Most experts agree that the official national statistics in Ukraine are unreliable, making it difficult to determine the reality of life for children who have graduated from orphanages (called "boarding schools") in Ukraine.
However, according to the first Ukraine Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) conducted in 2007, more than 9% of Ukrainian children live in institutions or foster situations. The women most at-risk for low birth weight, poor prenatal care, and less access to information about sexual reproduction and family planning are younger, less educated, and live in rural areas. Furthermore, children graduate at the age of 16 and are, therefore younger when they start their lives as adults.
We have a better understanding of our local situation, having worked with and followed this population. Over the last five years, 38 female graduates from the Perechyn boarding school have become pregnant and from among them 51 babies have been born. Virtually all of these newborns are living in orphanages or in foster situations (some with grandparents).
Many of the girls have had physical and psychological problems associated with their pregancy and the birth process due to their lack of access to or knowledge of prenatal, resources and information about how to care for themselves. Abortion is not uncommon, nor are sexually transmitted diseases.
Opika House is just part of our goal to assist this population. By opening Opika House, it is our hope to provide young mothers who already have children, a place to live and work, in order to keep them from losing their children to an orphanage and, thereby, starting the cycle of children in orphanages all over again.
However, we are also submitted grant application to provide education and access to young mothers about what happens to their children when they are removed to orphanages, family planning (e.g. reproductive health, accessing pre-natal services, etc.), how to care for their child and keep house, personal financing and budgeting, and more. Part of this initiative will be to convene local roundtables of officials and service providers to plan for this population and identify ways to work together to reduce teen pregnancy among graduate from boarding schools.
If you would like to know more about housing situations for gradutes leaving orphanages in Ukraine, the Fred Foundation Ukraine website has more detail. The Fred Foundation has purchased apartments and houses all over Transcarpathia, helping prevent homelessness for hundreds of teenagers and young parents.
Go to: http://www.fredfoundation.org/initiatives.html
