Today we finished delivering the library books that I mentioned in yesterday’s post.  Here are the children of the Gorbavichi school with their books.

And here are the children of the Chausy Orphanage with their new library books.  Both schools were very excited to get these new additions to the library and the children were very excited as they looked through the titles.

We also had the 26 new children at the orphanage select their quilts, hand-made by the Brockville region Chernobyl Quilters. Here they are showing them off their choices.

The children of the Chausy orphanage also put on a concert for the Canadians.  This is always a highlight as it is so much fun watching the children proudly present their most recent creation.

Songs and short skits are always included.

This year included a tribute from the children to the Orphanage Director, Oleg.  It is obvious when you see him with the children that they are very comfortable and will hold his hand and give him a hug, and he reciprocates in kind.

We were also given a short weight lifting demonstration by several of the children.

We ended the event by handing out this years 2016-2017 yearbook.  Several children at the orphanage worked hard getting us the pictures of all of the children as well as events and everything else that goes in a yearbook.  Everything was sent to Canada through the internet and then the yearbook was put together and finally printed for us by Mark Oliver at PhotoVisions School Photography Company in Brockville.

The children love the yearbooks and they all spent a lot of time going through them slowly page by page.

and of course discovering pictures and sharing memories.

Then the autographs began! The children were eager to get their friends signatures as well as those of the Canadians.

The orphanage Director came up to me afterwards to thank us for the yearbook and to let me know how important this book is for these children and how much it means to them to have these wonderful memories of their formative years.  For many of these children, this is their home and these people are their family!

New memories made, past memories delivered.

Eric McKenzie