Within two weeks of arriving in Ukraine, Nita went to her first orphanage, Veloska, where God broke her heart for the plight of the orphans. She discovered a system which is the same throughout the former Soviet Union. Children are housed in different facilities depending upon their mental and physical conditions.

It is estimated that there are over 60,000 “orphans” in Ukraine. The vast majority of these children have parents and have been placed in the orphanages due to parental abuse, economic need, or simply because they are handicapped.

The following orphanages are located in Bila Tserkva, Ukraine where God’s Hidden Treasures is headquartered:

Veloska Orphanage is for children ranging in age from three to seven years. The orphanage has a capacity for sixty children. Most of the children are “healthy” kids with a few exceptions. The children are divided into groups of ten to fifteen. This is the group they will eat, sleep, play and study with during their time at Veloska.

When they reach the age of seven they “graduate” to another orphanage in a different city. It is extremely hard for these children as they are moved from facility to facility where they are once again separated from those they have come to think of as family.

The Baby House Orphanage is for children from birth through three to four years of age. The capacity for this orphanage is approximately 100 children, many of whom are mentally and physically handicapped.

Babies are seldom held and cuddled – even new born infants are fed with bottles propped up in their cribs. The lack of touch and stimulation leads to many problems such as sensory deprivation and attachment disorders. When the children reach the age of three to three and a half, they are evaluated by a panel of experts who determine whether these children are "normal" or "retarded." Once a child is labeled as “retarded” (or “imbecile”), they are sent to an orphanage for the mentally retarded where they will remain until they reach adulthood. Upon becoming adults, they are transferred to an “adult orphanage” where they live until they die. Statistics show that as many as twenty five percent of these kids are mislabeled – not surprising considering the lack of personal care children in homes experience. Almost all of these children are slow and the miracle is that so many of them are labeled “normal”.

The Boys’ House Orphanage is for boys from four years of age to adulthood. Anywhere from one hundred and fifty to two hundred boys are housed in the Bila Tserkva facility any given time. Many of these boys have come from a “Baby House” facility located in Ukraine. They have all “failed” the evaluation and have been labeled as having the “disease” of mental retardation (or imbecile).

The majority of these boys have parents who send them to what they consider “boarding school”. Some of them get to go home for the summer. Many of the parents promise to take their boys home when they become adults, but statistics show that most of them never do.

Nita began visiting these orphanages on a weekly basis during her first year in Ukraine, where she taught the Bible at Veloska and the Boys’ House, and held and nurtured the infants and toddlers at the Baby House. Ten years later this outreach continues and has evolved in many directions:

Teaching the Bible

What began as Nita teaching the Bible has now transitioned entirely to the Ukrainian staff. They teach three classes at Veloska & The Boys’ House on a weekly basis where the children learn stories from the Bible. They are also taught the importance of loving and caring for each other as a family.

Once a year a mission team conducts a Vacation Bible School at The Boys’ House which the children eagerly anticipate all year.

Christmas Toy Distribution

Children are the same all over the world – looking forward to special times and anticipating surprise gifts on those occasions. For kids left in orphanages, too often they are sadly disappointed. Since 1997, we have taken gifts to the children in the orphanages we work with as part of our ministry. What a joy it is to see a child’s face light up when he opens a gift just for him! In Ukraine they have “Father Frost and his granddaughter” rather than Santa Claus. One of our staff members dresses up as the granddaughter, a young man from one of the churches dresses up as Father Frost and off we go with a bag of toys.

Christmas Visits to Disabled Families

Over a period of two weeks, Father Frost, his granddaughter, and Luba (our secretary) are on the road, going to the homes of all the new families who have become part of GHT’s ministry group. These are the families who have received a mobility aid during the year (normally over 150 people per year in the Bila Tserkva District). A small gift is also taken to the family during this time. This activity takes a tremendous amount of the staff’s time, but when you see the look on the faces of the people as we go to their homes, it is all worthwhile! The rest of our families (around 500 each year) receive a Christmas greeting card with our love and best wishes.

Financial Assistance

When Ukraine gained its independence, their economic situation spiraled downward and too often the orphanages didn’t have enough money to operate. Orphanage directors were out scouring to find money just to feed the kids. For several years we provided emergency assistance to the three orphanages, helping them with food, clothing, medicine and other special projects. We then decided to give them the security of a small monthly stipend. As one orphanage director said, it was the only light in a dark and seemingly hopeless situation.

Adoptions of Disabled Children

Click here for a story about one adoption.

As Nita did presentations in the U.S. many people were touched by the plight of the orphans, particularly the disabled. This led to the adoption of several handicapped children who now live with their families in the States.

Surgical Aid

Many handicapped orphans have received surgical assistance both in the U. S. and in Ukraine through God’s Hidden Treasures. When Nita first started going to The Baby House orphanage, she saw five children ranging in age from one to three with clef palates. She asked the director why these children hadn’t had surgery and the answer was always, “They will, they will.”

Finally, after several months, she asked the director how she could get permission to take these kids to the States for surgery. When asked why she wanted to do that, Nita replied, “Because you’re not doing anything and I don’t understand why.” The director told her that they couldn’t afford the gas to take the children to Kiev for surgery. Nita hired a van and within a few days the children were taken to Kiev where four of them received surgery.

Since that time, one orphan and two other children have been brought to Shriners’ Hospital, Los Angeles, where they received surgery and prostheses.

The orphan child (Dima) was subsequently adopted (see link to adoption story above). Many other orphans have received surgical assistance in Ukraine through this program.