Report 9 | May 10, 2010
Rodatin Special Boarding School
Today we visited a boarding school for disabled children about two hours outside of Ivano-Frankivsk. This school presently has 107 children ranging from ages 5 years to 17 years. The children have a number of disabilities, but it seems that the majority have fetal alcohol syndrome. We met with the Director and he gave us a tour of the school and we were able to see a number of the children. The Director told us that the older children were out in the fields planting the crops that will feed the school in the winter months. From our last shipment Ivan took clothes, family buckets, and diapers to this school. I was very impressed with the Director and the way he has managed to repair and furnish the school. He explained a number of creative maneuvers that he has made to secure various things for the school. The Director’s concern and compassion was very evident. He has two children of his own and he said there were eight children at the school that had no one to care for them so he has taken those eight as well.
The school helps prepare these children for life in the real world. In addition to the school curriculum, the Director has vocational training in place for the students. The boys work in a wood working shop and also learn shoe repair. The girls learn sewing and cooking. The Director spoke with pride about how some of the school’s children have left and are in good jobs. When a child turns 17 they are automatically turned out of this school. The Director says that he must find a place for these children (it is a duty that is not his responsibility but he feels he must do it to help the children). In these pictures you will see the wood working shop and some of the girls involved in sewing.
The Director said there are a number of problems with these children. The most prevalent problem is bed wetting because of the emotional trauma many of these children have lived before being brought here. He said that some of the parents continue to visit the children, but the parents come drunk and cause even more emotional trauma for the children.
The Director also said that there is a constant problem with lice. He smiled and said one group provided lice treatment from America but the lice were too strong and thrived on it! He said they have a lice treatment that is used on horses that works very well but sometimes it can be bad on hair!
Bible class tonight
Our classes tonight went well. We had 18 in our first class and 16 in the second class! In the pictures you will see a group picture taken at the end of the eveing class. Our discussion continued our study of Ephesians. Tonight we surveyed Ephesians 1-3. At the end of the class we had time for questions and answers. One question asked was what does the Bible say about the old ladies in the villages that can divine a person’s illness or say a magical prayer for healing or cure someone from being afraid of dog barking. I was also asked why the Bible’s genealogy only mentions men as “begetting” and never says that women did the “begetting” and does this not show the Bible has error since men cannot “beget”? Another question asked why God favors some with extra senses and able to “sense” things that are going to happen? The Q&A sessions are always most interesting!
Tomorrow promises to be another full day of activity. We are going to Staryy Lisets and are supposed to have the match-up with the militia marksmen!
John L. Kachelman, Jr.
Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine
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