Documentary on Ukraine's orphans to air on CTV

W-FIVE: Forgotten Children
Victor Malarek's documentary about Help Us Help The Children

Screening: Saturday, November 12 at 7p.m. ET (CTV)
Rebroadcast Sunday, November 27 at 1p.m. ET
Also to be shown at HUHTC Open House: 1 PM Nov. 27, KUMF 2118 Bloor St.W.
View on-line: www.ctv.ca

Ruslana Wrzesnewskyj of Help Us Help The Children ctv.ca photo

November 8, 2005 -- W-FIVE's Victor Malarek takes an inspirational journey to a Canadian-run camp for Ukraine's thousands of "Forgotten Children" in this one-hour special. Around the world many orphaned children are raised in dismal circumstances. One of those countries is Ukraine, where 100,000 children are being warehoused in government orphanages with little chance of being adopted or given the hope of a better life. Last year, only 16 of these children were adopted. After one Canadian woman visited Ukraine and adopted a child, she decided to start a camp to give orphaned children the chance to receive love and learn important life lessons.

Katya back at orphanage ctv.ca photo

Imagine growing up without parents and being raised in a state run orphanage. This isn’t something we see in Canada, but around the world many orphaned children are raised in dismal circumstances. For the thousands of children in Ukraine’s government orphanages, there is little chance of being adopted or given the hope of a family and a better life. But one Canadian woman is making a difference. After Ruslana Wrzesnewskyj visited Ukraine with her husband and adopted their daughter Olena, Ruslana decided to do more to help children in that country. For ten years, Ruslana’s “Help Us Help The Children” has put on a summer camp where they and other Canadian volunteers give orphaned children the chance to receive love and perhaps to learn important life skills.

As if growing up in the orphanages isn’t bad enough, life just gets worse as these children grow older. At eighteen they age out, forced to leave and find their own way in the world. But as W-FIVE learns, the vast majority are simply not prepared for life on the outside, lacking even the most basic life skills. Many end up on the streets and within a year of leaving the orphanages huge numbers end up in prisons.

In a rare one-on-one interview, Ukrainian President Victor Yushchenko speaks with W-FIVE about his government’s plans for the country’s orphans and the Help Us Help the Children charity.