When They Become Yours

Summer camp “Khomutina”. Residents of a children’s home dream about a family, parents, a house. The children’s house appeared in 1942 – kids from the siege Leningrad were brought here. Some years ago there were 120 inmates here, today – 55. Many of them are adopted. Such children have dramatic past, uneasy present and unclear future. Will they ever be happy? They get used to life in a commune, they are self-confident and sometimes cruel but each of them wants warmth anyway. Little ones always take hands of guests…
New parents should be prepared, they should give love and be patient. Adopted kids don’t have to be returned back. One noisy girl was brought back just because she had broken a tail of a parrot toy and spoiled mom’s cosmetics…
One practical man aged 12 who lives in Mamonovo village and whose name is Andrey convinced granny to adopt other children: “Dear granny, our house is big, enough space to give home to others.”

Children call this place “Dobrushka” and believe it to fulfill their wishes.

The Tashkins family has 7 adopted girls. First graders and elder one – Angela.

In the Tashkins family, mother Margarita used to be a costumir in an opera theatre. So they make costumes together and present various performances.

Nastya Tashkina

In the garden

Nastya and Olya Tashkins

Teaching process at home

Zamira and Olya work

Elban village. In the house of the Postnikovs. Younger Zhenya, elder Zhenya and Irina. Head of the Elban administration and his wife adopted Zhenya when saw his picture in the newspaper: they understood he belonged to their family.

Mamonovo. Family of the Kuzmenko

The Kuzmenko mowing

At the Kuzmenko’s. A beauty lesson.

Kuzmenko, Motya is showing power

At the Kuzmenko’s. 12 yo Andrey is the main helper. It was him who convinced granny to adopt more kids.

Anya Kuzmenko

Kuzmenko. They bought a cow Milka in the morning, now they are drinking milk.

Khomutina.

Inmates live in such rooms: Slava and Lesha

Igor and his sister Nastya in a sports complex. Igor can catch mice and lizard with bare hands.

Khomutina base has a field of beet

Olesya will graduate soon, she’s on duty today

Liza has broken her arm while playing football. Plaster doesn’t prevent her from swimming.

Girls in Khomutina

Lena likes to make such things of clips, paper and magazines.

Khomutina is getting ready for a relay race game. Slava has got a gun from a parson.

Igor is thinking how to solve a riddle during the game.

After lunch they have a quiet hour, then they are given fruits for a snack.

The cooks complain they have to clean the window all the time cause Lesha is always there looking like this.

Kitchen of Khomutina

Valya like to hold someone’s hand

Alena likes foot excursions, especially here, to a hanging bridge.

Older children sometimes jump with parachutes

With a swimming instructor

 *-*-*-*-*

It’s another, second, story. The dweller of a village Chany, Elena Podchasova, had always known she’d have adopted children. Today, apart from her own kids, she has 6 from other parents. She even wanted to adopt one more little one but her husband Vladimir doubts they can afford it. And they are not so young already…

The first step is the hardest. Then foster parents are afraid of nothing. They are rewarded by gratitude and love of children whose destiny changes for the better so much.

Nadezhda Semenova from a village Otrechenskoye is a tamer of wild boys. She adopted Sasha, a problem kid, when he was 15. Some families had given up and refused him but Nadezhda took this risk anyway, and her elder son Alexey gave her support in taking the decision. He took Sasha as his own brother.   .

Not so fast but little-by-little everything got right. And they were offered to adopt one more problem kid – Ivan, a gipsy. And Ivan lived a new life.

When people have a good example of their neighbours it’s easier for them to make the first step.

These children will have two childhoods: before and after. Before – when they were looking for, After – when they finally found.

Post office of Otrechenskoye village: foster parents: Vera Burakova (head of the office – to the right) and Nadezhda Semenova (a postwoman – to the left).

Zhenya and mother Vera Burakova

Otrechenskoye village, in the house of the Burakovs: brothers Denis and Frol. When it was already decided with Vera that they would move to her soon they couldn’t wait till the end of the school year in the asylum. Frol wanted to escape with his friend, but it was far from Otrechenskoye and he didn’t know how to get there.

Zhenya Burakova

Frol likes to milk the cow Milka

Denis and Frol have a guest

Otrechenskoye village. In the house of the Semenovs. Vanya and Sasha

Culture centre. Vanya like to play billiards

Nadezhda Semenova with children

Otrechenskoye village. In the house of the Vasilenko. Andrey, Arina and mother Elena see the photo album.

Elena Vasilenko has a good sense of humor: “I don’t use cosmetics, a drum never has wrinkles”

Otrechenskoye. In the evening the Burakovs invited all to their place.

Anatoly like to play the button accordion

The Burakovs

The children of the Burakovs are going to school in the morning

Chany village. Mother Elena Podchasova

In the house of the Podchasovs. Katya (she was 2 when was adopted 3 years ago), first-graders Misha and Seryozha.

Stanislav is the own son of the Podchasovs. In fact, adopting parents are afraid of rumours that they use the adopted kids as labour power, so it’s the own kids who are more often asked to help.

They make 12 litres of borsch at once. Polina helps mom. When her eyes almost didn’t open mother Lena interceded for an operation.

In the house of the Podchasovs. Elena adopted Daniel when he was 1,5 months only. She knew his birth mother.

Father Vladimir Podchasov

The Podchasov adopted Albina in August 2002

 

Source ; englishrussia.com