Babushkas Change the Lives of Bulgarian Orphans

An exciting new program began a little over six months ago in The Mother and Child Orphanage in Varna, Bulgaria. In a joint project with the orphanage director, Charity (an organization placing Bulgarian children for international adoption) and a U.S. agency, they began seeking community members to lend a loving hand with some of the children.

This new program, the Babushka (Grandmother) program, came into being when the orphanage director shared her concerns about some of the children in her care who were showing more significant institutional delays. One of the visitors she was talking to made the comment that what these children needed was a grandmother to take them under her wing. It was at this point that a new program was born.

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Through the local newspapers and word of mouth, the orphanage director began by seeking people with great deal of patience, compassion and love for children. They need to be available for four hours a day, five days a week. Knowing the reality of the financial situation for many of the people in Bulgaria they decided to fill these positions with auxiliary staff and not volunteers. In this way the community is helped financially as well. Once a group of potential Babushkas were located, two child psychologists who are part time employees of Charity interviewed all applicants and administered written psychological tests. Out of this process, the initial group of Babushkas was selected.

The results of the initial program in this orphanage have been so successful that a second group of Babushkas have now been hired. Better yet, there are now plans to expand the program into another orphanage. Here is how the program works. Each Babushka is assigned to two children. They spend two hours a day of individual time with each of their children. The psychologists meet twice monthly with the children and the Babushkas to set and reassess their goals. They also perform formal assessments every three months. One of the assessment tools they are using is a Denver Developmental. The children's progress has far surpassed the expectations of their babushkas and this is substantiated by the assessment results.

In the relatively short time since the first group has had their children, everyone feels that these little ones have not only met the goals that they set for them, but have, for the most part, met or surpassed the development of the other children in their regular groups. I would like to share the stories of a couple of the children and their Babushkas.

The first Babushka I met was fifty-eight years old. She is an ex-nurse and midwife. She has a daughter and a granddaughter, and she loves children. This lady had a big heart and a big lap. Her little guy just snuggled right in when I was interviewing them. One of the things that this wonderful woman mentioned was that when she first met this child he really didn't know how to sit still for cuddles and hugs for any length of time. He would sit for a few minutes and appreciate a hug, but then he would start to wiggle and move away because too much touching was uncomfortable for him. Although this orphanage does a wonderful job with its children, they have 240 children in their care and the staff is unable to meet the psychological needs that an individual relationship for a child would provide.

The little boy I met with her was two-year-old Tudor. She described him to me as her "heart throb." When she first was assigned this little guy he was able to smile, he could relate somewhat, he didn't walk yet and he couldn't imitate speech. Now he is babbling with hard consonants and without yet using specific words he is verbalizing conversationally. They are waiting any day for is language to leap forward. Originally although he loved being picked up and moved around, his nervous system couldn't take the type of movement that children in families are used to. He couldn't take being swung around; he couldn't take being lifted high. It scared him and he was unable to tolerate the stimulation. Now when he sees his Babushka he pushes through the group and runs to her, and loves being lifted up in the air and swung around.

Everyone is amazed at the changes in this little boy. His childcare worker teases the Babushka and says now that she has spoiled him and he isn't such a good boy anymore. He doesn't sit for lengths of time, he expresses his needs, and he is more outgoing than he was before. This makes him somewhat more difficult for the childcare workers to handle. The psychologist and the Babushka are thrilled to hear this news. Sounding like a true Babushka she said to me, "He's the nicest little boy in the group." The good news is that with the changes in Tudor he has found a family, and is being processed for adoption.

The next Babushka I met is only twenty years old. One of the children assigned to her is Erdal, and Erdal has been with her since the origin of the program six months ago. His Babushka" is a second year economics student at the university. She has a sister who is considerably younger than she is and she always enjoyed nurturing and caring for her. She feels that this program is an extension of the love that she was able to give to her little sister.

Erdal was born on January 17, 1997. When he began this program he was an extremely timid and frightened little boy and it was difficult to relate to him. He was frightened of being lifted in the air or any sudden movements. His "Babushka" said that it didn't take him long to adapt to her as he dearly love being singled out and having time in a one to one relationship. Now he, like Tudor, throws himself on his Babushka, loves being lifted up, swung around, hugged and played with.

When I met this little guy he was no longer the timid, shy little boy they once described him to be. Erdal is a serious little boy and when he meets someone he doesn't know, he does stands back and assess the situation. I found him to be cautious with me as a stranger, but I didn't feel that he was abnormally uncomfortable with me.

With his caretakers and with his "Babushka," it is a very different story. He is a little boy who now verbalizes all the time, who loves to sing and who is always making some sort of noise. When he originally came to his Babushka he rarely followed any simple commands and although they felt that he did understand, they weren't absolutely sure. Now he not only listens to what is said, but will follow simple commands and requests.

She finds him very obedient and says he doesn't need scolding. He always wants to play. I asked what happens if he does get scolded, and I was told that he'd go away for a few minutes and then he comes back with a smile. She said she really doesn't think that he believes that he is in trouble as it happens so rarely.

This little one is now described as a child who can concentrate on individual objects for a good length of time, and most of the time he will follow instructions on what to do with them. He is very interested in everything and is responsive verbally although he isn't using specific words yet. Erdal is still showing some delays, but those who know him feel delighted with his progress and are hopeful that it will continue.

Due to early concerns regarding his head growth, Erdal was originally diagnosed with hydrocephalus. As occasionally happens with this condition, the doctor's report that his head growth is no longer a concern and the diagnosis has been amended to read, "arrested hydrocephalus." After seeing this little boy and seeing how much better he is doing with his Babushka, we are now looking for a home for Erdal and we hope he doesn't have to wait much longer.

Moving on to normal lives

Due to the caring professionals and the loving Babushkas, the children in this program are on they're way to leading more normal lives. While there is great potential in this new program, financial considerations may stand in the way of it reaching all who might benefit.

When the program was initiated there was seed money to get the project off the ground. At this time however, we may be unable to expand the program to help future children without some further help. When I see the difference that this has made for the children in the initial program and I look at the needs of some of the children in different orphanages, I feel that this is one of the greatest hopes for the delayed children in the orphanages of Bulgaria.

AIAA would like to help Charity expand this program into one more orphanage at this time. AIAA's philosophy has always been "one child at a time" and we can't imagine a better way to put that into practice. We toured the orphanage where we plan to begin the second program and I was extremely impressed with the care they are giving the children. The biggest problem is that the orphanage is understaffed and the children are very much in need to the one-to-one stimulation that the Babushkas can provide. So many children wait for someone to hold and hug them.

There are more babies and toddlers in Bulgaria that need families than there are available families for these children. I have just returned from this trip to Bulgaria with referrals of children who are ready for placement. I have over ten referrals of one-year-old children---a drop in the bucket to the children still needing families.

Not all of these children, happily, need the Babushka Program. Many are doing well and meeting the developmental expectations of their orphanage director, but there will always be children who have more trouble developing in an institutional setting. These children need the extra push that the Babushkas can give them. They need someone to hold them and to think they're special, and we can provide the program and the expertise to put this together.

If you are interested in helping us help the children please give me a phone call at 651 687-0259 or you can email me at AIAATeri@aol.com. I would be happy to discuss the children in Bulgaria and the Granny Program with you. At this time the program consists of fourteen Grannies and twenty-eight children, we hope that there will be more in the very near future.

Credits: Teri Bell