The city of Perm, in western Siberia, is home to over 1 million Russian people. The climate there is harsh, reaching down to minus 40 degrees Centigrade in winter months, with many difficult challenges for the residents.
Perm has been off-limits to Westerners for many years due to its military rocket production plant, but more recently has opened up to tourists travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway and into Perm airport with Aeroflot.

Concern for orphans
Our primary concern in the Perm region is the high number of orphans living in 50 state run orphanages surrounding the city. The children are aged from birth, in the baby orphanages, through to 16 year old teenagers. With little outside help, orphanage directors and staff struggle to provide nutritious food, adequate clothing and support to the children in their care.
Eagles Wings partners with Russian and Canadian friends working in Perm City Centre. We have been able to send fresh food, fruit, clothing and humanitarian gift packs directly to children in need at the orphanages where we are welcomed.

Summer camps and holidays
In conjunction with the humanitarian aid packages, we have been able to organise Summer camps and holidays on the Black Sea for the older children in care. For many, this is their first holiday away from ‘home’ and we provide a mixed programme including sport, games, drama, singing and craft activities run by teams from the UK, USA and Canada.
Around 400 youngsters have visited these camps every year for the last 3 years.

No state care for over-16s
It is at these camps and during visits to the orphanages that we aim to befriend the older teenagers who are required to leave official state care at 16. With minimal financial support and little preparation, the youngsters leave to fend for themselves and struggle to survive in an adult world with no friendship, no money and nowhere to go.

Teenagers living in underground sewers
It is such a culture shock that many end up in the city and resort to petty thieving and prostitution to survive. They join the ‘street life’ of sleeping rough in underground sewers and by the piped heating ducts pumping hot water to the former Communist tenement blocks and factories. Glue, solvent, alcohol and drug abuse becomes the ‘norm’ on the streets to escape reality and very few of the teenagers survive more than a few years like this unless they are rescued.

By linking the youngsters leaving orphanages with families living in Perm, known to our Russian partners, we can help integrate them into the community, help find employment and offer pastoral care. By assisting the families with a minimal financial monthly package we can help cover the additional food bills.

Integration into families encouraged
Some of the more vulnerable children are offered short-term accommodation in selected homes and join the extended family of other children at risk and their carers. We encourage integration as soon as possible into families as the first step to employment and self sufficiency.

There are many children who are not rescued and live on the streets. Sasha, a former street boy himself, visits the sewers and known haunts nightly to do what he can to offer food, hot drinks, clothing, hot showers and care with the meagre resources available to him.

Eagles Wings are supporting all of these initiatives in a limited way financially and also a drug and alcohol rehab centre based on a working farm outside the city. 24 young men and women live-in and work at the farm on a 6 month programme and the long term success rate of freedom from drink and drugs has been exceptionally high.

Perm orphans on holiday at Black Sea

Street kid living in sewer ducts, Perm, Siberia