In the Summer of 2008, I had the experience of visiting a Russian orphanage just south of Kursk.  For 10 days we slept in one of the dorms set aside for us and we ate our meals in the cafeteria.  There were approximately 100 children from the ages of 7 to 16 years of age.

Since the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, Russia has been in a constant state of economic depression.  People feel hopeless and are unable to care for their children and find themselves loosing their parental rights.  Alcoholism is another major factor that children are entering institutionalized care. 

For two nights I stayed with a Russian family in their home in Kursk.  Lydia, her two children, and her 84-year old father, Ivan.  Lydia speaks perfect English and we had many interesting and enlightening conversations.  Lydia learned to speak English about 30 years ago and worked as an English teacher for a number of years before she started  her current job working for the local Duma government office.

Lydia told me that the birth rate has fallen significantly in recent years and that the government has put monetary incentives in place for families to have a second child.  Russia has a very low birth rate and a very high death rate.  The statistics are that Russia looses between 700,000 and 800,000 citizens per year. 

Russia's policy is to mandatorily retire women at 55 and men at 60 in order to provide jobs for the younger population.  Russia wants to ensure that what is left of its younger population will stay in Russia and not migrate to other countries.

They currently have around  700,000 children in institutions.  260,000 of this number are officially listed as adoptable, but Russia is revising its adoption laws and the number of children being adopted by other countries is decreasing every year.  They do have several thousand  Russian families adopt every year.  I'm sure this is to help repopulate the mainstream population.

What is extremely hard to understand is the number of children who are put out on the streets from the secondary level orphanages when they turn 18.  From 16 to 18 years of age they are sent here to learn a trade such as house painter, welder, and a number of other blue-collar occupations.  Because they were given a lower level of education than the rest of the children of Russia, they cannot pass the tests necessary to attend a university.  Only 20% of these children go on to have normal lives.  The other 80% become prostitutes, drug addicts, alcoholics, or criminals.

Thus, another generation of children will enter Russia's institutionalized care.  I hope Russia will one day realize that these children are entitled to be educated alongside the country's other children and that they could very well be a significant part of Russia's future.