Gorodnya

The overall impression from a visit here is one of happy children cared for by a positive and united staff. The director has a remarkably modern outlook and is working hard to provide his children, all of whom have special educational needs, with the best education that they can manage in as pleasant surroundings as they can create. They have already refurbished the boys’ indoor toilets and are seeking help to do the same for the girls.

The internat at Gorodnya was started in 1979 when an existing school was converted in use. They are overcrowded and currently have 287 children from 6-18 yrs. The school is used as a summer camp for orphans from other internats and the buildings are generally suffering from a lack of maintenance. They have quite reasonable sanitary facilities and one of the more modern kitchens thanks to sponsorship in the past. However, the general impression was one of grimy children and buildings and over the last few years the sponsorship, that provided holidays in Italy and help with the buildings, has tailed off.