|
STOP
PRESS ** STOP PRESS ** STOP PRESS
Local Charity Receives Lottery Fund Award
The Community Fund (formerly the National Lottery Charities Board) announced
today (31 October) that Ecologia Trust, a Scottish charity, has been awarded
£140,784 over two years to help abandoned children in Russia. The money comes
from the International section of the Fund. Ecologia Trust is one of only three
Scottish groups awarded a grant in this round, out of a total 73 awards to UK
charities and voluntary groups working internationally. Ecologia Trust, based
at Findhorn in Morayshire, was set up specifically to promote and foster the
process of positive and creative change in Russia through youth, ecology and
education. The Kitezh Children's Community is the cornerstone of Ecologia's
financial and practical aid in Russia and will receive the grant to help abandoned
children move out of existing institutions into stable homes and families in
the Kitezh community and to provide social work and therapeutic education training.
The grant also provides support to set up the Kitezh Information Centre in Moscow
to generate public awareness and funding for Kitezh from within Russia. "We
are absolutely thrilled and delighted to receive this grant" said Liza Hollingshead,
Executive Director of Ecologia Trust. "We have worked very hard for this. It
is our fourth try and our persistence has paid off. It is a great recognition
of our hard work over the years, but, equally it is a great responsibility because
now we have to do what we dreamed of doing." Ecologia Trust has been working
with the Kitezh Children's Community since 1993. The community is located 300km
south of Moscow in the rural Kaluga region of Russia. Today, over one million
children in Russia live in state run children's homes in what can only be described
as Dickensian conditions. Over 90% of these children have been abandoned rather
than orphaned. These orphanages are staffed by untrained personnel who are instructed
to keep the children under control, not to touch them or show any affection
because they will only want more. Kitezh is a place of happiness and joyful
refuge for abandoned or orphaned Russian children. Kitezh was founded in 1992
by a group of Russian families committed to saving the lives of homeless children
with histories of abuse and neglect. What started as a very small group of dedicated
adults is now a thriving community despite the difficult economic and social
conditions which currently prevail in Russia. Ecologia Trust has done a variety
of fundraising activities for the Children's Community including the successful
Mike Scott benefit concert at the Findhorn Foundation's Universal Hall in June.
Liza Hollingshead says: "Recognition from the Community Fund is wonderful, and
I also want to acknowledge the many individuals in Scotland and in other countries
who have supported our work with Kitezh all along. I hope that support will
continue to grow, as it is private donations, no matter how small, that are
building the Kitezh community, helping the children and supporting the families."
Community Fund Supports
Ecologia's Work with Orphans in Russia
On October 24th 2001, late in the afternoon, a call from the
Community Fund (formerly the National Lottery Charities Board) informed us that
our application for funding had been accepted. Fourth time lucky!
The grant allows us to set up an Information Centre for
Kitezh in Moscow and to produce a promotional video to raise funds in Russia.
The Moscow office will have a director and an assistant trained in public relations
to focus on raising public awareness of Kitezh and raise funds from the business
and non-profit sector within Russia. Our support for the Centre will progressively
decrease over two years after which it will become self-supporting.
Kitezh families will also receive subsistence support
while the village is being built, to allow the parents to concentrate on their
parenting skills, community training and building houses.
An exciting component is to produce a training manual
for foster families which will draw on Kitezh's training and experience in fostering
children. All this to prepare for the future Social Work Training Institute
at Kitezh.
Other components of the grant complete the ongoing social
work, play therapy, and therapeutic education training co-funded by Charity
Know How, and provide salaries for a full time Life-story worker, an adoptions
officer and social work supervisor at Kitezh.
A word from Liza Hollingshead, Director of Ecologia Trust:
Naturally I am thrilled to receive this grant for Kitezh.
We have all worked very hard for this, and our persistence finally paid off.
Recognition by the Community Fund that Ecologia Trust is a trustworthy organisation
whose work with Kitezh justifies spending public money is a big responsibility
that will involve a great deal of hard work. We are grateful to be given the
means to get to work and realise the common vision that we have all been working
towards for many years.
By the end of two years, we aim to have 70 children and
15 families living at Kitezh, twice as many as at present. When I asked Dimitry
Morozov if this could be done, he said, 'Of course we will have 70 children
in families at Kitezh if we have the houses for them to live in.' The Centre
in Moscow will strengthen Kitezh in the longer term, but in the next two years
we have much to accomplish if we are to fulfil our commitments.
The Community Fund grant does not make provision to build
homes and the infra-structure of the Children's Village. That is where you,
our continuing donors and new friends come in. We need to build at least five
houses over the next two years, at a cost of £7000 each or £35,000. As well
as complete the Guest House (for you to stay in!) and equip the school.
At this momentous point in our history I want to whole-heartedly
thank everyone who has given to Kitezh and Ecologia over the years: our Trainers
in Social Work, Education and Community Building, our Volunteers, and our Godparents
who provide the children with friendship, love and (most important to the children)
real summer holidays! Thank you to our individual donors, some of whom contribute
large sums for building, others who send just a few pounds each month, and to
the Grant-making Trusts, Charity Know How and Partnerships in the Non Profit
Sector, for believing in us. And finally, thank you to our Trustees and our
dedicated Ecologia staff. All of you add up to where we are today. The support
of each one of you means more than you can possibly imagine.
Back to NEWS
|