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During her meeting with the First Deputy Premier of the Republic of Tatarstan, Frank’s President Nina Kostina discussed assistance to a specialized school, located in the Raif Zelenodolskiy region, near one of the most esteemed Orthodox monasteries. Thirty years ago, the school served as a settlement for underage criminals. Now, 93 boys aged 12-17 live and study there. Each of them has committed a law transgression - in most cases vagrancy, petty thefts, extortion, or car jacking. Five of the 93 have committed heavier crimes. Nineteen of the students are orphans; the parents of most of the rest are alcoholics or drug-addicts, deprived of their parental rights.
Associates of the Frank Foundation visited the school to determine its foremost needs and discovered that there is a unique and sad story for each of its teenage students. Igor I. is 14, and the school had been trying to send him to his parents for 6 months after he arrived there. They sent telegraphs and letters and received no response. Only after the police intervened, his mother came to the school but had no intention of taking him home. She offered money to keep her son in the school for another term.
Artem, 15, spread the clean bed sheets that he was given at the school on the iron spring of the bed, put the old mattress on top of them, and slept straight on the mattress. He was afraid that if he ruins the new sheets he would be beaten.
Valeriy Sh., 12, was collecting food from the dining hall and hiding it in his cabinet. Later he was running away from school to feed his younger sister who was still at home with their alcoholic mother.
Each of the children tells a unique story but they all have a kind and childishly naive look in their eyes. They gladly pose in front of a camera, listen with attention and are open to communication.
At graduation from the “Raif” school, the students receive a high school diploma (9th grade) and a certificate in one of five professions: joiner, carpenter, painter-plasterer, bricklayer, and metalworker. The school administration looks after the students’ development for three years after graduation.
The school needs significant help – big TV-set, new beds, chairs for the school hall, repair of the school hall, and athletic equipment: soccer and basketball balls, table tennis, training machines, sports clothes and shoes.
Frank Foundation has already begun assisting the Raif Zelenodolskiy School and hopes this assistance will continue growing with the support of more friends. On December 29, 2005 “Frank” donated to the school a new TV set and New Year’s gifts for all students. The gift-giving ceremony was attended by Boris Tsekinosvkiy, Head Representative of Frank Foundation - Russia, Airat Zinnurov, Deputy Minister of Education - Republic of Tatarstan, Georgiy Gataullin, Deputy Head for Professional Education at the Republic of Tatarstan Council of Ministers, and Vladimir Kostyiukhin, Director of the School. The students gave their guests a warm greeting with an especially prepared New Year’s program.
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