Since July of 1999, The Russian Orphan Lighthouse Project has helped more than 600 Russian orphans ages 7-15 years old to experience 10 day fun filled trips to potential adoptive families here in the US. Through the program, the orphans live in the homes of host families who are interested in international adoption. The children attend Vacation Bible School and participate in a variety of activities such as going to the zoo, a ball game, the dentist, and family activities as simple as riding bikes in the park. They learn about God and His love. In 10 days, the kids make new friends, learn some English, learn about God, share their culture, and hopefully find their forever families.
We have organized 55 trips to the states of Michigan, Illinois, Texas, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Trips are scheduled during the Russian children's school holidays, and we usually do 6 trips a year, three in summer and one each during the second half of November; the first half of January; and the second half of March. At the present time, we do not have any upcoming trips scheduled because the Russian government has a ban on any and all children's groups from traveling to the US because of the swine flu. We expect this ban to be temporary and that it will be lifted sometime during 2010.
In the mean time, we have just finished our first "Reverse Lighthouse" trip to Russia through which prospective adoptive families traveled to Russia to sightsee and spend time with a group of 10 older orphans for 5 days. The trip was a lot of fun and a big success for all involved. Two additional trips are thus planned to Moscow for January 8 - 12, 2010 AND March 26 - 31, 2010. Travelers who are not planning to adopt are also welcome to travel on a vacation "with a cause" and brighten a child's life in the process.
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