Bathroom renovation in Nikolaiev Baby House, funding needed!
Update as of March 1st, 2010
We are down to 3 bathrooms that need to be repaired.
We have ordered one bathroom to be renovated and work on this job has started today. 2 more need to be done and we are looking for sponsors to finish this project.
Cost is US$ 6,000.- (€ 4’000.- or CHF 6’000.-) for each remaining bathroom.
Please help finish this project 
Thank you very much for your kind support!
Efficiency enhancement in heating system at NBH
Update as of February 23rd, 2010
Mission accomplished 
In spite of difficulties we managed to finish partial renovation of the heating system before beginning of winter. And, as you perhaps read it in the press, this winter was particularly hard and snowy in Ukraine.
Director Olga Ivanovna is extremely grateful to our sponsors for having made it possible to the orphans to live during winter time in a heated home!
Update as of October 15th
We managed to secure financing for the whole project. A big thanks goes to our generous donors! But this time there is a delay on the construction side of this project. Also the new heating is already in operation, not everything is finished and we are holding back payment until every last bit is finished to our satisfaction.
Flu vaccine for NBH
Winter season is not far away. Chief doctor Olga of Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) asked for help financing flu vaccine again this year (we are talking about seasonal flu vaccine, not ‘swine flu’ vaccine!).
Thanks to a generous donation from LAdS USA, the flu vaccines needed for 2009 could be purchased and have been delivered.
Injections have been given already and Chief doctor Olga and the kids from Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) are very grateful.
Trip report fall 2009
Saturday September 26th
Mission accomplished!
Pascal is back home in Switzerland, after 7,758 kilometers on the road. A daily average of 539 kilometers made this trip quite strenuous, but as always very rewarding and rich in experiences.
Friday September 25th
Vika and Pascal left by car from Zhytomir. Vika took a night train from Uzgorod to Nikolaiev and Pascal continued by car to Vienna, where he spent the night.
Thursday September 24th
The road from Kharkov to Kiev seemed never ending, but finally Pascal and Vika were able to drop off our friends from OBS, Stacey and Elizabeth, safely (they plan to fly back home on Saturday).
Afterwards Vika and Pascal continued to drive to Zhytomir, where they spent the night.
Down syndrome children need support
Chief doctor Olga from Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) is looking for our support. She would like to provide a special course of medicamental treatment for children with Down syndrome. There are 7 children at the moment and this project will last at least 2-3 years and will cost 3674 hrv (~$500) per child per year.
Total amount: US$ 3,500 per year (€ 2’700 or CHF 4’000), or US$ 10,000 for 3 years (€ 7’700 or CHF 11’500).
Any help will be appreciated by Olga and the children.
Find out how you can make your donations here and if you live in the United States here!
or just click on the “PayPal Donate” button on the left column of this page!
PABX for Nikolaiev Baby House
For many years director Olga from Nikolaiev Baby House was begging for a suitable internal communication system.
For external communication NBH uses today one single telephone line shared by three telephone sets. At present there is absolutely no internal communication system available. If director Olga or chief doctor Olga needs to reach their staff, they can currently choose between sending somebody to fetch the required staff or walk there themselves…
Vika has contacted the same supplier that installed a PABX system in Kremenchuk Baby House and asked for an offer. To satisfy the requirements of NBH, supplier proposed a PABX with 24 internal lines, 3 external lines and even the possibility to provide an intercom system with speakers. The whole system, including telephone sets, speakers, installation and all required cabling will cost at today’s exchange rate US$ 4,000 (€ 3,200 or CHF 4,800).
Viktoriya needed heart surgery (update)
Updated news here!
Young Viktoriya arrived at Nikolaiev Baby House in November of 2006. Director Olga Ivanovna asked us to find a sponsor for urgently needed heart surgery at Kiev Cardio Center (KCC). Approximately at the same time we were contacted by Verena from New Zealand, who was looking to sponsor an orphan in Ukraine, a lucky coincidence.
Flu vaccine for NBH
Winter season is not far. Chief doctor Olga of Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) has asked to help them pay for flu vaccine this year again. At the moment there are 153 children at the orphanage who need to be vaccinated. Each dose costs 52 hrv. Injection has to be done twice with two weeks interval in between.
Total amount is 15,900hrv or US$ 2,650 (~ € 1’800 or ~ CHF 2’300).
Any help will be appreciated by Olga and the children.
Find out how you can make your donations here and if you live in the United States here!
or just click on the “PayPal Donate” button on the left column of this page!
Trip report fall 2008
Friday December 5th
Mission completed 
Pascal has been driving from Nikolaiev to Odessa airport from where he is now flying via Prag to Zurich.
Thursday December 4th
Weather today is better, no rain and no fog.
After visiting the Baby House of Kremenchuk, Pascal and Vika are heading back to Nikolaiev, from where Pascal will be flying home to Switzerland tomorrow afternoon.
Wednesday December 3rd
Today it was still overcast, but less fog.
First, Pascal and Vika visited potential suppliers for Vika’s shop in Nikolaiev. Then they were heading for Kremenchuk. Today, as a bonus, it was also raining 
3 new NBH children need a bailout
Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) director and chief Doctor Olga Ivanovna has presented us Svetlana Igorievna, Svetlana Anatolievna and Olga.
All three arrived to Nikolaiev Baby House with a congenital heart disease diagnosis that needs to be operated.
All 3 travelled to Kiev Cardio Center (KCC) last October and had their diagnosis confirmed.
They all will need cardiac surgery very soon and we ask you for help and support in order to organize their next visit to KCC.
Considering girls actual health conditions, we foresee this operation for first quarter 2009.
Total amount required is US$ 3,600 (~ € 2’800 or ~ CHF 4’300).
Please help save the life of these three girls.
Find out how you can make your donations here and if you live in the United States here!
or just click on the “PayPal Donate” button on the left column of this page!
Bogdan needed urgently a heart operation
Olga Ivanovna, the director of NBH in Nikolaiev, has contacted us in July and requested urgent assistance for newborn Bogdan. Due to heart deformity ‚tetralogy of Fallot’ his life was in danger.
The health status of Bogdan was so unstable that he could not move from maternity home of the hospital to NBH. Chief doctor urged a speedy operation in the Kiev Cardio Center (KCC).
Call for donation and news about Nikolay
Updated news as of July 27th 2008 can be read here.
Updated news as of June 15th 2008 can be read here.
Updated news as of May 28th 2008
In March 2008 Nikolay was taken to the Institute of Urology. The doctors were glad to see him again and admitted that he had made unexpected progress in physical development (the boy really has grown a lot). The chief doctor of the hospital called several other doctors, they had a conference and they came to the conclusion that Nikolay can be operate in Kiev. The operation will take place on May 12th.
Nikolay will be accompanied and looked after by a nurse. Transportation to Kiev, operation and accomodation for two months will cost approx. $ 4,000 (CHF 4,000 or € 2,500).
Here you can read the first and second article about Nikolay.
Please consider making an online donation to help Nikolay.
New pictures of Montessori outdoor playground
The children of Nikolaiev Baby House can now enjoy the fully equipped Montessori outdoor playground and enjoy the beautiful weather too.
Latest pictures can be found here.
News of Nataliya and Ilona
Updated news as of June 30th, 2008 can be read here.
On November 4th, once financing was secured, we took Ilona and Nataliya by car to the orthopedics in Evpatoriya (Crimea).
Help required for final Montessori certification in Nikolaiev
Updated news as of May 28th 2008 can be read here!
In order to complete Montessori certification in spring 2008 Nikolaiev Baby House needs a kit of special Montessori educational toys. Cost to buy those Montessori toys (called “standard” kit) is US$ 1,000 (~ € 750 or ~ CHF 1,200)
Before final Montessori certification NBH staff needs to attend a final training course in Kiev which costs for travel and subsistence US$ 300 (~ € 220 or ~ CHF 360).
More about Montessori pilot project can be read here and here.
Pictures can be seen here und here.
