Another story from the series of observations of the foundation “Change One Life” about how and how children live in orphanages in Russia, published jointly with the portal snob.ru
The straw-colored crown of his head, the sun-burned knuckles of his shoulders, the yellowed bruise on his knee. And mischievous eyes that stare at the ceiling for a long time. A 10-year-old boy, whom we are shooting in an orphanage for a video ticket to the base of the “Change One Life” foundation, thinks for a long time. A couple of minutes ago, I asked him, ” What do you dream about?» Finally, he smiled. I made it up. And relieved, he gave out, squinting: “I dream of being… a bricklayer!»
…5 and 7-year-olds Alyona, Irina and Natasha, with huge bows and dressed in marshmallow dresses. 10-year-olds Seryozha, Sasha and Vadim – smart and polite or bold and restless, who love to play computer games or ride a bike. Mischievous and mobile, quiet people and nerds, hooligans, excellent students, ordinary “average people”. In general, the most ordinary children. Children who are so prone to dream!
But what kind of boys and girls I asked about their most cherished desires! And dozens of times, instead of bright stories like an armful of balloons, I received a dry and colorless list of professions, as if copied from the website of the labor exchange: builders, welders, cooks, physical education teachers…
No, I don’t have anything against working people, working professions. I mean, more than anything else, what you imagine with a smile, sometimes closing your eyes and even being shy to say out loud, in children’s homes, results in such completely unromantic forms. Creaky, viscous, like “namozolennye” words: builder, installer, driver.
It’s even a little scary – when you ask a child in an orphanage about his dream, and he sincerely, quite sincerely does not understand what you mean.
There is, however, one common “subspecies” of dreams. Many people want a super toy, a fancy mobile phone or a computer. They rarely dream about money. Even less often they understand why they need them, and almost never-how to earn them. Only a few times have I managed to get someone to talk about a big house with a dog, a trip to the sea, or a plane ride.
Yes, we, those who grew up with moms and dads, often forget about our childhood dreams. But still, if we had them at all, they somehow remain inside. They continue to live. And even if sometimes they are not fulfilled to the end, but still it is dreams that guide us.
The dreams of orphanages, as a rule, are limited to entering colleges. That is (just think about it!) these are their DREAMS, not simple desires or plans for the future. So orphans from orphanages and scratch friendly rows on construction sites and in taxi fleets.
Yes, many of the orphans in their 5-7-10 years are already very realistic about things. It is clear that they have already experienced their own very realistic nightmare and, perhaps, no longer believe or are afraid to believe in something bright. The bright side for them remained in the cartoons that they love to watch.
However, there is still one dream that lives in the hearts of every absolute child in an orphanage. This is a dream about parents. And these are not pretentious words or an attempt to cause pity. This is a fact – as realistic as these children’s view of their lives-without flying into space or going to the sea.
But the fulfillment of this dream is just the least dependent on the orphans themselves. What about what’s in their hands? Where will a child who doesn’t have a dream go? And if these children are more than 100 thousand (namely, so many children now live in Russian orphanages and boarding schools)? And most importantly – how to make their dreams come true?
The answer is simple and complex at the same time: these children should be arranged in families at all costs and as soon as possible, find them native people and a native home filled with a variety of real dreams.