On December 19, St. Nicholas Day, politicians and officials visited orphanages, schools, and kindergartens to present gifts. Giving this good young tradition its due, let us still say that positive social activity is possible in this country not only when it is sponsored by the state. It is about the Mykolaichyk (“Little Nicholas”) action initiated by a well-known hair style designer Natalia Balabanova and supported by Den/The Day and other mass media. It will be recalled that the aim of this initiative was to make Kyiv orphanage residents wake up like in a fairy tale, for St. Nicholas, the protector of children, never left one without a present on this festive day. Here is the result of a dialog between the media and their audience! (Which is also a good thing to note). The appeal launched by this newspaper and Inter and Gravis TV channels left no Kyivans indifferent: the office of the Style Line hairdressing salon was heaped with small toys in the very first days, some of which already found their little masters last Thursday. Ms. Balabanova says she was especially struck by a woman visitor who came to know about the action and, in spite of recent surgery, immediately responded and brought a present, walking up Anriyivski Uzviz. We can affirm that the efforts of those who joined the action were rewarded hundreds of times over. It was worth seeing the way children’s eyes widened with surprise when the orphanage inmates saw, on awakening, a gift from St. Nicholas next to their pillow: the indefatigable Natalia and the orphanage staff had risen early on that day to secretly lay out the presents.
Toys and various sweets keep coming in from many Kyiv firms: the initiators plan to visit a few more orphanages until January 13. We clearly see a national tradition — a very good and kind one — being strengthened. Ms. Balabanova intends to repeat the action in the future: it will go on a wider scale by means of a TV marathon and embrace all Kyiv’s orphanages. As the chief inspirer of this action says, it would be good if orphanage inmates could expect winter presents from St. Nicholas and spring ones on Mother’s Day.
About two hundred inmates of the Sviatoshyn orphanage have special needs — they are handicapped. But such children should not be deprived of cordial affection, tenderness, and kindness. They require this on an incredible scale.
The trouble is that we, adults, take great pains to establish this contact. We cannot remain indifferent, but which of us, burdened with our own endless problems, wants to shoulder the problems of others and experience mental discomfort? However, seeing the orphans’ sincere joy on the last Thursday’s morning, you understand that we perhaps need this even more than they do.
In addition, these kids need to be initiated to things beautiful, which they react to very sensitively. So each child here is encouraged to expose his/her talents. In principle, all inmates have their interest-oriented leisure time organized in the same way, but, as it is in real life outside the orphanage’s walls, some do it easier and better. The recognized leader in the Sviatoshyn orphanage is Yurko Prokopenko: there is a special wall hung with Yurko’s pictures — it is a must for every guest to see. Those who came last Thursday were no exception.
December 19 was a veritable open-door day in the Sviatoshyn orphanage: a few hours later the children were visited, as part of the Myloserdia (“Mercy”) all- Ukrainian charitable action, by Vice-Premier Dmytro Tabachnyk and Minister of Labor and Social Policies Mykhailo Papiyev.
