Blog #2

February 1, 2016

Living with Less

Recent visits to local schools and a hospital amplify for us the reality that many institutions are required to function with fewer resources.  Instead of small budget increases to account for the rate of inflation, reported by the Statistics Bureau running at 43.3% in 2015, budgets have been reduced by 20%-30%.  This is barely enough to cover heating and electricity costs as well as salaries but does not allow for a raise.    Funds for other maintenance, improvements and supplies must be secured elsewhere.    We marvel at the ingenuity of directors and managers who keep their institutions running.  However, as one director proudly told us:  “Cossacks don’t give up!” 

 

In the midst of this, Dr. Sepiyan, chief doctor of the Molochansk hospital, proudly demonstrated the tele-medicine project the Mennonite Centre has helped fund.  Quite quickly he was able to contact one of the feldshers (nurse practitioner) in Novagorivka, a small village north of Molochansk.  They report that within the past month a number of patients have been helped with better diagnoses through direct contact with the doctor in Molochansk and several times with specialists in Zaporizhzhia and Kiev.  This is encouraging, especially for young, graduating family medicine interns, 8 of whom are scheduled to take up positions in some of these village clinics.  Unfortunately, adequate internet access is still lacking in five of the villages that are waiting to be connected to this system. 

A visit to the Sanatorium School on Thursday echoed the recurring theme.   This is a school operated under the health system providing both education and health treatment and therapy for children with various respiratory, cardiological and other ailments.  Typically the children are referred to this school from the rural area of the Zaporizhzhia oblast for one to two months of treatment/education.  They live in dormitories on compus.   In early February a new group of up to 90 students, ages 6-17 are expected to arrive.   Drafty second-storey windows require children and teachers to wear their parkas throughout the day while doing their schoolwork.    

The director, completing her 50^th year of instruction and administration at this school is looking forward to a well-deserved retirement at the end of the current school year.  She proudly points to a display recognizing the connection this school has had with the Menno Simons Christian School in Calgary.  The ping-pong tables                                                                   generously donated by students from Calgary by now require new                                                         paddles after much use.                                                                       

Various craft projects and substantial indoor flowers                         brighten the classrooms. 

In Melitopol we met Father Peter who was instrumental in restoring the former “Schoensee” church.  In addition to serving his parish in Melitopol he has also established a small re-hab centre for up to 12 men  who are struggling with addiction issues.   Because of the desperate plight of homeless people in the city he has opened a                                                      “soup kitchen” which provides one meal a day for up to 80 people.                                                                                                                                                                    

After completing renovations for a church in the city of Tokmak, he wants to turn this building in Molochansk into a worship facility as well.  Living with less has not dimmed his compassion and care for people in need.