Ukraine (MNN) — The city of Donetsk, Ukraine is home
to more than four million people. It was
once one of the crown jewels of the country, under communism.
During that time, both Donetsk and Kiev were
well-maintained to show off communism's success stories to dignitaries. However, after communism fell, so did the
city. Many people in Donetsk live well
below the poverty line, and unemployment in the region has reached catastrophic
levels.
The economic crisis was compounded by rampant
alcohol and drug abuse which made child neglect and abandonment in the region
skyrocket. The evidence is
everywhere. Grocery store shelves
show that alcohol is readily available, and kiosks line the streets, filled with
similar wares. The resulting family
breakdown accounts for the high number of children in state and private
orphanages.
Russian Ministries School Without Walls (SWW) students
want to counter that hopeless message. They're trying to muster their resources in order to open a second rehab
center for drug addicts and alcoholics.
The SWW training equips future leaders for evangelism and church-planting– the base of Russian
Ministries programs and services. It's
also the largest network of non-formal schools in the former Soviet Union (FSU),
with 1,956 students studying in 65 locations.
Where the
two-year SWW program has finished, local churches have continued instruction. Graduates
create ways for the local church to implement more sacrificial forms of
ministry. They help organize and run evangelistic
camps for children and youth and participate in social projects like special
rehabilitation houses.
Their goal is to see
Donetsk restored to its former glory, but this time, with an eternal perspective.
