The Harbor
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The Harbor is a ministry of Church Resource Ministries (CRM).
St. Petersburg
The Harbor is located in St. Petersburg, Russia. Based on the St. Petersburg Governor's report, 40,000 street children live in the city and the surrounding area. St. Petersburg, alone, has approximately 40 orphanages in the city and there are another 60 in the suburbs of St. Petersburg. Each orphanage accommodates approximately 100 children. There are about 20 government and 10 private shelters housing street children.
The Orphans
At 17-18 years of age, Russian orphans are turned out into society and must find their own way to make it in life. Most do not. Ninety percent of graduate orphans end up as alcoholics, criminals or prostitutes. Many end up in prison and a large number end up committing suicide.
Our Goal
Our goal is to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of children; to provide job skills and placement; to hire Christian staff that mentor and impart hope through Christ; and to serve as a new model of care for graduate orphans and street children.
Our Program
The Harbor has received official recognition from the Department of Education to exist and work with the graduate orphans that are forced to leave the orphanages due to their age (17-18 years old).
During a two-year program, orphans who have 'graduated' from orphanages are mentored by trained and experienced Russian Christian staff in the areas of: education, vocational training, life skills, counseling and spiritual formation.
The Harbor's belief is that a fully prepared life is most effectively achieved in the context of a supportive family environment, as opposed to a classroom. Therefore, the orphans who are selected from among the orphanages come to live among the staff in family units, where modeling can occur and lessons are caught as well as taught.
Mentors help graduate orphans become productive and successful citizens. They also act as advocates for them in acquiring housing and employment. In contrast to other orphan ministries, The Harbor is a live-in residential care program with a high staff to orphan ratio.
Informal family environment and mentoring are emphasized over formal teaching and information giving; change via a relationship vs. change via a classroom.
The Harbor's vision is to expand the current operations to include 40-50 graduate orphans over the next five-year period. In addition, we have already begun to develop a center to train leaders from other regions of Russia and her former republics in this model of orphan integration.
Needs
- $300 to cover food, housing, education, medical care, clothes, transportation, school supplies and vocational training materials for one young adult orphan for one month (or $3,600 for one year).
- $210,000 to purchase a 5-room apartment for the boys. This will house up to 10 full-time boys and one staff member. Purchase of an apartment will free up $800/mo. currently spent on rent to go back into the program. Purchase of property also gives the Harbor increasing stability and allows us to focus our time and energy on developing the participants versus finding and securing places to live.