Kindness Is Donating Smiles
Program Contacts: Marina and Stephanie
Click here to view children who really would like to have a sponsor.
An Orphan Smiles, Inc. is very pleased to provide an avenue of hope and relief for many orphaned children living at Mykolaivka Internat.
Mykolaivka Internat is a “boarding school for orphans”, ages 7 through 18 years. The majority of these children have been orphaned due to circumstances of economic poverty and/or the death of their parents. There are approximately 175 children who live and are educated at this institution.
Mykolaivka Internat is located in Nikolaevka, Donetsk, which is in Eastern rural Ukraine near the Russian border. It is approximately ten hours away from Kiev, Ukraine’s capital city, by train. The nearest town is “Kramatorsk”, a 45 minute drive away. There are no restaurants, convenience stores, hotels, or large stores in Nikolaevka. The roads are often well-worn asphalt, dirt and gravel.
Mykolaivka Internat (“Myko”) is considered a special needs orphanage. Many children who become a part of Mykolaivka, typically score lower than average on placement tests, and therefore may struggle academically.
Through An Orphan Smiles, Inc., “K.I.D.S. (Kindness is Donating Smiles)” sponsorship program for Mykolaivka was formed to help enable its children to grow and thrive emotionally and educationally. Sponsorship consists of letter writing and two packages shipped each year to a specifically assigned child. The sponsorship also includes an annual fee of $60.00 each calendar year to help pay for their assigned child’s school books and supplies, a birthday party, and Christmas celebration. Photo(s) and written replies from the child sent to each sponsor are also a part of this program’s success.
Program Details
Annual sponsorship includes two (2) essential packages per year and quarterly (4) payments of $15 by check (if using Paypal, $15.76 quarterly or $62.10 if paying in full):
$60.00 Annual Breakdown:
Mail your check to:
An Orphan Smiles, Inc.
PO Box 175
Kimberton, PA 19442-0175
USA
Click here to make a Paypal payment.
The annual fee will cover the following:
Educational Development
School books & supplies: An Orphan Smiles will work with the orphanage director and book suppliers regarding the books and school supplies needed to help with the school’s curriculum.
Birthday Club
On a monthly basis An Orphan Smiles will help host a birthday party at Mykolaivka Internat. This party will provide every child, whose birthday falls in that particular month, with a special day to remember.
Christmas Celebration
As part of the sponsorship annual fee, funding will be provided in the amount of $10.00 per child for the enjoyment of a special Holiday meal, candy, and related festivities.
In-Country Representation
In-Country Representation funds are to pay for program related expenses encountered by our representatives who live in Ukraine. These program helpers are responsible for traveling to the orphanage on a monthly basis for the purpose of taking photographs of the children, delivering and picking up letters, and remaining in close contact with the orphanage staff about program details. This portion of the annual fee will be applied toward monthly travel expenses as well as internet service and postage expenses incurred by each representative on behalf of An Orphan Smiles. Program expenses are documented and receipted.
Letter Writing & Translation
Letter writing is such an integral part of this program. The children yearn for this interaction with their sponsors, which provides them with a tremendous amount of needed encouragement and friendship. We encourage our sponsors to write as often as they wish. An Orphan Smiles, Inc. has a Translation Team in place that will translate your letters for you. When your student writes to you, we will gladly translate their letters also and will email the translation to you.
Click here to view helpful guidelines about writing letters for translation to your sponsored child.
Please email your translation request directly to Marina at: MarinaP@AnOrphanSmiles.org
On average, each translation request will take seven days for completion, and will be returned to you by email.
Packages
Package #1: Hygiene Package
Keep it simple, standard, and affordable: 2 shampoo, 2 soap, 2 toothpaste, 1 toothbrush, 1 bath towel, 1 washcloth, two-6 pk underwear, two-6 pk socks (dark in color), 1 lip balm, 1 bottle lotion, 1 brush, 1 roll of toilet paper, 1 box of Kleenex, a large bag of hard candy.
Package #2: Christmas Package
Keep it simple, standard, and affordable: 1 Christmas wrapped toy/game item [for consistency among the children, please do not spend more than $25], 1 pair warm PJ’s (thermals are ideal), 1 pair slippers, two-6 pk underwear, two-6 pk socks (dark in color), 2 shampoo, 2 soap, 2 toothpaste, 1 roll of toilet paper, a large bag of hard candy.
* Please make sure that shampoo and lotion bottle lids are tightly in place, and tape caps shut. Please also place shampoo and lotion in zip lock bags, and double-bag them to help eliminate possible leakage while in route.
* Special Note Regarding Older Children (ages 13 and older):
Please include in each package:
Clothing
Although it is not required, please feel free to send New / Like New (no stains, rips, tears, missing buttons, etc) items to your child. Every child at Mykolaivka is in great need of everything. Please remember the upcoming season and anticipated temperature changes if you want to send your child clothing.
Please also note, that although the need is great for most clothing items, it is not necessary to provide your child with a complete new wardrobe. The children are known to wear frequently the same clothing item and do not change their clothes often. They also tend to “save” many clothing items for special occasions and then grow out of them. We recommend sending one nice shirt, one sweater, one pair of jeans or pants, etc., at a time.
Clothing Ideas Based On Known Orphanage Needs:
Items to Avoid Sending:
* Pre-packaged Trail mix, nuts, and hard candies are OK to send.
Sending a Package
Please refer to the Shipping Page for instructions on sending packages. There are several alternatives listed for shipping packages to Ukraine. Be sure to obtain a tracking number from the shipping company when you ship your package. This tracking number will keep you informed of when your package is received by Mykolaivka.
For your convenience, we have already prepared a package shipping label (below). Please print and affix to your box with clear strapping tape.
Also, please contact Info@AnOrphanSmiles.org for an “internal box number”. At your request, a specific box number can be assigned to your package and returned to you (in label format) so that you can print and affix it to your box. At the time when your package has been received, the orphanage director will account for the boxes that have arrived, by reporting back to An Orphan Smiles the special assigned box numbers.
**Important: Please note that the shipping label for Mykolaivka does not bear your sponsored student’s name. Rather, it is addressed directly to the orphanage director. This is due to the fact that their post office will contact the orphanage director (only) to come and pick up all packages that have arrived.
It will be important to place your student’s first and last name (translated in Russian and printed on an 8”x11” sheet of paper, in large size font) on top of your package prior to closing it. An Orphan Smiles, Inc. will help you with this translation.
Additional Monetary Donations
If sponsors would like to help the children at Mykolaivka beyond the Program outlined above, An Orphan Smiles encourages donations to these specific programs that will assist Mykolaivka children directly:
Feed the Mind – Library Project
Feed the Body – Fruit and Vegetable Project
Feed the Soul – Provide funding to allow the children to enjoy recreational opportunities
Essentials Program – Provide health and hygiene products specifically for Mykolaivka.
We are encouraging participation in the programs above in lieu of sending any additional funding for individual children other than the yearly program fee of $60. Realistically, there are very few opportunities for the children to spend money and the in-country representatives of An Orphan Smiles, Inc. do not have the ability to provide shopping services and accountability of funds sent for this many children. Thank you for your understanding.
Life-Pack
For every child entering the “9th Class” (the final year at Mykolaivka Internat when each child “ages out” of the orphanage system), An Orphan Smiles asks that the FINAL package of sponsorship be a “Life-Pack”. The Life Pack is intended to assist each child as they leave the orphanage and enter vocational training at another institution. Upon completion of vocational training, children will be assigned to a job and a place to live. These children will not have many possessions to bring with them, and what they do have is often at bare minimum.
We have carefully planned the Life Pack to help assist these children with the items that they will need for a successful transition. We encourage sponsors to watch for sale items, pick things up gradually, and to plan ahead for the cost of shipping. Please plan to send your Life Pack to your
student by no later than the beginning of March of their final year at Mykolaivka Internat. Graduation is scheduled for June. Sponsors will be reminded when their assigned child is in their last year.
Life Pack List
If there are any questions about this program, please feel free to contact us at:
Marina Pravednikov MarinaP@AnOrphanSmiles.org
Stephanie Crail StephanieC@AnOrphanSmiles.org
KIDS - Mykolaivka Package Mailing Label
Copyright © 2008 An Orphan Smiles.