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The All-Ukrainian Association of Public Organizations (AAPO) “Alraid” has taken on to watch over more than 1800 orphan children from various regions of Ukraine (of which a major part resides in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (ARC)) given the sponsorship from charitable organizations and private persons who are residents and non-residents of Ukraine. However, the “Alraid” effort is not confined to the Muslim orphans care, as regular feasible aid has also been rendered to orphan houses and boarding schools irrespective of confessional belonging of their pupils.

As far as the cared orphans are concerned, the Association, apart from paying quarterly financial benefits to their families, gives them other kinds of support; in doing this, the Association encourages their maturing amidst traditional Islamic values, love and care, their search for knowledge and self-development.

One area of work with orphan children is annual organization of summer recreation and education camps in Crimea, where young Muslims can rest and enjoy the time on the seaside, meet with brothers in faith of the same age coming from other Ukrainian localities, and deepen their religious knowledge and understanding.

Summer 2011 gave the chance for recreation in these camps to hundreds of orphan children. Children were divided into shifts and detachments: 100 boys came for rest from 1 till 7 July, whereas 115 girls came on July 8, and stayed till July 15.

The program for children’s camps is balanced and, apart from training classes, involves various cultural, sport and entertaining events and free time. Training part is rich and diversified, as children are taught reading and recitation of the Holy Koran, each one learning 10 to 15 Suras during the recreation time; prayer is taught to those who are not learned to perform it; young Muslims learn Arabic language and listen to the lectures on basics of the religion. 

Children learn, play, swim and participate in sports events in the open air; in doing this, they get to know the taste for team learning of their religion and performing collective prayers in their friends’ company. 

Mr.Ruslan Ziyatdinov, an educator, spoke about relations with children: “Educators and pupils were living like a large family, like parents and children. We were teaching children the pillars of faith, love of the Prophet (may peace and blessings be on him), principles of religious practice; we were trying to impart good manners and good behavior in them.  We were happy to watch children playing gaily or watching enthusiastically cartoons on Islamic themes, or preparing to classes and competitions, striving to show up in the best way”.

Mrs. Fatyma Amrullayeva, head of women’s department of the AAPO “Alraid”, sums up and shares her impressions: “Little orphans in the camp are like angels, especially when putting on snow white costumes for prayer, which shade nicely their kind and innocent faces. We are too much concerned about these children, trying to help them from year to year, and asking the Most High to preserve their purity and goodness, and grant them deep knowledge, strong faith and ideological standing”.

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