Funding Priorities
The Plight of Russian Children and Youth
The fall of Communism and the disintegration of the Soviet system moved Russia towards a more open, free society, but
at the same time ended subsidized medical services, education, and housing. Left without these services and lacking
jobs, a large segment of the population sank into poverty.
The new system hit the most vulnerable the hardest - the elderly, disabled, single mothers, orphans, low income
families - leading to homelessness and destitution. Increased alcoholism led to abuse, neglect and the break up of families.
As a result, the ranks of runaways, orphans, and children who were abandoned or placed into orphanages by the state to
shelter them from parental abuse have grown at a rapid rate.
According to a Russian-based NGO, today nearly 800,000 children are living in orphanages and foster homes,
while unaccountable hundreds of thousands if not millions have become street children. These numbers are reported to
exceed the number of children left without parental care immediately following World War II.
40% of orphanage graduates commit various kinds of crimes
40% become alcoholics and drug addicts
10% commit suicide
8% become unskilled workers
…only 2% continue their education and become successful*
*According to official statistics cited by the IFC
(World Bank)
Many orphans are diagnosed as mentally retarded or learning disabled and put into a slow track, when in fact all
they suffer from is major neglect. This diagnosis robs them of educational opportunities to which they would otherwise
be entitled. When they finish ninth grade, they have actually completed only a fifth grade education. At eighteen, some
receive vocational training and those who are able to work are turned out to fend for themselves into a society lacking
the basic infrastructure to support them.
Undereducated, alone and often discriminated against, these cast-off young people fall victim to criminals, drug dealers
and prostitution in order to survive. Although entitled to a small room when they leave the orphanage, most orphans do not
get this housing and even when they do, all too often are swindled out of it. The severely disabled are moved to old age
homes to spend the rest of their lives sharing a room with as many as a dozen dying elderly.
Children and Youth at Risk
Illegal use of drugs and the ensuing spread of HIV/AIDS infections hit Russia full force in the recent years
of rapid societal changes. Teenagers and young adults, eager to follow in the footsteps of western youth to
“be cool,”
became easy prey for drug dealers peddling narcotics imported from neighboring countries. In the early post Soviet period,
too few preventive measures were taken to protect the younger generation, regrettably, and consequently today Russia's
future is dangerously vulnerable due to this inaction. Currently HIV/AIDS is spreading unchecked, making Russia one of
the countries with the highest rate of infection worldwide. The saddest fact is that eighty percent of all HIV/AIDS
infected are twelve to thirty-five year olds, affecting not only the orphaned and disadvantaged, but putting all
children and youth at risk.
The Focus of PF Funding Priorities
The mission of PF is to help change the lives of disadvantaged and at-risk children and youth for the better, by
focusing on improving their health, education, and prospects for leading a normal life as adults. These goals are
achieved through the direct funding of grass roots programs in Moscow and outlying regions, as well as through support
of programs identified by reputable community foundations.
PF currently funds, and seeks to provide more seed financing, to on-the-ground programs in Russia which will focus on
these specific areas:
PROP Program
Educational Programs
Health Focused Programs
Early Intervention Programs
Young Talent Programs
Exchange Programs
