UKRAINE

	Mobile Drop-in Center for Children and Adolescents in Mariupol
Project Field	Prevention
Context	Blue Cross Ukraine is located in Mariupol, a city of 500,000 inhabitants on the Asov Sea. It is known as “the most polluted city in Ukraine” with alcoholism, drug abuse, and HIV/AIDS rampant among the poor and poorest. In the slum area of Gawan-Slabotka many children and adolescents grow up in families suffering from alcohol and drug abuse and caught in a spiral of poverty. These children at risk often face discrimination, isolation, physical and sexual violence, and engage in high risk behaviours, including crime and drug abuse. At the same time, there are no places for them to turn for help.
Project	Blue Cross Ukraine is responding to this challenge by establishing a drop-in center located at the heart of the slum that will provide shelter, counseling and leisure activities for children and adolescents deprived from family care and living in extreme poverty. The project is building on year-long dedicated street work by Blue Cross volunteers. By creating a permanent shelter in form of a drop-in center this work is now being consolidated. Children and adolescents will be cared for in a secure and friendly place where social workers provide psychosocial support, counseling on substance abuse and HIV/AIDS as well as other supportive services such as help with homework. Warm meals will be distributed for free during 6 days per week to cater for the most urgent health needs of the children.
Project Goal	This project aims at providing professional support to children and adolescents at risk. Through the work with children and adolescents the project will be able to reach out to parents as well and support them in finding a way out of their addiction problems. In Ukraine, professional help for persons suffering from dependency problems is almost inexistent and this Blue Cross initiative therefore more than needed.
Duration	01.01.2009 - 31.12.2011
Budget	EURO 213’000

EASTERN EUROPE

UKRAINE Blue Cross Ukraine ul. Maschinastraitelnaja 61 UA-87520 Mariupol Donetskaja Oblast