Corruption is stupid. I read this week that every year corruption costs Russia $300-500 billion. Ukraine is a smaller country but its rated more corrupt than Russia by Transparency International, and last year Ernst and Young rated Ukraine as the 3rd most corrupt nation in the world. Chernobyl is located a little over 70 miles from where I write this. There is an international project to build a giant sarcophagus to help shield the radiation that still leaks from nuclear power plant No. 4. Doug knows one of the head engineers on the project. Doug’s friend once said that the project will never be finished. Countries all over the world have given billions of dollars to Ukraine so that they can finish that project, but the money constantly vanishes into the pockets of contractors and officials involved in the project.
Corruption always runs uphill, creating a greater gap between the rich and the poor. It drives inflation. Corruption is why it is difficult in Ukraine to get a decent education. Why would a teacher teach if they can just charge their students money (or ask for"gifts") for different grades? Corruption is why no one trusts the legal system. Its why if something goes wrong, the last people most Ukrainians want to call is the police. Transparency International said that in Ukraine the police are the least trusted institution.
The former prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, is in prison now, simply because she is the president’s biggest threat.
Corruption is the reason why the average person in Ukraine tries to live a very small life. They don’t want to draw attention or make waves, because then someone will be after you.
It is infuriating at every level, and we have to deal with it at the orphanage because it keeps us from being able to do what we can to help the kids.
We go to the orphanage every Wednesday. At the beginning of January, the director of the orphanage started having the English teacher call Doug on Tuesday night. Week after week the conversation was essentially the same. She would tell Doug that the director said we couldn’t come to the orphanage the next day for some contrived reason. But, we could come if we brought something: medicine, gym mats, balls, notebooks, whatever.
We gave the orphanage staff a Christmas present to say “Thanks” for all they do.
Have you ever noticed that if you tell someone they are acting like a spoiled child, nine times out of ten, they act even more like a spoiled child? Doug confronted the director about the way he was acting and told him, if you express your needs to us face to face, i.e. like a grown-up, and ask us, we will help, but we don’t do this “bribe our way into the orphanage” business. Doug also told the director not to send kids asking for stuff, which was one of the director's favorite things to do. A little ten year old will come up to Doug and say "the director needs some medicine and wants to know if you can bring it next week."
Earlier this month, the director told us that we couldn't come to the orphanage the next week because there would be a quarantine.
There has been a quarantine for the past four weeks. We are still trying to give presents to the kids on their birthday for Operation Birthday Love, so we’ve still be dropping by the orphanage every week. Some of the kids come out and say, “Hi.” We ask them to fetch the kids that we have birthday presents and they come out and get their presents on the road. We usually spend about 30 minutes just hanging out by the car. We play a little, talk to the kids, give presents and then we head off to visit the hospital because there are always a few kids there.
The kids come out and visit us while we hang out near the car
The kids always ask us if we are coming in. We say no, the director said there is a quarantine and we can’t come into the orphanage. Almost every kid has told me that there is no quarantine, “The director just doesn’t want you here.” I always say that I know.
The staff like us, its just the director who apparently doesn’t.
This week our translator heard that there would be a quarantine in Komarivka all the way until May.
We know what he wants. He wants a bribe. He’s a product of the system. He has a position of authority and it is supposed to get him privileges. He has Americans who are trying to help the kids in his orphanage and other than a Christmas present and a some heart medication that we have bought for him he has nothing personally to show for it.
At Safe Haven yesterday, they told us we just need to give him a gift (i.e. money or alcohol). This is Ukraine, its how things are done. But its corruption which keeps the employment rate in Ukraine abysmally low, and keeps anything from moving forward in this country.
I don’t know how we can find a middle ground. Our stance is this: change starts with the individual. Things won't get better until people start refusing to pay bribes. I’m sure the director's thought is: This is Ukraine, if you don’t learn how to do things the Ukrainian way, you deserve what you get.
Our friend Katya thinks we need to beat him up. Her husband Viktor thinks we need to go over his head and get official permission and then he can’t say anything. I like the sound of Katya’s idea, but Viktor’s may have more wisdom. Pray for us as we try to navigate the system and decide what to do.
Corruption always runs uphill, creating a greater gap between the rich and the poor. It drives inflation. Corruption is why it is difficult in Ukraine to get a decent education. Why would a teacher teach if they can just charge their students money (or ask for"gifts") for different grades? Corruption is why no one trusts the legal system. Its why if something goes wrong, the last people most Ukrainians want to call is the police. Transparency International said that in Ukraine the police are the least trusted institution.
The former prime minister of Ukraine, Yulia Tymoshenko, is in prison now, simply because she is the president’s biggest threat. It is infuriating at every level, and we have to deal with it at the orphanage because it keeps us from being able to do what we can to help the kids.
We go to the orphanage every Wednesday. At the beginning of January, the director of the orphanage started having the English teacher call Doug on Tuesday night. Week after week the conversation was essentially the same. She would tell Doug that the director said we couldn’t come to the orphanage the next day for some contrived reason. But, we could come if we brought something: medicine, gym mats, balls, notebooks, whatever.
We gave the orphanage staff a Christmas present to say “Thanks” for all they do.
The crazy thing is that we want to help get the orphanage all those things when they are needed. But we want the staff to talk to us, and say, “Look we have a lot of kids who are sick and the government hasn’t gotten us our money in three months (that really happened), do you think you could help us with buying medicine. I can have the nurse get you a list.”
The director always seems to pull this type of stunt after the kids get back from Christmas break. Here is my personal theory. During the Christmas season, every week, some group is showing up at the orphanage and doing a special program for the kids and giving out lots of presents and candy. The director sees this and gets jealous. “I want a present.” he starts thinking, crossing his arm, burying his head in his chest and stomping his foot. (Every year our team does give presents to all of the staff, this year we even made them a special card.) But anyways, he’s jealous and angry and he doesn’t really like his job so he takes it out on the people who are trying to help the kids. To me it seems like he is acting like a five-year old saying, these are my toys and you can’t play with them because you aren’t nice enough to me. Have you ever noticed that if you tell someone they are acting like a spoiled child, nine times out of ten, they act even more like a spoiled child? Doug confronted the director about the way he was acting and told him, if you express your needs to us face to face, i.e. like a grown-up, and ask us, we will help, but we don’t do this “bribe our way into the orphanage” business. Doug also told the director not to send kids asking for stuff, which was one of the director's favorite things to do. A little ten year old will come up to Doug and say "the director needs some medicine and wants to know if you can bring it next week."
Earlier this month, the director told us that we couldn't come to the orphanage the next week because there would be a quarantine.
There has been a quarantine for the past four weeks. We are still trying to give presents to the kids on their birthday for Operation Birthday Love, so we’ve still be dropping by the orphanage every week. Some of the kids come out and say, “Hi.” We ask them to fetch the kids that we have birthday presents and they come out and get their presents on the road. We usually spend about 30 minutes just hanging out by the car. We play a little, talk to the kids, give presents and then we head off to visit the hospital because there are always a few kids there.
The kids come out and visit us while we hang out near the carThe staff like us, its just the director who apparently doesn’t.
This week our translator heard that there would be a quarantine in Komarivka all the way until May.
We know what he wants. He wants a bribe. He’s a product of the system. He has a position of authority and it is supposed to get him privileges. He has Americans who are trying to help the kids in his orphanage and other than a Christmas present and a some heart medication that we have bought for him he has nothing personally to show for it.
At Safe Haven yesterday, they told us we just need to give him a gift (i.e. money or alcohol). This is Ukraine, its how things are done. But its corruption which keeps the employment rate in Ukraine abysmally low, and keeps anything from moving forward in this country.
I don’t know how we can find a middle ground. Our stance is this: change starts with the individual. Things won't get better until people start refusing to pay bribes. I’m sure the director's thought is: This is Ukraine, if you don’t learn how to do things the Ukrainian way, you deserve what you get.
Our friend Katya thinks we need to beat him up. Her husband Viktor thinks we need to go over his head and get official permission and then he can’t say anything. I like the sound of Katya’s idea, but Viktor’s may have more wisdom. Pray for us as we try to navigate the system and decide what to do.
God is has authority over the director! Ask that God would show Himself and glorify Himself in this situation and wait patiently for what He works out. It doesn't matter how corrupt this director is - God is in control not this man! Ask.
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