THIS IS WHY TRAINING IS SO IMPORTANT!

Two of our trainers recently have returned from Sevastopol, one of the regions of Ukraine. They have conducted 4 days of Case Worker Core training (Module 1 and 2) for social workers. We met with them in our office in order to review how the training went. They have told us that in the beginning of the training our trainers faced resistance and negative attitude from the participants. Participants were convinced that family focused approach does not work in Ukraine. They insisted that the best way to help the child is to take the child away from any struggling families and place the child to the orphanage. There was a belief that there is a need to punish the family and nothing can be done to help them.

Over the course of training, trainers have witnessed the change in participants thinking. Participants admitted that they would like to apply skills they received at the training at their work settings and at the end of the training they asked our trainers to come back again and train them on the other Modules from this program. 

The following is the quote from the participant who was the most resistant at first, but by the end of the second day of the training, even he admitted:

“It is good for a child to have warm clothes, TV  and good meal but what about nurturing, caring and warm family relationship?!” 

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

Our dear friends and colleagues,


ILDC team wishes you a wonderful celebration of Christmas and a Happy New Year!
We hope you have a joyful season and find time to reflect on the great things that have happened this year!
We wish you a good health and happiness in your families and success at your jobs in the coming year!
We are grateful to partner with you and thank you for your interest in ILDC work and our different projects in Ukraine in child welfare!
Many of you have contributed in many ways over the past years to the work here in Ukraine and we THANK YOU for your partnership!!!
IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!


With the best wishes,
ILDC team

The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other. ~Burton Hillis

LATEST UPDATE ON KATRINA!

Dear friends,

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone for your care and your prayers for Katrina and her situation.

We have been in contact  with the USA embassy for last couple of weeks. We helped Katrina to fill out the necessary papers that Embassy had requested from Katrina. Yesterday we had a good phone conversation with the US embassy representative. They have informed us that they have addressed the U.S. Health and Human Services/International Social Services  to deal with Katrina’s repatriation back to the U.S. We were told that it is going to be about three weeks until we hear from them about their decision.

We would like to ask you to continue to pray for Katrina and her future.

Check our blog from time to time  to find out latest updates.

ILDC team

STORY FROM PROJECT “ADOPT UKRAINE”, ILDC

The Kyrylenko family from Apostolov town, Drenepropetrovsk region of Ukraine has adopted 3 children from the orphanage a year and a half ago. Right after children arrived to the family, the parents started experiencing problems with the oldest boy Vitality. He was misbehaving himself and caused many problems in the family. The Kyrylenko family approached ILDC national trainer for a consultation. After the consultation the family was invited to attend ILDC training for adoptive and foster families. As the result of the training, things in the family started to get better and better. Volodia has improved in his behavior and is getting along with his parents. Now, the Kyrylenko family has adopted two more kids, two brothers Daniel and Andrei. They have told us one day that they were very glad to attend the training and to learn how to manage difficult behavior. For us it is great example on how a training can make an impact and change families. Different things they didn’t know or maybe thought were not so important can cause big challenges and problems in the family. There are so many families in Ukraine with a similar situation to this one, where parents don’t know what to do and how to raise their adoptive or foster children. Some of them have already given up and children had to go back to the orphanage.

We believe, training can make a difference not only in parents' life but in lives of children as well!

ILDC GOES OUT TO CRIMEA

ILDC staff is very excited to announce a new open door and a great opportunity to start Case Worker Core training for social workers in Sevastopol, Crimea. We have received a phone call from the Social Services with a request for ILDC to go out to Crimea and conduct training there. Two of our national trainers are there this week to work with the group of 25 social workers from Crimea. It’s indeed one more step forward in reaching one of our goals to have trainings in child welfare in every region of Ukraine.

We realize the importance of training child welfare staff and helping them to become real experts at their work settings. Why is it important? We believe that if we raise the professional level of the social workers, it will help them to do their work even better. Many families who are at risk will receive professional help. Children would not be taken from their birth families as result of neglect and abuse. No children will go to the orphanage, but instead will live in families that love them and care for them and all their needs!

Once again we would like to express our gratitude to all of our partners and friends. Your contributions help us to pursue our vision “Healthy Families, Protected Children” and make it reality!

WHAT IS ADOPT UKRAINE

A WORD FROM ILDC PRESIDENT

KATYA UPDATE

This is a repost from www.lambinternational.blogspot.com ILDC founder organization


KATYA HAS HER PASSPORT.
She is with one of our partners in Ukraine, staying in an apartment with another young woman. We have her there until the US Embassy can meet with her. They will let us know about bringing her back to the US. The US Embassy has offered to buy her ticket home - we would just have to pay them back for this. This is what she wants. Keep in mind - she is 18 - likely functioning at an emotional age of 12 - the age when she was adopted. She is likely not able to figure all this out by herself - she is still a child.

Our next step is to continue to hear from you all - about her situation. How might you help? We have been receiving some suggestions of where she might live once she returns to the US. Let's keep in mind she will undoubtably need counseling and help working through the education system. It is not going to be an easy road with her once she is back and with a family. We can all work together to do the best we can - ultimately Katya will need to take some responsibility - as she settles and stabilizes. But first - we need commitment from a family, a place for her to return to - one that is realistic in their expectations. This might be a very difficult placement for a time as all the issues are worked out.

She is in good hands right now in Ukraine. She no longer is under the "rule" of the orphanage. Our staff will work with her to extend her stay in Ukraine until we work out the US return with the US Embassy. The Embassy will do the investigation on the situation - that is their job, not ours. We are focused on Katya and her needs at this time.

Thanks to our partners in Ukraine, our team members John and Julie - together we will not be stopped.

HER NAME IS KATYA

This is a repost from www.lambinternational.blogspot.com ILDC founder organization

A SITUATION - CAN YOU HELP

HER NAME IS KATYA.

We have been working on a difficult sitution here in Ukraine. There is a young American girl who is presently at an orphanage not by her choice. She was adopted from Ukraine when she was in grade 6. She turned 18 in August of this year and in October 2010 her adoptive parents put her on a plane and sent her back to Ukraine. We have heard her story and it is sad.
She is receiving help from a church in Krivoy Rog as well as other individuals in Ukraine. She now has no place to return to in the US and had no idea of what she will do. The US Embassy has been contacted and they are aware of the situation and are planning to do a thorough investigation of the situation.

Our staff are doing what they can do as well. We have found a place for her to stay here in Ukraine until she can return to the US, but she is running out of time to leave the country. Foreigners can only stay three months and then need to leave and then they can re-enter. Although she was born in Ukraine, she is now considered a foreigner. Her citizenship is US and she wants to return, but has no one to help her in the US.

This is where we place the call to our friends, family and bloggers. Is there anyone out there willing to take a risk and help? Her story is one of constant conflict, verbal abuse and lack of emotional support. She claims she was a Magna student (can easily be confirmed). She was to graduate this year, but was sent back before this could take place. She will likely lose most of her school year. She claims she was sent back with only hours notice - afraid of what the alternatives were for her.

All persons working with her in Ukraine claim she is a nice girl - very upset at this, does not know the national language of Ukrainian and speaks "weak" Russian. In fact her Russian is at a grade 6 level. She wants to return home to the US. She sees no hope with her adoptive family.

Please consider this, pray for this siutation and let us know if you have any ideas. You can contact us at our email address - we believe this young woman deserves to have this help. One cannot make decisions alone when you are 18 - in a foreign country - facing the unknowns - and just plain scared.

ILDC NATIONAL TRAINERS GO OUT TO THE REGIONS OF UKRAINE

As you all know ILDC has started conducting trainings with Ukrainian national trainers in the regions of Ukraine. It has been a long learning process through which our trainers had to go. They went through a number of trainings conducted by our international experts and have grown to the point where they apply the knowledge that they have received and now train others. Our national trainer Lena Andruhovich was recently in Krivoi Rog. Lena continued the Case Worker Core training that was started by our president Ruby Johnston. In the middle of November she has conducted CWC training on module 6 and 7, for the 14 child welfare specialists and social workers. We were able to reach the goals that were set for this training. The participants practiced new skills and received new knowledge that they plan to apply at their job settings. This will help them to better the result of their work. It is great to receive such positive feedback from all of the participants.

We are glad to be reaching one of our goals that we have set years ago. ILDC has a pool of professional national trainers who have commitment and professionalism and are becoming catalysts of change.