Internats 1

Internats, also referred to as Boarding Schools and Orphanages, exist in quite large numbers and care for those children who, for varying reasons, are unable to be cared for at home. Into this class fall those who are genuine orphans, those placed in care by the state and those whose parents unable to support their children because of poverty.

In Chernigov Region, one of the poorest of the 25 regions in the Ukraine and where we do most of our work, there are 19 of these “homes”with on average about 150 children aged 7-16yrs. in each. Two in the region, at Zamgli and Nizhin, are special as they care specifically for the mentally and physically handicapped of whom many are victims of Chernobyl and its aftermath. As such they are under the care of the Health Services and receive rather better funding than the majority who come under the Education Departments.