SKIP Cardiff/BACCUP - Belarus

SKIP Cardiff (formerly BACCUP) is the name of the SKIP branch based at Cardiff University. Each summer we send groups of healthcare student volunteers to work in orphanages around Belarus. SKIP Cardiff is a long-running scheme and well established in Belarus itself; the children cared for have a range of disabilities, both mental and physical. We provide support for the carers by establishing care plans and promote acceptance and understanding of these children in their wider community.

History

In 1999 five medical students from The University of Wales College of Medicine, as it was then called, were invited to Novinki Children's Home outside Minsk; one of 35 orphanages in Belarus. The 200 young people aged 5-25 living there all have disabilities ranging from autism to schizophrenia and Down's syndrome to severe cerebral palsy.

Many of the children are victims of an impoverished society. Their families often live in Minsk but are too poor to afford childcare or be able to stay home and look after them.

In Novinki, the children were regarded as objects to feed, change and deal with rather than children that deserved care and stimulation. The fifty high dependency children were being looked after by two carers working 24 hour shifts.

SKIP Cardiff have been sending students to the Novinki Children’s Home since then and have managed to change how the children are treated, fed and made sure that the children have their nappies changed when required. They also make sure that the children get the stimulation and care that they deserve.

Thanks to many, many kind donations, SKIP Cardiff, along with other charities working in Novinki, have helped to achieve some amazing changes within the orphanage:

• Carers and SKIP Cardiff have worked together to improve working practices in the orhpanage and SKIP Cardiff have been able to supplement the wage of a teacher
• Unit 4 is now a ‘medical’ ward enabling greater government funding for care
• A stick is no longer used to punish the children
• Food is served in bigger, healthier and more nutritious portions
• The children have enough clothes and shoes which fit better
• There are more nurses to care for the high dependency children

A new caring ethos has been developed in Novinki enabling the children to develop as the carers to feel more valued and sympathetic. The students have been involved in a challenging and rewarding project. We feel that every student who has been to Novinki has had such an amazing experience.

In 2008 SKIP Cardiff launched a new project in Belarus, working in a similar orphanage in Cherven. Here volunteers offer care, play, attention and stimulation for the children who, like those in Novinki, also have a range of physical and mental disabilities.

What does our project do?

SKIP Cardiff have a few sustainable projects including education, health and rehabilitation.

SKIP Cardiff currently supplement the wage of one teacher who teaches some of the more capable children and encourages them with their reading, writing and speaking. They also do a fantastic job caring for the children: feeding, bathing, dressing and playing with the children. The money would therefore mean that we can carry on supplementing their wage, which costs £5 per day.

The children require a lot of rehabilitation because most of their limbs have contractures due to many years of neglect. "Passive movements" provided by the groups helps with this, but toys are often used to encourage their improvement. These are used in the sensory room which as the name suggests appeals to all of their senses. The money would therefore go towards providing more toys and sensory objects for the children to further their rehabilitation.

What are our goals?

Our goals are specific to the two orphanages we currently work in. At our project in Cheven we want to:

• create a sustainable project
• improve the everyday lives of the children in Cherven and to provide them with love and attention
• involve the carers and orphanage in making these changes
• improve the carers knowledge and skills
• try to integrate the children into the local community
• have a more structured timetable of activities for the children on the days when we are present in the orphanage and to organise fun activities and passive movement workshops for the children
• To keep a record of the children in the units we are working in.

At our older project in Novinki we aim to:

• consider an exit strategy – including finding a sustainable way to continue supplementing the wage of a teacher
• decide on a suitable expenditure for our fundraising money
• continue with our care plans, trips and general love and attention.

How do we raise money?

In regards to fundraising over the past year we have hosted:

• The Cardiff Fundraising Ball
• Mince pie evening prior to Christmas
• Christmas Ice ball
• Ticketed events at our Student Union

We also won the NPOWER innovation challenge for which we received £1000 in prize money.

The fundraising target for 08/09 is £5000, so please help us achieve this, in order to maintain the standard of care the children deserve.

Contact us

For more information about SKIP Cardiff or our project in Belarus please contact us at skipcardiff@googlemail.com.