Efficiency enhancement in heating system at NBH
In fall of 2002 we were able to replace the obsolete heating and warm water system at Nikolaiev Baby House, thanks to large donations from USA. Since winter 2002/03 babies small children had cozy temperatures in their rooms and didn’t freeze anymore during winter time.
As we all remember, Russia had cut off delivery of gaz to Ukraine in Winter of 2008/09 and further more, one of the three burners broke and would need to be replaced before this winter. Director Olga of NBH has worked out an efficiency enhancement project (see schema) that eliminates the need for three burners and that would save 5,760 m3 of gas per year. Total saving at toady’s gas cost is: 184,135 hrv (~US$ 23,000 or CHF 25,000 or € 16,500) per year.
Total investment for the proposed efficiency enhancement project is: 60,000 hrv (US$ 7,500 or CHF 8,200 or € 5,350).
Any help will be appreciated by Olga and the children, to insure that kids don’t feel cold during winter time.
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!
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!
Ukraine needs 127 years to repair roads
In order to make total reparation of all Ukrainian roads, under conditions of current financing, it will take at least 127 years.
This is bad news, as if the roads were not bad enough already 
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).
Happy Easter
All Ukrainian children that were helped by Les Amis de Svieta and the committee of Les Amis de Svieta are wishing you Happy Easter. We send you this heart, in order to thank you for your generous support!
Financial crisis hits Ukraine too
Ukraine is sinking into a deep depression. Yushchenko has forecast that the economy will contract by up to 10 percent in the first quarter of 2009. Tens of thousands of workers face layoffs as steel and other plants across the country freeze. Industrial output shrank nearly to 30 percent in November 2008, from a year earlier, the sharpest drop in a decade.
Anti flue vaccine for NBH
Winter season is not far. Chief doctor Olga of Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) has asked to help them pay for anti flue 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 
General Assembly 2008
The general assembly of our association took place on November 21st, 2008 at the Hôtel Restaurant Bel-Air in Praz.
The minutes of the general meeting (in French) can be read here shortly.
Steering committee.
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!
Planned trip end of November - beginning of December
It is confirmed, Pascal sets out again to Ukraine for a new marathon of approximately 2 weeks (from November 22nd till December 5th) through all the country. Jim from LAdS USA and Tom will be joining him for some of these visits.
All families who would like to pass news of their child/children to an orphanage visited are cordially invited to forward them as fast as possible by email or by snail mail to the address which you can find here.
The principal goals of this trip will be:
- Visit Olga Igorivna at her school in Kachovka
- Visit Director at Nikolaiev Baby House as well as all children currently (and possibly new one as well) supported by LAdS
- Visit to an Odessa orphanage in the name of a Spanish family who is willing to help them
- Visit to HIV specialized orphanage of Makiivka (Dontesk region) supported by our partner organization OBS
- Visit to Kharkov to meet with Galina and possibly go to ZGO (Zeleniy Gay orphanage) and ZGI (Zeleniy Gay boarding school)
- Visit to Kremenchuk Baby House to assess 2008 achieved projects and look at new ones
Further donations are needed to support this trip
and can be made here and if you live in the United States here!
Ukrainian orphans need a bailout!
Orphans in Ukraine and “Les Amis de Svieta” need a bailout, too.
Hank Paulson isn’t about to send any of the $700 billion you’re being forced to pay to help Ukrainian orphans, so we have to turn to you for help.
Please donate to help pay monthly expenses and continue to save orphans’ lives.
Donations can be made here.
Please consult our list of ongoing projects in Ukraine.
Thank you very much for your kind support!
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.
Bathroom renovation in Nikolaiev Baby House, funding needed!
Updated news as of July 15th, 2008 can be read here.
Nikolaiev Baby House (NBH) consists of 12 groups of children from 0 to 4 years of age. Last year, thanks to a generous sponsor, NBH was able to replace all old windows in the children’s bathrooms of each group.
In 2008 Director Olga Ivanovna from NBH would like to repair the children’s bathrooms, replace all water pipes and all sewage pipes as well. This project costs a total of 78,000 US$ for all 12 bathrooms, or approximately 6,500 US$ for each bathroom.
As soon as we have sufficient funds available for the first bathroom we will start and then as we receive more funds continue with a bathroom at the time. We are asking for your kind help to start this project now.
Donations can be made here.
Please consult our list of ongoing projects in Ukraine.
Thank you very much for your kind support!
