KIDSAVE

Adoption in Russia In Russia, every year approximately 130,000 children are registered as orphans due to death or abandonment by their parents, or because they have been removed from their homes for their own protection. While some are moved to the care of relatives, nearly 200,000 orphans are currently growing up without families in state institutions. Kidsave’s Family Visit Model has paved the way to moving many Russian children into Russian families promoting adoption in Russia. In 2001, Kidsave launched its first in-country program in the Smolensk region of Russia, giving over 1,000 Russian orphans visits with Russian families during the summer, holidays and weekends. These visits allowed the children to experience family life, and gave host families the chance to get to know the children in a comfortable environment. Of that group, 477 moved out of orphanages and into families. 220 stayed connected with families who continued to mentored them, while the children remained living in the orphanage.