Montenegro Chosen for the Pilot Russian Project “Good Deed”

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.” Anna Vorotnikova, a volunteer for the project in Moscow, noted that according to the Unified Information Center “Pediatric Oncology of the Russian Federation,” every year cancer is diagnosed in five thousand children in Russia. Nearly 90% of children manage to be cured. But during the illness and treatment, they lose contact with their peers, become less independent, and experience fear and a sense of guilt for their illness. The “Dobro More” program is aimed at the rehabilitation of children in Montenegro. According to Alina Titova, its goal 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 is reported on the website Diaconia.ru. In the first session, scheduled for October, a therapeutic recreation program will be developed for each family. The “Dobro More” camp will host creative workshops, joint sports and intellectual activities aimed at revealing talents, getting rid of fears and stiffness, and developing communication skills. Throughout the rehabilitation session, specially trained volunteers from “Dobroye Delo,” psychologists, medical workers, and volunteers will work with the children. The stay at the camp for families will be free of charge, the forum that took place in Germany noted. Konstantin Sedov, the founder and head of the charitable organization “Hospital Clowns,” will come to the camp for children for the first session of “Dobro More.” 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 undergoing inpatient treatment through clowning, art therapy, and play therapy. The annual international forum “Orthodox Volunteer Day” has been held in cities in Germany since 2015. Last year it took place in Darmstadt. The organizer is the Orthodox diaconal service “Dobroye 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 “Dobroye Delo” is to support seriously ill children and adults coming for treatment from Russia and CIS countries.