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The Harbor


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Affiliate Information

The Harbor provides refuge for orphans in St. Petersburg, Russia, and equips them with the skills necessary to lead purposeful, successful lives. The organization focuses on orphans between the ages of 16-20, with the aim of reaching those who are about to age out of the Russian orphanage system or have recently done so. The Harbor provides shelter, education, emotional support and life-skills training for orphans who would otherwise leave the state system woefully under-prepared for life on their own.

The Harbor houses and provides for the physical needs of up to 20 orphans at a time in two apartments, one for girls and the other for boys. This Residential Program immerses participants into small holistic communities comprised of an educational component through which students can earn the credentials necessary to find a job, a practical component through which students learn life skills, an emotional component through which licenses counselors address wounds and promote healing, and a spiritual component based on Christian teachings. The Harbor’s Next Step Program provides additional training to recent graduates of the Residential Program, and its Community Service Program exposes participants to the joy found in giving of themselves to those in need.

The Harbor was founded in 2001 for the purpose of caring for children in a system where they are neglected and from which they all too often leave only to slide into a life on the streets, or worse. Forced out of the orphanage system at age 17, within five years some 90% of Russian orphans end up in jail, involved in criminal activity, homeless or dead. Low self-esteem resulting from neglect and an insufficient skill set to obtain meaningful work make them a ready and willing labor force for drug trafficking, sex trafficking, pornography, and organized crime. Recently graduated orphans have become a significant force in the spreading of HIV/AIDS in Russia, which has the second highest HIV rate in the world. Alcoholism and drug addiction are no strangers to recently aged out Russian orphans.

A small group of orphans who have demonstrated a strong will to succeed and beat the odds find refuge at The Harbor. The organization provides for their physical, spiritual, and emotional needs while providing training that greatly enhances participants’ prospects for avoiding the outcome that faces so many of their less-fortunate counterparts. The organization has graduated over 50 participants and housed more than 50, most of whom go on to lead productive, happy lives and give back to others. Graduates have gone on to attend college in several countries, obtained good jobs, and become productive members of society. The Harbor also provides leadership training to organizations in Russia and throughout the region that provide similar services for orphans.

Affiliate History
In 1998 Christian missionary Melinda Cathey met Russian orphan Alex Krutov. Alex had aged out of the state orphanage system; he was insufficiently educated in the system and was ill-prepared for life after the orphanage. Determined to give hope to those in similar situations, Alex began teaching Bible lessons and mentoring teens in state orphanages. Inspired by Alex’s will to change the lot for underprivileged children in Russia and dismayed by the conditions in which the country’s orphans were living, Melinda was compelled to contribute. She and Alex settled on focusing on orphans who were about to age out of the system, and who, because of their age, were unlikely to be adopted by loving families.

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AFFILIATE COMMUNITY

  • One Big Family!

  • At Dinner Table

  • Big Smile!

  • Dinnertime

  • Historic Russian Church

  • Cooking Together

  • Art Lessons

  • Guitar

  • Team Work

  • Program Participant

  • Sewing Lessons

Latest Projects

Printer for Computer Class | RUSSIAN FEDERATION
The Harbor desires to purchase a printer for the computer class in its Vocational Training Center (VTC). One of its goals for this class is to teach basic graphic design and produc...
Cost: $475  To Go: $475  

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Affiliate country

  • Location: RUSSIAN FEDERATION / Eastern Europe and Russia
  • Language(s): Russian, also several minority languages
  • Currency: Ruble
  • Religion(s): Russian Orthodoxy, Islam, Christianity (non-Russian Orthodoxy)
  • GDP per capita: USA: $47,400 | RUSSIAN FEDERATION: $15,800

Affiliate Tags