Page 9, Camp

Help Us Help The Children does a remarkable job during these two weeks of camp. It all starts out many
days before the kids arrive. A one-week training course is given by educators from North America. These
seminars and interactive workshops expose the Ukrainian care-givers and educators to new theories on
group dynamics and encourage them to adopt western educational techniques and problem solving skills.
Soon 440+ children from the "internaty", the orphanage schools of Ukraine, show up at the train station
in Vorokhta. All these hundreds of excited but tired kid's coming into camp all at once. Some of these kid's
had even been traveling for days, as they come from all parts of Ukraine, and train service is extremely
slow.

There are over 185 such schools that participate in the HUHTC program. Some are orphaned due to
death of their parents; many more are there because of the inability of the parents to support the child,
physical abuse, and alcoholism or drug use of the parent or parents. Only the most exceptional kids are
invited to attend camp. Once the kids arrive, they are organized and taken to one of 4 "camps". Basa
Ukraina is in the center of Vorokhta and is the largest, with about 100 kids housed in this imposing but
slightly run down looking structure. Then there is Basa Avanthard, just down the road, and also 2 remote
camps, one called Mahora, a rough and tough "survival camp" up in the mountains for some of the older
kids. And also a new camp called Pihy, located in a beautiful meadow alongside a stream about 4 miles
still further down the road. Once the kids arrive, they are given toiletries, take showers, and are then
given new shoes, clothing and more, and are provided a medical and dental examination.

Then the camp program officially begins. The summer camp program is extensive. There are classes in
Ukrainian history, arts, mass media, computers, psychology, spirituality, human health, social interaction,
Kazak martial arts, singing, Ukrainian traditions and folklore, painting, handcrafts, sports and even
mountain climbing. It seems like every hour of the day there is some organized event going on. The plan
seems to be to keep the kids actively taking part in something just about every moment of the day &
evening.

The HUHTC camp is an amazing site to see, with so many activities going on simultaneously. Even though
many activities seem just fun things to do, the main focus of the camp is to develop independence, self-
esteem, time management and problem solving skills, teamwork and cooperation amongst each other
and camp consoler's. Also what's important is improving their understanding of such things as nutrition,
medical and dental needs, birth control and bad habits such as cigarette smoking, drugs and alcohol
abuse.