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Helping Vulnerable Children and Women
Nadia was seven when she was placed in the Bethany Riabovo orphanage after surviving years of neglect, a heart condition, and many developmental delays. Bethany worked to meet Nadia’s varied needs by providing speech therapy, counseling, fine motor skill development, music therapy, and school skills support. Within one year, Bethany placed Nadia with a foster family whose loving support enables her to continue to heal from her emotional wounds and to progress in school.
Providing Educational Services
As a teen leaving the orphanage, Denis relied on Bethany and the Trade School in Lomonosov to help him transition to independent, self-sufficient life. He wanted to get a job and secure his future. Through Bethany’s life skills education, a team of two teachers, a social worker, a psychologist, and a lawyer assists youth in learning daily life skills, such as living on a budget, job searching, living a healthy lifestyle, and learning parenting skills. Youth also receive legal advice. Denis served two years in the Army where he earned three medals. Then he returned to civilian life where he is employed as a driver, living independently in his own apartment, and has hope for his future.
BETHANY RUSSIA PROGRAM TIMELINE
| 1998 | • | Partners with the Russian Government (Committee for General and Professional Education for Leningrad area) and begins a life skills training program for orphans in Lomonosov. |
 | • | Assists in the development of policy to support the orphans from the area. |
| • | Partners with St. Petersburg State University to develop a course in social work. |
| 1999 | • | Partners with St. Petersburg State University and offers an educational program for social workers working with vulnerable children. |
| 2000 | • | Begins pregnancy counseling and several initiatives to support children and families in crisis situations. |
| 2001 | • | Provides a training course for social workers working with at-risk children and teens. |
| 2005 | • | Begins an initiative to help the children in Riabovo orphanage develop educational and social skills. |
| 2006 | • | Expands life skills training by providing post graduation support services and interactive onsite group training. |
| | • | Provides new social work education for specialists in the Krasnogvardeysky district of St. Petersburg. |
| 2007 | • | Begins a pilot foster care project using the PRIDE model. |
| • | Serves 1,030 clients with a staff of 35. |
To care for approximately 1,030 people, Bethany needs to raise $150 per person. With gift support of $156,000, Bethany will see that:
| • | 960 youth receive vital life skills education. |
| • | 25 government staff receive training and education about child welfare issues. |
| • | 32 orphans are supported to develop their educational and social skills. |
| • | 22 children are placed in foster care and receive ongoing services |