Alice Evans, Managing Editor
Father’s House, Kiev, Ukraine—Some of the children came from underground—the cellars, sewers and tunnels of Kiev. But the environment we saw at Treasure Island was more like the green and open-air world of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, where loving adults looked after about 15 or so street ruffians who agreed to try a new life by attending a summer camp on a wooded island in the huge Dnipro River
across from Kiev.
To get there, we boarded an aged ferry, passed through its open belly and climbed aboard a scruffy old motorized boat. On a hot day in the unshielded sun, we sped through cool river breezes and went among these tough but beautiful children, most of them gathered at tables under the shade of protective oaks, painting—stars over blue water, a leafy tree in a green field under a haloed orange sun. They were happy paintings rich with the colors of nature, pressed upon us by the children, who wanted us to admire their work and take home their artistic treasures, and who asked us to listen to them sing—songs about Jesus.
The children, ages 5 to 12, were chosen by the staff of Father’s House as likely candidates for rehabilitation—they had agreed to leave the streets and the life of begging and sniffing paint—and come instead to this Christian camp, where they learn another way of life, one that has freedom balanced by order, somewhere safe to sleep, frequent meals of nutritious food, and fun activities like fishing, boating, bicycling and crafts.
Each day, a theme: “Not everything that glitters is gold.” “I’m allowed to do everything, but is it good for me?” Each theme is worked into the fabric of the day, with discussions and examples. These are streetwise children who know how to fend for themselves in a world where adults are not safe. Kids who know how to manipulate adults to get what they want.
The camp director tells us, “We know how to manipulate them, too. We show them things can be different. We share our values. We tell them that after they finish summer camp, they can come live at Father’s House. If it’s their desire to do so, then there’s every chance the rehab will be successful.”
Holt International supports the international charity Father’s House and its Treasure Island Camp with a portion of a USAID grant, administered through our Ukraine-based Families for Children Program. Rehab for street children can mean a return to their birth family, entry into a foster family, or domestic adoption.
