NewsTrip to Dnipro Jan 07 - Alix Stewart's Report Well, despite the forecast looking not TOO cold I still packed my thermals and ski socks amongst my wee bag for this trip and made my way out to the airport to meet up with Stevie Carr and Mark Strachan, who despite not going had went out of his way to ensure the cases we’d packed the previous week were delivered to the airport.At the airport we were met by Alistair Shields of Lufthansa who had been particularly helpful to the Dnipro Appeal cause giving us 150kgs of extra luggage space. This generosity from Alistair and Lufthansa allowed us to take pretty much all we could carry, which worked out to be 6 large suitcases packed full with children’s clothing, soft toys, Barbie dolls for the girls and also some scientific calculators kindly donated by Graham Mitchell at Paperplus. There was also an extra bag of items kindly donated by James Riordan which contained some great Hibs stickers for the kids as well as other assorted goodies that were to prove a great hit… quite literally! Alistair organised our tickets for us and ensured the bags were given “priority” status for the journey so we headed for the departure lounge ready for the first leg of the long journey. No problems or delays meant we made our connecting flight in Frankfurt easily and arrived in Kiev on time. All cases were located, thanks to the red ribbons Mark had tied to their handles, and despite a couple of questions from customs we were through. The fantastic Ira met us at the airport and after a couple of welcome hugs we loaded the luggage onto the bus and headed for the train station. On previous visits the flight times had left us with no option but to store the cases at the station whilst we waited for the overnight train but this time around we discovered that we had arrived at the train station in enough time to catch the “Express” train to Dnipropetrovsk. Now this is still a 6 hour train journey but it saves on several hours hanging about in Kiev as well as the necessary trip to the bowels of the station to deposit the cases in left luggage. Of course it would depend on us being able to secure seats and exchange our pre-booked tickets for the overnight train and knowing Ukrainian bureaucracy there would be no guarantee. Good news! Ira was able to get our tickets changed to the 1745 train getting us in to Dnipro at 2335 rather than us having to travel overnight, and it didn’t cost us a thing! We even got all but a small amount back on our other tickets so we actually saved money!! We managed to negotiate the cases over to the Pizza restaurant at the station, which many that travelled to Dnipro via Kiev for the UEFA Cup game may remember, and up in the wee lift to the top, although Stevie was cursing the fact there weren’t more guys amongst us to help him get the cases to the top. A gripe compounded by the fact that the lift was being used for deliveries and he had to use the stairs!! Back to the station and on to the train and a smooth and reasonably comfortable journey to Dnipro ensued. They were showing movies in the carriage and it was quite strange seeing the French film “Taxi” and Japanese film dubbed in Russian, but it certainly helped break up the journey. Mike Pratt met us in Dnipro with his trusty minibus and we got the cases loaded on. After a quick trip to McDonalds, Stevie was taken to the flat owned by the Bear Child Crisis Pregnancy Centre’s Pam, who had kindly offered its use whilst she returned to the States to visit family. It was here that the cases were dropped off ready for sorting the next day. I was staying with Ira and her family so with time getting on we said goodbye to Stevie and got ourselves back to Ira’s and settled for the night. Whilst I had no problem getting to sleep, it transpired that Stevie had a somewhat harder time, after being woken up in the early hours by drilling noises by the neighbours. It turns out, however, that it was Pam’s cat Phoebe that was the source of the drilling noise, as it had curled itself up on the pillow and started purring loudly 2 inches away from his ear. And to compound his misery he received an early morning wake up call as the cat decided to attack his feet as soon as the sun was up. Nae luck Stevie. As with any trip to Dnipropetrovsk time is short so it was up early on Friday and out to the shops armed with a list of items needed for the orphanage. First stop was the bank where we had to exchange the dollars we’d brought for grivna and then we were ready to hit the shops. Thankfully Ira had managed to get round a lot of the shops and pre-order a lot of the items which made things a bit easier. If we didn’t have Ira out there doing this for us it would be an impossible task to find shops that actually had the amount of things we needed in stock. It is not like here in the UK where shops will have items in a store room at the back or a phone call and 24 hours away from stocking up, it is a case of what limited supplies they have on the shelf is all that’s available. And when you are buying for as many children as we are on a visit then it makes shopping a very difficult task. There is a market beside Ira’s flat which is much cheaper than the large Metro store for shopping, but they don’t always have what we need. Thankfully Ira had managed really well to pre-order a lot of the things that were needed. Items she managed to order up included underwear, shirts, towels and handkerchiefs as well as plates, cups and kitchenware for the Odinkovka orphanage. Ira also ensured they had 200 light bulbs in stock for us, as the orphanages have a problem with the state providing sufficient amounts to last them through the year. One of the next stops took us to a shop where we paid for tables and chairs to be delivered to the Predniprovsk sanatorium. Then it was on to a medical supplies company where we purchased treatment couches and aromatherapy equipment to aid the kids with chest infections and breathing difficulties. Then it was off to the Metro store to try and secure the rest of the things on the list. Items still to get included an iron and ironing board for Odinkovka, encyclopaedia type books for both orphanages and deodorant sticks to put in with the older kids’ presents. It sounds such an everyday item, but things like basic toiletries are luxuries for these kids. With the days shopping done, and everyone almost worn out, we headed out to the Odinkovka orphanage to meet with the director before she herself had her Christmas break. When we arrived this time, there was no reticence on the part of the children … they ran out to help us unload the items from the van, delighted to see us back again. It was the first time we’d really had an opportunity to sit and chat with the director as we’d only just taken on the responsibility of helping this orphanage out after the September trip a few months earlier. She had been having a very tough day with the kids, as you might expect if you had to try and supervise 40 odd children, and the stress of the last day before her holiday looking more than just a bit grumpy. Our arrival with some much needed items seemed to help her mood and it wasn’t long before she was happily talking to us about what was going on at the orphanage, and about how grateful she was for what we were doing for the kids. We discussed with her how the Child Sponsorship idea was progressing and she was keen to find out more details about the scheme. She told us how grateful she was for the things we could do for the kids whilst they were at the orphanage but also told us that one of her biggest worries was how they kids could cope when they eventually had to leave. She explained that some of the kids had savings accounts provided for them if their parents had died and left them something but a lot of the kids had nothing and this was a worry to her. It did seem a shame that some kids were being sent out into the world with no financial assistance and we told her we would see if we could help out in any way. No doubt about it though, the help we’re already giving is making a significant difference and for this the director was extremely grateful. The director informed us that 2 new boys had just arrived at the orphanage, so we made a note to add them to our list for the presents we intended to deliver on the Sunday. We were also told that 4 of the children had been able to go and visit some family for Christmas and that 3 of the girls were in the hospital, but otherwise all of the children would be there for our visit on Christmas Day. We made sure that the 4 missing would get their presents kept for them and that we would make a personal visit to the hospital to hand the other ones over. We headed to Pam’s flat to drop Stevie off and I had the opportunity to meet Stevie’s nemesis, Phoebe the cat, who had apparently spent the afternoon destroying a vase of fake flowers. I tidied them up and put them back in the vase only for the cat to take roughly 30 seconds to destroy them again once my back was turned!! Back at Ira’s, I had a rest and a shower, well when I say shower what I mean is a cup and a basin of water boiled from the stove. Apparently during the holidays there had only been hot water for 2 days at New Year. Ira was hopeful there may be some on Xmas Day but for the time being we had to make do. All the heating and hot water in Dnipro is controlled centrally. This is done by big local boilers that cover a neighbourhood, and that means that either everyone has it or no-one does. Many people now have back up heating systems, as the heating doesn’t get switched on until mid October, but most for a lot of people (Ira included) this sort of luxury just isn’t affordable. The cost of living has practically doubled in the past couple of years in Dnipro and people are finding it much harder to live with these increases. On our last trip to Dnipro you may well remember the fantastic plate and cups that had been given to us by Dnipro FC supporters. Well one of those supporters, Andrei, had heard we were coming over again and had invited us along to his birthday party. We headed out to this with Natasha after meeting up with Vadim, a supporter from the previous visit who now works for Dnipro FC. The party was held out at a yacht club on the river Dnipro. The clubhouse was a moored houseboat on the river. Firstly it was vodka or wine out by the big barbeque in the freezing cold! That night was the coldest it got while we were there and was about -6 degrees. MUCH warmer than when Stevie and Colin visited last January! Inside, we were made extremely welcome by Andrei and his friends and family, some arriving from Armenia, Georgia and Russia. Whilst at the get together many of the other Dnipro fans were talking about the disappointment of the recent derby defeat at Tynecastle, as they all now look out for how Hibs are doing. I was told by Sasha, who’d travelled to Kiev for the Ukraine v Scotland game, that the Dnipro fans there were pretty unhappy with the Kiev fans (usually their allies as they were the two big Ukrainian teams in the old Soviet league) about the trouble that the latter had caused with the Scotland fans on that trip. The fans of Dnipro still very much value their links with their Scottish friends. It was a really good night but due to our early rise the next day we had to leave the vodka toasts behind and head back to our respective flats. The next morning we were up early again to finish off our shopping. First on the list were the baby items for the Bear Child Centre and also some extra pampers, shampoos, soaps and fruit juices for the Baby House Orphanage where we were going to be distributing donated soft toys. We don’t really help the Baby House at the moment, but we had been generously donated some soft toys to give them and had also been asked by another charity to help out with some fruit juices and were happy to oblige. We then headed out to the Predniprovsk Sanatorium to meet up with Vasily, our friend and director of the sanatorium, who had made himself available to meet us despite the sanatorium being closed over the holiday period for disinfection. Once again we got a wonderful welcome and we were glad to be able to tell him about the medical couches we had ordered as well as pass over the aroma therapy equipment. He’d also asked, more in hope than expectation, for a new computer desk for his assistant in the front hall reception and we were pleased to let him know that we had managed to order this up along with the tables and chairs he’d requested. He was over the moon with everything we’d managed to get for the sanatorium and the kids. The director did say though that they were desperately needing school books replaced, as the ones they currently had were falling apart and needed binned – being relics of the soviet era and we agreed that we would look to getting those for the kids on our return. He also talked of a piece of medical equipment that is used to help improve the air quality and would prove a great acquisition for the kids on the second floor who’s breathing isn’t the best and can struggle in the stuffy summer months. He told us that some of the orphans from the sanatorium were in the same hospital as the girls from Odinkovka, in fact it turned out they were in the same ward, so we were therefore able to make plans to go and see them after our visit to Odinkovka the following day. We headed off to visit the Baby Orphanage which is situated right next door to the sanatorium. We met with the duty doctor and handed over the pampers, shampoos, oils and fruit juices we had purchased for the babies. He took us on to the rooms where some of the older babies were and we got a warm reception from all the little kids there which quickly turned to uncontrollable excitement as we brought out the beautiful soft toys that had been donated. They clung on to them and were desperate to show them to you and many of the pictures I got here were of the kids holding up their new toys with big grins on their faces! This is one of the biggest baby orphanages in the Ukraine and there were two other groups of small children we were able to visit and hand out soft toys in and each group seemed to be just as excited as the first. Tearing ourselves away was very hard to do but time was getting on and we had to say goodbye, a gesture which were returned in kind by the children excitedly waving us off. It was coming to the end of a frantic but very satisfying day and as a thank you to everyone that has helped us out on our visits we had organised a get together at a Mexican restaurant in the city centre. We then headed back to Pam’s to drop off the other items we’d bought for the Bear Child and for Predniprovsk and loaded up a couple of cases with Barbie dolls and other presents to take back to Ira’s ready to make up the presents for the kids the next day. Nats came back to Ira’s with us while we left Stevie at Pam’s. As Sasha, Ira’s husband, only had a little Skoda car there was no way all 7 of us would fit in it for the trip to the restaurant, so Nats and I agreed to pick Stevie up in a taxi on our way down. All went to plan and with Nats and I jumping in the taxi and having a good girly natter on the way to the restaurant. We arrived at the restaurant and walked in with everbody pretty much there already, then I suddenly realised someone was missing! I said to Nats ‘Where’s Stevie?’ She just looked back at me in horror! We’d forgotten to pick him up!! Needless to say, Stevie was less than impressed when Sasha eventually managed to get back out to pick him up, and I don’t think Nats or I will ever be allowed to forget it! However, everyone enjoyed their meal and their gifts we’d brought over from Scotland for them, especially Nats’ little girl, Karina, who simply lit up upon receiving a ‘My Scene’ Barbie doll. Apparently it’s her favourite cartoon and she was just over the moon with her present. It was a good chance to get a chat with everyone and also gave us the opportunity to discuss ideas for the charity for future with both Mike and Ira. Everyone seemed to have a very good time and afterwards we headed back to Ira’s to finish making up the presents to hand out to the kids at Odinkovka the next day. Sunday morning we all headed down to Mike and Ira’s church for the Christmas service and to see the kids’ nativity play. 14 children from Odinkovka had made the trip over for the Christmas service and we got to meet Nastya Malova, the young girl who’s recent back operation the Dnipro Appeal donations had paid for. Karina was there as well, still clutching her Barbie doll like her life depended on it. After the service we all headed out to continue Christmas festivities at the Odinkovka orphanage. There was a buzz of excitement at the orphanage as we turned up armed with presents and boxes of sweets. Each child had a toy (Barbies for the girls, cars or action figures for the boys), Hibs stickers (provided kindly by James Riordan), a Mars Bar and a Snickers Bar, a deodorant for the older kids with additional presents ranging from scientific calculators, Shrek hats, baseball caps and clap sticks. Needless to say, all were very well received and the clap sticks in particular saw 2 of the older girls running around whacking everyone in sight with them! Once it was explained to them that they were actually meant to be clapped together to make a loud noise you could see the looks on the staff’s faces as they realised their peace would be shattered for a quite while to come!! We had also brought over 4 footballs for the kids, but unfortunately neglected to bring an adaptor to blow them up! Stevie made a brave effort with a bicycle pump but we had to leave them deflated till the following weekend when someone was going to organise an adaptor for them. You could see the disappointment on Stevie’s face when he realised there would be no repeat of the game of football he enjoyed on the previous visit. We once again had to literally tear ourselves away, leaving the kids all happily playing away and headed off to the hospital to see the last of the kids we had presents for. We arrived at the hospital and went looking for the ward the children were in. We quickly found the ward and managed to get in for a few minutes to see the kids and hand them their presents. They came rushing out when their names were called… and then several more familiar faces appeared! We soon discovered that more children from the Predniprovsk sanatorium were staying in the same ward and we’d not been told about it. We felt terrible as we hadn’t got presents for them all but luckily we had some of the boxes of sweets left over so were at least able to give something. They were all delighted to see us and one wee boy ran back into his room to return proudly wearing his Hibs strip. We spent a little while with them chatting and playing with my digital camera. The kids just love jumping in front of it and pulling faces then seeing the results on the screen. The very last photo taken was taken by Deanna who took one of Stevie and I with 2 of the kids. Sadly, after that, the memory card was full and with all the excitement of viewing the pictures and making the zoom lens go backwards and forwards the battery was nearly dead as well. Ira has since returned to the hospital with Barbie dolls, toy cars and a Mars bar for each of the kids, so they did get their presents in the end! It was again with much reluctance, and eventually the insistence of the nursing staff, that we pulled ourselves away from these kids. What a Christmas Day! We headed back to Pam’s flat and managed a few hours of relaxation, whilst digesting the weekends proceedings, before it was time to head down to the train station for the overnight train to Kiev. Mike, Ira and Natasha came down to the train station to see us off and wish us a safe journey. Each visit we make, we forge stronger and better links with the kids, the directors and our helpers out there so it is always sad to say farewell. Dnipro is slowly improving in terms of economic growth, but for most people the increases in utility prices and the general cost of living is making things very difficult for them. However, Vasily has informed us that the state is very slowly improving the aid they give and he thinks that our efforts may have played a small part in that. A huge thank-you to everyone who’s donated and helped us out, you really did help make it a very special Christmas for these kids. Bit by bit we’re managing to make a difference to these kids and with the very successful launch of the Sponsor a Child scheme, combined with the unwavering generosity of the Hibs support, we’re hoping to be able to keep it going for a good time to come yet. If you’ve enjoyed reading this story then please, please give a visit to the donation page on the dniprokids.com website and make a small donation to ensure next Christmas is just as special for the kids. |
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