Trip report spring 2010
This is an archive page of Les Amis de Svieta from 2000-2021
Friday May 28th
Vika, her mother Natasha and Pascal will be traveling by night train from Nikolaiev via Kiev to Berlin and Pascal will take an other train from Berlin back home to Switzerland. It will take him a few days to get home…
Thursday May 27th
Hanni and Tom were taken by a 4×4 taxi to the airport in Odessa – a 3 hours trip that used to take only 1.5 hours, the roads are now extremly bad.
Vika and Pascal are staying an other day in Nikolaiev finishing business and accounting.
The incoming airplane in Odessa was late, departure was late, connection in Prague was missed, but in the end Hanni and Tom made it back to Switzerland on the same day.
Wednesday May 26th
We went to visit the NBH where we met Olga Ivanovna, the director of NBH. We checked the status of the various projects we recently financed and we looked at new requirements. There are always new requirements…
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Olga Ivanovna presented to us two new children that need treatment and we are now looking for sponsors for those two children.
After lunch we tried – unsuccessfully – to collect US$ from the bank, which was sent to us from OBS. Afterwards we showed to Hanni the city and the view to the river.
To celebrate Vika prepared sushi for dinner for us. It was very nice.
Tuesday May 25th
Today we went to visit Olga Igorivna in Kakhovka – a 2 hour trip by car. Olga was waiting for us to arrive and she showed us her room and she presented us her monthly accounting. Checking those documents and the amounts spent, we asked some questions that were difficult for Olga to answer. The situation was quite difficult for all of us. In September, Olga will start her last year at technical school and we are very happy with her grades so far 🙂
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Afterwards, all 5 of us went to the same restaurant as we did on all previous visits to Olga and we went for a walk at the river.
The 2 hour trip back on those amazing Ukrainian roads luckily went without problems.
Monday May 24th
We hired a Jeep and driver so Vika could go to Odessa welcome Tom & Hanni who are joining us for the second week of this trip. They arrived after a smooth flight Zurich – Prag – Odessa and where on time. The road between Nikolaiev and Odessa is in such a bad state that we didn’t want to take the risk to damage LAdS car. Everybody arrived safely and all 3 swiss people will even be able to stay in the same flat. Wonderful weather in Nikolaiev with up to 27°C (80°F).
Sunday May 23rd
Pascal and Vika are on the road from Kharkov to Nikolaiev through Kremenchuk where they are shortly meeting with Baby House director. It was sunny in Kharkov when they departed in the morning, but now raining in Kremenchuk.
Saturday May 22nd
Day spent in Kharkov with Galya and her daughter Lada. Then, in the evening, meeting with the third and last group of ZGI VocEd program. After having the group which just finished 2 years formation and the group which will start them, it was those who just finished the first year. Thanks to Vika, Galya and Lada, contact was easily established and many useful information gathered from these very friendly young people. Hopefully, these information will help improve the program. Some pictures of all 3 meetings are available here.
Friday May 21st
Visit boarding school of Zeleniy Gay, where we met 10 young participants of the sponsorship program. These teenagers will complete public school and begin their professional training organized and funded by our partner organization OBS (three of the young people are supported by Swiss families).
We also met a young pregnant couple – both are only 17 years old. Both are currently in that OBS program, but the young mother loses both the OBS support as well as the right to stay at the boarding school. We will try to help this family and will inform you as soon as we know more.
Thursday May 20th
After late arrival the previous night we slept in to recovered from the long journey. Then we organized the evening with the first group of teenagers from sponsorship program, managed by our partner organization OBS for the last 3 years. We met these teenagers who have completed a two-year vocational training and congratulated them for their success!
Wednesday May 19th
Today we took Ivan to the Kiev Cardio Center (KCC), where he will operate as planned. Afterwards we have organized for Nikolay and his nurse to return to Nikolaiev by bus. After all that we drove by car to Kharkov, we arrived at approximately 11pm. It was raining…
Tuesday May 18th
We arrived in Kiev a bit more than 25 hours after departure from Berlin. In a compartment of 2 square meters with 3 beds, it was ‘interesting’.
Everything went well and Vika was waiting as planned. We meet Vanya (Ivan) and Kolya (Nikolay) and their nurses from NBH and we had a meal together at the apartment in Kiev. More tomorrow …
Monday May 17th
Pascal has arrived in Poznan (Poland), another 22 hours to go on the train to Kiev.
Sunday May 16th
Pascal has departed by train via Nürnberg, Berlin towards Kiev.
