Story number 5 for 10 Jul 2001

(Russia)–And, the future of Russia is at stake as its children struggle to survive. Steve Little reports. “More than 650-thousand children living in state-supported orphanages don’t have enough food, clothes, and other necessities. Orphanage director Alexander Makarov says the government supplies only 30 percent of his budget and the rest is made up with income the children earn by farming and with donations from Western Christian groups. One of those groups is Illinois based Russian Ministries. The ministry aids local Christians who support the orphanage and tell the children about Jesus Christ. They also help orphans and children from poor families attend Christian summer camps where they get three meals a day and Bible teaching. The ministry relies on donations to sponsor children. For 49-dollars they’re able to give them a week of childhood and maybe change their lives. Makarov told me the only real hope these kids have is to have faith in Christ.” For Mission Network News, I’m Steve Little.