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Thanks to a recent donation by Kasia and Greg Kay (a Polish-American business oriented family from Chicago), Direct Help to Eastern Europe was able to help the Debinki Orphanage (located 50 km northeast of Warsaw, Poland) with some of its pressing needs. Grace Geslowski, a volunteer board member, made a special trip to Poland to directly implement the donation process. The orphanage children, along with staff, decided to use the donation to purchase the equipment and items necessary to complete 4 small kitchens. Those kitchens will be used to teach teenagers specific life skills like cooking, food and money management, as well as the washing upkeep of their own clothes.
What
is the purpose of all of this? Almost
2/3 of the children residing in the Debinki Orphanage are teenagers (12 year old
and up), who are willing to prepare for adult life, but unfortunately are
lacking the necessary skills. With
the aid of Direct Help and this
donation, older children will enjoy learning in completed small kitchens.
The main kitchen, which operates more like a cafeteria, does not provide
a safe learning environment and was not fit for small projects.
Now with 4 small completed kitchens, the children will be able to
experiment with food and learn skills necessary to make it on their own later.
The children of Debinki Orphanage are very creative and willing to participate in challenging projects. Under the guidance of one of their teachers, the children created an “art studio” which they use to produce beautiful paintings and even stain glass pictures. From time to time, their artwork is shown by the local art association and during the annual Autumn Fest. We took some photos of their work to share with you.
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The
orphanage is proud of its children. Some
of the children have even chosen to pursue their education on a university
level, which is a great accomplishment. You may not know that children who
reside in an orphanage usually have significant delays in learning, which they
need to overcome before advancing through the school system.
In the meantime, the orphanage staff struggles with shortage of funds for
food, and school supplies.
We encourage you to make a tax-deductible donation. A donation can help you or your business during the
tax
season, but most of all, it can help many needy children who count on the help
of strangers to survive.
Get in touch with us and get involved!
List of items purchased with this donation:
40 chairs
3 refrigerators
3 stoves
3 sets of kitchen cabinets
4 sinks, along with faucets and pluming
2 stereos
2 tables with small chairs
6 lamps
one bed couch (one child was sleeping on the floor)
dishes, lamps, utensils, irons, and minor items for all four kitchens
This was all made possible by the generous donation of Greg and Kasia Kay. Thank
you again!
Grace Geslowski, April 2002.