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Help Go Russia to Put Smiles on Orphans' Faces in Ukraine
HOME HELP GO RUSSIA TO PUT SMILES ON ORPHANS' FACES IN UKRAINE

Help Go Russia to Put Smiles on Orphans' Faces in Ukraine

Help Go Russia Put Smiles on Orphans' Faces. Together we can transform lives and help children of Ukraine

We are raising money to build a playground at an orphanage near Kiev. £50 from each booking made with us until 30 April 2014 will be donated to this very worthy cause. In return, you will also get a discount of £50 per person from the advertised tour price. Donations without any tour reservation are most welcome, no purchase required.
 

Note: this video has been produced by our partners in Ukraine, we are working on editing the video in English, however due to time constraints we were not able to finalise it by the project start date.

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?
  • Given the recent events in Ukraine we feel compelled to help the people who are suffering the most - orphans and homeless children.
  • Children in need require help regardless of border disputes and political issues. During times of distress state-run institutions get much less financing.
  • The children are the future of any country. We ask you to do something amazing today: to help us help an orphanage in Ukraine.
  • This project is purely humanitarian. More...
WHAT WE WILL DO
  • We have chosen an orphanage about 80 miles away from Kiev which we would like to support and we hope that you will help us.
  • This establishment is primarily for orphans and children with physical and mental disabilities.
  • We are looking for support to build a new playground with educational and sport elements to help children's mental and physical development and bring more joy into their lives.
  • Our target is to raise at least £5,000 during April 2014. If we collect more the funds will go to support other projects in the orphanage. More...
HOW IT WORKS AND WHAT YOU GET
  • With every booking made we will donate £50 towards the project.
  • Our customers receive £50 discount per person and a full refund guarantee.
  • If you are not planning to join a tour with us, just donate whatever you can.
  • Follow the campaign progress online. More...
GO RUSSIA COMMITMENT
  • We are committed to raise money by using our own resources - social media and office campaigns, personal donations, appeals to friends and partners.
  • Those who donated can accompany our representatives in Ukraine and hand over the money. Two people will be randomly selected, all travel expenses will be paid by us.
YOUR QUESTIONS RESOLVED

We appreciate that you might have many questions related to our project. Please see the FAQ section below. More...

WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

Like you, Go Russia is concerned with the current events taking place in Ukraine. We would like to help by launching a special charity project aimed at helping orphans and underprivileged children who suffer while the crisis continues. Children in need still require help regardless of border disputes and political issues. These children are the future of Ukraine and during times of distress state-run institutions like hospitals, schools and orphanages get less financing. As a long-established travel company arranging travel services to the region, we feel that now is the right time to help. So, we ask you – our valued customers - to do something amazing today: donate to help the children of Ukraine.

We will donate £50 from each booking to our charitable project in western Ukraine. In conjunction, we are offering a special discount of £50 per person for every booking.

We would also like to take this opportunity to stress that the situation in all areas where we operate our tours including Russia is very stable in terms of tourism. There is absolutely no need to worry when you join a group tour organised by Go Russia. The usual common sense rules apply, just like when travelling to any other destination. Please read our safety update.

If you’re not planning on booking a holiday just yet, you are mostly welcome to support our project as you can donate without booking a tour with us.

We will also be offering a chance for all those who donated to accompany our representatives in Ukraine and hand over the money collected. There will be a draw among those who would express their interest to go to Ukraine. Two people will be randomly selected, all travel expenses will be paid by us.

WHAT WE WILL DO

Given the fact that we have long been operating our tours in the region, we feel compelled to help the people who are suffering the most - orphans and homeless children. Go Russia together with our local representatives have chosen an orphanage which we want to support with your help.

The orphanage was established in 1973 in the town of Kmytiv, which lies about 80 miles away from the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. The institution was designed primarily for orphans and children with physical and mental disabilities who are enrolled in special educational programmes. Some children have parents suffering from alcohol or drug dependencies. Currently there are 99 children aged 6 - 17 years living in the orphanage.

Here is the story of two brothers: Eugene and Vitaly Lafet. Both boys are currently living at the orphanage.

Once, the two boys lived in a typical family with their parents, with their grandparents taking an active role in the children's wellbeing. Sadly, when their grandparents died, the brother's happy childhood was over.

The mother and father left their employment and suffered severe alcohol addiction. All of their belongings - including home furniture, clothing and even cutlery - were swapped for alcohol. The young boys had to earn their living themselves: they worked at other people’s houses and gardens and looked after the cattle in exchange for food. They also caught fish and fried it on fire. Their parents declined further and turned to theft to feed their addiction. Eventually, the father was convicted of theft. Their mother demanded money from the boys and when they refused, they were beaten and expelled from their house. As a result the boys lived in the utility room of the neighbourhood farm. Their mother was later convicted and the children remained without parental care.

The boys were admitted to the orphanage where they receive attention and education from their teachers and carers. Given their incredibly tough upbringing, they require professional care. Both boys enjoy playing sports and knitting. Unfortunately, due to lack of adequate sports and play areas at centre, they cannot really fulfil their potential.


We are currently looking for financing to build a new playground with educational and sport elements that would help develop the children both physically and mentally, and also bring enormous joy to their everyday living.

Our target is to collect at least £5,000 during April 2014, and if we collect more the funds will go to support other projects in the orphanage such as building refurbishment, books, medicine, art materials, etc.


Please note: the situation in the country develops rapidly and if circumstances change we will reassess the orphanage requirements and direct our funding for more essential needs like medicine, food, clothing, etc. We will immediately report any changes on our fundraising page.

We are committed to raise money by using our own resources - social media and office campaigns, personal donations, appeals to friends and partners.

Once the money has been collected we will invite two people to join Go Russia team to go to Ukraine and hand over the money. Participants will be randomly selected among those who donated and expressed their interest to go to Ukraine. Please let us know if you want to accompany our representative in Ukraine to hand over the money. All travel expenses will be paid by us.

HOW IT WORKS & WHAT IS ON OFFER

So in short, with every booking made Go Russia will donate £50 per person towards the project and our customers receive £50 discount per person on any tour. You also get a full refund guarantee of your holiday and you will be able to follow the campaign progress online where you can also donate extra if you wish so.

You can donate without booking a tour with us - however by joining one of our tours you can meet local people and hear their views on the recent events. If you are not planning to join a tour with us, there are always other ways to help.

To ensure transparency of our campaign, we ask you to follow these simple steps below.

IF YOU WANT TO BOOK A GO RUSSIA TOUR, PLEASE FOLLOW THESE STEPS - YOU GET £50 OFF, MONEY BACK GUARANTEE & WE DONATE £50 PER PERSON
  1. Book a tour by clicking the “book now” button on the relevant itinerary and enter the promo code “WESUPPORT”. Alternatively, book over the phone or by email and quote the promo code.
  2. A confirmation invoice & money back guarantee will be e-mailed to you upon completing the booking. The discount of £50 per person will be added automatically.
  3. Once you pay for your tour Go Russia will donate £50 per person towards the project.
  4. Follow our dedicated fundraising page https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/724357/x/6800593, share it with your friends and track our progress online.
IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BOOK A GO RUSSIA TOUR, PLEASE DONATE WHATEVER YOU CAN, NO PURCHASE REQUIRED
  1. Follow our dedicated fundraising page https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/724357/x/6800593, share it with your friends and donate any amount you can.
  2. We welcome all donations, regardless of their size. Please also note, if you donate £50 to the project and your friends or relatives book with us we will match your donation and your contacts will benefit from a £50 discount.
  3. Track our progress online and see your donation.

YOUR QUESTIONS RESOLVED

How do I know that the money raised has been spent for its purpose?
As a reputable, long-established company with many repeat-customers, it is very much in our interest to only conduct honest transactions. We - Go Russia - guarantee that the money raised will be used as intended and advertised. Our team in Ukraine will be updating you on the progress of the project by using photo and video materials.

How did you choose the entity to be supported?
Ukraine has been one of our main destinations for many years. Our ground staff based in Kiev have helped us to select the orphanage in the town of Kmytiv (Ukraine) which we believe needs funding. Sadly in Ukraine orphanages like this one are commonplace, but we hope that with your help we can make a sizeable difference to this particular centre.

Why is offer valid only till 30th April 2014?
Fundraising is easier with a target and we know that the sooner we can provide help, the better. Depending on the success of this project we will be reviewing our charitable strategy and will be launching new ideas in the future.

What is the money back guarantee?
We are not running any tours in Ukraine at the moment. However we are very confident that the situation in Russia will remain stable and safe and the country will continue welcoming tourists. Based on our experience, there are significant improvements in tourist infrastructure and travel-related services across the country. In the very unlikely event that government warnings are issued - and as a result tourists are prevented from travelling to Russia - we will refund all your monies paid, no questions asked.

Why are you not using existing UK charities?
We want to operate with minimal overheads, we have local representatives in Ukraine and want to be very precise with our charitable project and send the money where it is required. We will also be able to report on the progress via our online resources - website, Facebook page and in our monthly newsletter.

I still have doubts and do not want to go to Russia, can you offer an alternative?
Although our primary focus is Russia we do have other alternative destinations where we operate our tours and can offer you our professional support. Please contact us to discuss your requirements.

If you have any comments or further concerns, please do contact us. We look forward to welcoming you in the near future.

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