At the end of August 2010 we experienced two nights of terror at Orion. Some strangers came at night, and shot down three goats of our small herd.
It was the first time we had such intrusion from outside, and of course we were extremely worried and concerned about the security of our children.
Orion is a big open space, and we didn’t want to enclose it with any kind of fence. Openness to the world is one of the main therapeutic principles in child care here. But this terrible incident showed us that we must somehow make people know that Orion is a special place for children and they are not allowed to come in without permission and kill the animals! So to protect ourselves and our children the only choice was to put fencing around it.
We asked our friends and supporters in Russia and abroad to help us raise funds and to our great joy we had an immediate response. Thanks to their generous donations we’ve managed to buy all the necessary materials and start the installation of the fence.
Our thanks to all who contributed to an urgent need, especially Premium Engineering LLC, the exclusive Russian partner of Red Mountain Energy Corporation who contributed last year to the installation of gas boilers at Kitezh. They donated $15,000 as well as their hands, time and energy.
On 16th October we held Volunteers Day at Orion for thirty-two volunteers from Premium Engineering. The group was energetic, positive and hardworking. We managed to do a lot together. They also talked with the children about work, responsibilities, difficulties in gaining targets and meeting dead- lines, who showed great interest in these questions.
They returned at the end of October to finish the job. The fencing and the gate were in place before the end of November. A wonderful conclusion to a stressful situation. The fence will give the families and children a much needed sense of security.
Katya Gurkhina, Kitezh Centre, Moscow
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*Names have been changed according to our child protection policy.
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Susie has 30+ experience as a creative copywriter, editor, and proofreader, starting out as a 20-year-old copywriter in the Mad Men world of early 1990s advertising in South Africa. Ever since, she’s had a love affair with creative conceptualisation, thinking outside of the box, writing to a deadline, and being thrown in the deep end!
She took an MSc in Publishing at Edinburgh Napier University as a mature student, in 2015, and continues to keep herself busy working as a copy-editor, proofreader and copywriter in book publishing, corporate communications, and publishing project management.
Apart from her love of working with independent authors, Susie has a fondness for working in the third sector and likes to use her corporate communications and marketing experience to support projects close to her heart. She has lived and worked in the Findhorn area for 25 years, and has been involved in a number of third sector projects and organisations, and family businesses.
Working at Ecologia Youth Trust helps Susie to live in integrity with her values of supporting the next generation to be the best that they can be, and she sees it as a way to give back to Mama Africa, the beloved continent on which she was born.
Ellen joined the Ecologia team in June 2018 as Marketing and Communications Manager. Ellen has lived in Scotland for 6 years and has worked for non-profit and charitable organisations across varied fields. She currently shares her passion for helping young people through Ecologia Youth Trust and she works as a dancer and dance teacher in her spare time.
Robyn is the Associate Director of International Projects, having previously worked within the team as a Project Development and Marketing Officer from April 2019 until May 2021. As Associate Director, Robyn is co-leading the International side of Ecologia with Founder and Director, Liza Hollingshead, bringing a new energy into Ecologia as they look towards the future of the charity.
Liza is the founder of Ecologia and Director of International Projects. She was born and educated in South Africa and worked there as a high school teacher. She moved to live in the Findhorn Community in 1974. She started Ecologia in 1995 after being introduced to Dmitry Morozov, the founder of Kitezh Children’s Community in Russia, and was inspired to support the community in its mission to rescue orphaned children from institutions and give them homes, families and education in a supportive environment.
This led to projects supporting disadvantaged youth and children in South East Asia and in East Africa. TRead more about Liza’s story here.
