What Life Might Have Been Like . . .

About 70% of the children with which Opika works are of Roma origin. So, in the process of educating myself about this population and learning more about potential sources of funding and financial support for Opika House and a documentary film project on which we are working, I came across some photos by Anna Shevelyova. This might have been what life would have been like for some of the children who grew up in the Perechyn boarding school, had they grown up in a Roma camp (this is from a camp in Northern Romania, a few hours from Perechyn). [Click on the photo to the left to see more of Anna's work.]

The photos remind me of scenes from a film I recently watched called "A Hidden America - Children of the Mountains." This was a documentary made by American reporter, Diane Sawyer, about the lives of young, impoverished children in Eastern Kentucky. The film was shot in a village not far from the coal camp where my mother grew up and just over the mountain from my own homeplace. I remember seeing things like this growing up in the Appalachian Mountains, unfortunately, not in the distant past.

Certainly, the pictures of children playing in the trash and sleeping in old cars, be they in the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States or the Carpathian Mountains of Eastern Europe, are humbling. But what really has meaning for me is what happens after the cameras are turned off, the photographers are no longer around, and the 20 seconds of fame for the children is gone.

The two photos above are of the children in the Roma camp and the two photos below are where Sawyer's young "star" lived (perhaps still lives). Sawyer's character shows us the extreme poverty in which he lives and we see the truck where he is sleep, and the circumstances of his life. Seemingly, in a life-altering change for the better, he accepts a football scholarship and goes to college, only to return home after two months, saying he "couldn't keep up" and "felt like an outsider." A person raised in such an environment is less likely to be able to take advantage of such an opportunity like this one without some help. Was it reasonable for us to hope and expected this young man to properly adapt from living in his truck to the normal Freshman college experience? Then, of course, perhaps we blame him for not taking advantage of this opportunity and giving up.

This social adaptation is exactly what Opika does. I couldn't help but think that maybe if Shawn had help in his adaptation from some ladies like the ones at Opika, perhaps things might have been different. Children growing up in institutions cannot be expected to simply jump into life and raising families without some support, modeling, and advice. We all need advice and guidance from time to time and most of us are fortunate enough to have family to help us.

Opika doesn't profess to have all the answers, but they are working with one child at a time to help them figure out their own way. And, when the children fail or end up on the streets, there is still an unconditional acceptance of them and Opika continues to look for ways to help.

This adaptation is made harder for children of Roma birth. People in this part of the world people are very suspicious of the Roma and often don't want them living in their property. I have, countless times, witnessed the discrimination against Roma; and I have personally witnessed boarding school graduates being openly rejected from housing because of their race. The ladies of Opika have many more stories than I and they have, for years, allowed graduates to live with them when there was no where else to turn.

In order to register to vote, to register for social benefits, and to get married, one must have an officially documented place of residence. This is virtually impossible for truly orphaned children. When someone owns a piece of property, they may register as many relatives as they wish in this residence. However, if they wish to allow a non-family member to live there they must prove that there is a certain amount of cubic-centimeters for a stranger to live among them. In a country where normal household family members have their beds in corridors and common rooms, space is a premium - not the norm. Additionally, there are financial and government disincentives to allowing a renter to officially register his/her place of residence in a rental property and it costs money and takes a great deal of time and effort to register them; landlords rarely agree.

Although Opika House is not specifically for Roma youth, it will be a place without racial barriers, without judgement. It will be a place hope, opportunity, and love. It will be a place where young mothers will be able to recreate their lives and those of their children to insure they interrupt the cycle of multiple generations of children in orphanages. The ladies of Opika are committed to helping these girls learn how to care for their children, a house, and building their self-confidence to find work and make a life for themselves and their children.

We hope that you will be a part of helping these young people adapt to the normal (and unique) struggles that are to come in their lives. Please consider donating to help us build "Opika House."