nastya's condition would have worsened and she would have found life in Ukraine very difficult. It is hoped that a successful outcome to the operation will greatly improve her condition and give her a fighting chance in life. The whole thing costs less than an away game at Aberdeen for your average Hibs fan, so yes, your donation, however small, can indeed make a huge difference to the lives of the kids.
What about the future?
After seeing that the monthly donations of a couple of individuals has made such a difference we believe that if we can get the Hibernian community to commit long term to a monthly direct debit then it will allow the Dnipro Appeal Committee to take care of the needs of the orphans as and when they arise in the much longer term. The initial aim is to get all 50 orphans at the Odinkovka orphanage sponsored. This will ensure the children have decent clothing, access to toys and games we take for granted, proper educational supplies, schoolbags, shoes and little luxuries like a Mars Bar or an extra pair of socks. If we can manage this then we can look towards expanding the help we can offer in Dnipropetrovsk and its surrounding area.
How do I know I'm helping?
We are launching the Dnipro Child Sponsorship programme and the Dnipro Appeal Committee will ensure anyone that commits to a monthly direct debit of £10 will be allocated one of the orphans at the Odinkovka orphanage.
You will receive photos of the kid along with regular updates on how they are progressing in life and also how your donation is helping on a day to day basis. The updates will be managed by the Dnipro Team herein Scotland, supported by our Dnipropetrovsk based team member, Ira, who visits the kids regularly on our behalf, recording their progress using the appeals new digital camera we purchased on our recent trip over and emailed over to us using the Laptops kindly donated by friends of the Charity.
How do I sign up?
You can contact us by clicking HERE. We will then collect your details and help you to set up a monthly debit with your bank. Once on board we will send you a starter pack with a photo and details of the orphan your monthly donation will be assisting. The updates will follow by either email or post, whichever is your preference. If requested we may also be able to pass on letters to your sponsored child and have our Ukrainian contact translate them on your behalf. I'm sure it would make an orphan feel much better knowing that there is someone here in Scotland looking out for their well being.
All that is left to say is thanks for the support you have given us, we are immensely proud of our fellow Hibernian fans for their continued generosity. Please give serious consideration to our Adopt a Child plan, it will go a long way to helping the orphans and establishing their long term future.