The goal of the project is the psychological and social rehabilitation of children who have undergone serious illnesses, including cancer. The initiative was presented at the international forum “Orthodox Volunteer Day.”
A volunteer for the project in Moscow, Anna Vorotnikova, noted that according to the Unified Information Center “Pediatric Oncology RF,” every year 5,000 children in Russia are diagnosed with cancer. Almost 90% of children can be cured. But during the illness and treatment, they lose contact with their peers, become less independent, and experience fear and guilt about their illness. The “Dobro More” program is aimed at the rehabilitation of children in Montenegro. Its goal, according to Alina Titova, is to support children and their families, and to help them cope with the psycho-social consequences of serious illnesses in children and their families. This was reported on the Diaconia.ru websiteDiaconia.ru.
In the first session, scheduled for October, a therapeutic recreation program will be developed for each family. At the “Dobro More” camp, creative workshops, joint sports and intellectual activities will be organized, aimed at revealing talents, overcoming fears and stiffness, and developing communication skills. Throughout the rehabilitation session, specially trained volunteers from “Dobro Delo,” psychologists, medical workers, and volunteers will work with the children. The stay at the camp for families will be free of charge, it was noted at the forum, which took place in Germany.
Konstantin Sedov, the founder and head of the charitable organization “Hospital Clowns,” will come to the “Dobro More” camp to visit the children during the first session. The organization’s staff — professional actors, directors, and musicians — regularly visit children in hospitals in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Rostov-on-Don, and Oryol. Hospital clowns help in the rehabilitation of children receiving inpatient treatment through clowning, art therapy, and play therapy.
The annual international forum “Orthodox Volunteer Day” has been held in cities across Germany since 2015. Last year it took place in Darmstadt. The organizer is the Orthodox diaconal service “Dobro Delo,” established in 2012 with the blessing of Archbishop Feofan of Berlin and Germany (Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate) and Archbishop Mark of Berlin and Germany (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia). The main task of “Dobro Delo” is to support seriously ill children and adults coming for treatment from Russia and CIS countries.