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JFOS Success Story

In autumn of 2003 the first steps of the Jewish Family Outreach Service (JFOS) were made. The Service was created to give hope for better lives to many children from underprivileged families.

In the framework of the JFOS activities the Campus Children after school program was created. It is called to provide educational, psychological and other kinds of humanitarian assistance for the needy families where problems with a child's education, mental development and nutrition exist. 13 underprivileged and neglected children became the participants of the program.

One of the first children who joined the program became Sergei (born in 1992).

The family came to Hesed Rachamim three years ago. Back then the situation in the family was rather drastic as Sergei lived together with his maternal grandmother and his mentally retarded mother Olga in the same room in a three–room apartment. He even did not have a separate bed and had to sleep together with his mother.

Even though Sergei was 11 years of age back then he still had serious difficulties with articulation.

As Olga did not work, there was no income in the family. In order to find something useful for the apartment or something to eat Olga and Sergei dug in trash cans in the streets looking for food waste or any other “useful” garbage they brought home. The garbage was stocked in piles of garbage in the gangways of the apartment.

Olga also believed that the child was seriously ill and needed special care. So, she escorted him everywhere…and did not let anybody talk to him and, moreover, nipped in the bud any attempts of the Hesed Rachamim staff to talk her into providing any medical or psychological assistance for Sergei or herself.

When JFOS was created, the agency, in its turn, took the family under its wing and did not give up on them. Every time when Sergei came to the Minsk Jewish Campus, he was fed as other 13 children of the Campus Children program. He got additional training in school subjects that were difficult for him, played computer games and participated in all the art programs.

At the same time the family was consulted by the JFOS psychologist. The family's caseworker came to the family's apartment and worked with Olga to help her do her household duties.

And all the efforts benefited Olga, Sergei and JFOS staff. For the past ten months some real results were achieved as far as this family is concerned:

1. Olga cleans the apartment regularly and it looks neat
2. Sergei got a separate bed to sleep
3. The boy started to communicate with other children, became self–confident and even made good friends with a girl
4. He reads books and goes to school with pleasure as his knowledges have improved greatly
5. She gives Sergei regular haircuts
6. Sergei's sessions with a speech therapist improved the boy's communication ability
7. The boy's health condition became much better
8. Olga, in her turn, works as a volunteer in JFOS signing envelopes with congratulations on birthdays for other children who JFOS works with.

JFOS is still looking into the opportunity to give better nutrition for the family and their deeper involvement in the community life.

Olga still needs guidance and support of their family's caseworker. “They save us”, — says she when talking about things that JFOS does for them.

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