Mariya Krutkova
Haverford College
Project
Mentoring the Orphaned Youth
India, South Africa, Belarus, Denmark.
Orphaned children and youth around the world face immense challenges that go beyond satisfaction of basic needs. Growing up without individual attention, support, and guidance renders many of them helpless and causes them to lead destructive lives. At the heart of my project is the proposition that this pattern can be reversed if orphans are provided with a caring adult, who can offer emotional support and teach them necessary life-skills. Different countries have varying financial capacities and orphan care systems, which present unique challenges in providing their orphans with this kind of support. My project consists of witnessing the work of organizations that provide mentorship to orphans in different countries. I hope to learn which models are most feasible and effective.