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The charitable marathon “Odessa without orphans”, in which the Public Organization “Al-Masar” incorporated in “Alraid” took part, was held on October, 20, 2012, in Odessa city, with support from the Odessa city major and the Internal Policy Unit. The event was organized by the Internal Policy Unit at the Department for Information and Public Relations at the Odessa City Council, Union of Christian Students of Ukraine, Odessa Cultural Center, charitable foundations “Good Samaritan” and “Legacy”, project “Good Deed”, and churches “Odessa People’s Church”, “Favor”, the Salvation Temple; “Karitas Spas-Odessa”, “Point of Support” and “Campus”.

There cannot be nobody’s children 

Apart from arranging a festival for children, the organizers were seeking to attract attention of city residents to problems of children devoid of parents’ care and family home.

Dispiriting statistical data evidence on the existence of deep moral and social problems in our society, as nearly 7 000 children in Ukraine become devoid of parents’ guardianship and care each year. Only 1 percent of orphan children are able to get higher education afterwards, whereas each one of the two commits crimes, each one of the five becomes homeless, and each one of the seven commits a suicide attempt.

Mr. Alexey Kostusev, Odessa major, says that responsibility for orphan children is laid on each Ukrainian citizen, because the problem of orphans is a problem of our community’s future.

For children’s joy from Odessa Muslims

The concert performed by professional artists and amateur groups was watched with interest by everybody, children, organizers, marathon participants and Odessa residents coming to participate in the events with their families.

Joyful clowns organized plays and contests for children, in which they participated with pleasure. To make the festival more vivid and retaining in minds of small children and teenagers, vivid images of favorite characters from tales, animals and flowers were painted on faces and palms of all who wanted. 

Mr. Gazi Mustafa, “Al-Masar” deputy-chairman, and Mr.Edem Zeytullayev, deputy-chairman of the Muslim religious community of Odessa, and other organization activists gave each orphan children souvenirs and bonbons, so that the children devoid of parents’ care should not feel deprived.   

According to Mr.Gazi Mustafa, “events like this should be attended by as many people as possible, as apart from rendering feasible aid and support for ones who need it, everyone can show his/her civic standing in this way, through supporting good undertakings of power offices and public organizations”.