Sunergos International

Mission Statement

Serving orphans, widows and the poor in Russia

Our mission is to -

• Provide social services to orphans, elderly and the poor
• Encourage faith communities and organizations in building communities of compassion
• Cut through racial, cultural, social and denominational barriers, bringing people to work together

FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS

• God has a special interest and love for orphans, widows and the poor.
• There is tremendous need to minister to orphans in Russia
  (An "orphan" - abandoned to the state, including "social orphan" with parent still living)
• There are over 4 million orphans and homeless children in Russia and Ukraine. Officially, there are 700,000 orphans living in 2,000 state-run orphanages in Russia alone. That means that Russia has more orphans today than after World War II! Statistics show that only one out of ten Russian orphans becomes a functional member of society. At age 18, children are forced to leave the orphanages with little or no formal schooling, very limited life skills, and no one to turn to for assistance. Within the first year of leaving the orphanage, over 50% are involved in prostitution or crime, another 30% are addicted to drugs or alcohol, and another 10% commit suicide. Millions of Russian children are on the run; living on the streets or in underground sewers desperately needing basic food, medicine and clothes.
• Russia has one of the fastest growing AIDS epidemics in the world, with 100 new infections every day. Increasingly, women and their infants are being affected.
• Latest figures show 22,000 babies have been born to HIV-positive women. And many are being abandoned by their mothers into the care of the state.