| The
Odessa Boarding School Orphanage Number Four was built in
1949 for a population of two hundred students. It currently
houses 419 children. Odessa Boarding School Four is unique
in that it is strictly for orphans. The orphanage belongs
to the city of Odessa. The
orphanage provides shelter, nourishment, and education for
children who otherwise would live abandoned on the streets
of Odessa. Children are brought to the orphanage for one of
three reasons:
- The
parents have abandoned them.
- The
parents have had their parental rights removed by the state
because they are in prison, are drug abusers, or abused
the child.
- The
custodial parent(s) have died.
Children
range in ages six to eighteen years old, grades one through
eleven. The orphanage serves orphans from the Odessa region. The
orphanage falls under the administration of the Odessa Minister
of Education. The Odessa Ukrainian Minister of Education owns
the building and is responsible for the health and welfare
of the children. The Odessa Ukrainian Minister of Education:
operates the facility; has legal custody of the children, and
hires and pays all directors, teachers, and staff, with the
exception of the staff provided by Project Heritage House.
Project Heritage House is a project began in the September
1999 with Harvest International and Salvation Army. Project
Heritage House falls under the authority and oversight of the
Ukrainian Minister of Education and must satisfy its guidelines. |
