AN INSIGHT TO THE UKRAINIAN CARE SYSTEM BY A BRITISH SOLDIER

I am SCpl Sedgwick of the Household Cavalry Regiment and in October 2018 I was deployed to Ukraine to be an instructor on a development course for senior soldiers. In November 2018 I was then posted to Kyiv for a 6-month tour, looking after the administration of all British troops in Ukraine (known as Op ORBITAL). During my time in Ukraine, I discovered there were a lot of orphanages here, with many children living without their parents, or in some cases, no family members at all. 

Ukraine has a population of 43 million. In recent decades, Ukraine has lived through many political, economic and social changes which has had a negative effect on the lives of families and children in Ukraine. Ten times as many children in Ukraine are in institutional care than in England. 

Over 100 000 children in Ukraine live in orphanages. 9 percent of these children are full orphans, with no living parents and 91 percent are social orphans, with biological parents. In 2015, the number of children in orphanages rose by 8 percent. 

Every 3 days, 250 children are placed in orphanages and every 3 days 1 child also dies. When children graduate from an orphanage they have little chance at succeeding due to their rough start as a child. 

• 40 per cent will end up in jail 
• 40 per cent will end up homeless
• 10 per cent will commit suicide
• 10 per cent will relatively succeed

The government is providing the help they can, but it just is not enough to deal with the number of children being placed in orphanages. The statics above show what little chance these children stand after graduating the orphanage. 

This information was all new to me and I decided I wanted to get involved in an organisation which already existed and offer my spare time to help. I have 6 nephews and 2 nieces and come from a large family and I have always loved children. After my career with the Household Cavalry Regiment, my wife and I would like to become foster parents, so I began looking into orphanages and care homes to see what help I could offer. On previous deployments I have helped in schools in Kenya, so I was hoping I could do something similar. 

At the time I began looking into this, I was introduced to a charity called DetDom.info who were able to offer the HQ training, help and advice on setting up a volunteer program. We were then introduced to an orphanage called Kyiv Regional Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation for Children. The orphanage’s main objectives are:

• provide care for children with complex conditions 
• restore and support the children’s physical and mental health 
• provide appropriate levels of education 
• provide every child with a safe environment 

I was able to put together a training programme for all members of HQ staff and then created a volunteer programme. Once everyone had completed the relevant training, 2 members of HQ ORBITAL visited the orphanage every 2 weeks overseen by me. During our visits we took part in activities such as football training, teaching English, teaching command tasks and joined in on recess. Setting up this programme took time as I wanted to make sure we received the best training, so we could fully utilize the time we had to offer. I also contacted a local university and was able to find 2 students who were willing to volunteer their time to help us out. I also asked my wife to send out craft packages for the children in the orphanage, so we could have a crafts afternoon during one of our visits. 

I really enjoyed the time I got to spend with the children and was pleased I was able to offer my spare time to help. I am also pleased I was able to create an awareness of the centre amongst the British Army and I hope the programme I created will continue once I return home to the UK. Given the short time I had left on OP ORBITAL, I was only able to invest a small amount into the orphanage, but I am happy I have been able to raise awareness amongst my peers of the number of orphanages and children in need in Ukraine; this information can be shared amongst others in the British Army. I am hoping what I have achieved here will have raised awareness for those on OP ORBITAL now and in the future. It is my hope that this will continue for years to come, giving the children and those British soldiers deployed here something to look forward to. 

The project is just starting. The conflicts in Ukraine have affected so many people’s lives, especially the lives of children, which seems so unfair, and this is happening all over the world.  I hope I can set up similar programmes on future deployments and register as a foster parent offering care for children abroad during my leave periods. 

SCpl Sedgwick plays a game of crab football with the children	SCpl Sedgwick pushes the children on the swings

SCpl Kevin Sedgwick