Not Alone: Mentors for Russian Teen Moms, Children

After a rough start in life, Vika has found someone who really cares about her – Elena Rulevich, her mentor and friend. They met through Kidsave’s Malenkaya Mama program for teen mothers at a picnic planned by Kidsave Russia on Children’s Day. The program provides mentors for girls who grew up without a mother but are now mothers themselves.

Through regular contact with Elena, Vika is learning to trust, communicate and stabilize her life so she can raise her son well.  Their honest, open relationship has created a solid foundation for Vika to face and solve the challenges in her life. 

Elena, an experienced consultant with Mary Kay, is also helping Vika develop her skills as a beauty consultant. Vika studies the products of the company, looks for new clients, is learning to conduct master classes, and also attends nursing classes. She also participants in a Women’s Club that Elena started – giving her more positive connections with caring adults.  

Vika is living in the Malenkaya Maya Crisis Center, where she is raising her young son, Kirill.  Kirill is growing up as a healthy boy, with plenty of attention. He often plays with Elena’s son Pavel – a very positive friendship. 

Vika says that being with Elena has shown her what it means to be respected and treated as an adult and a responsible person. These are traits most of us learned from our parents but for her, they are new – and they life-changing. Elena is also helping Vika find Kirill’s father. 

Elena has worked with Kidsave and mentored four other young women, including one who is now married with two children and working as a cook. They stay in touch, and the relationship helps assure this young woman that she is remembered, cared about, and has a friendly and trustworthy support in her life. 

Not Your Ordinary Russian Cooking Class

Mentoring one-on-one is an effective way to break the cycle of orphan mothers giving their children up to institutional care.

Kidsave Russia’s Malenkaya Mama (Teen Mother) program helps young mothers, many of whom grew up in orphanages, learn important life skills that no one taught them growing up. One aspect of this program is learning to cook, and the young mothers enjoy the generosity of Nestle Russia’s kitchen and its employees who volunteers to help them learn to make well-balanced, nutritious means for their families.

But there’s more than cooking going on! Kidsave Russia invites young mothers as well as older, more experienced women who are ready and willing to become mentors. Over cooking lessons the women and young moms chat, learn, have fun, and get to know each other. Often, a long-term mentoring relationship develops, giving a young lady the support of a caring adult she never got growing up.

The Malenkaya Mama program has served 323 teen moms and 340 babies since it began in 2004.

Currently, Kidsave Russia has 51 young mothers in Moscow and St. Petersburg involved in the program -- learning to raise their babies and become responsible citizens. Many have found mentors through this program, but the goal is insuring that 100% of the girls do.

Mentoring Opens up a World of Possibility for a Young Mother 

Mentors and teen moms meet at the orphanage. Over tea and snacks they discuss the news, talk about their challenges and share their achievements. Svetlana is pictured here, in the center, in the beige top. 

“I felt so lonely, and there was no one whom I could ask for help,” said Nadya, a girl who became pregnant at age 16. She didn’t believe she could take care of a child – because she grew up an orphan, with no one to show her how.

She had no idea how her future would unfold and didn’t know where to turn.

But after a few months living in the Malenkaya Mama Crisis Center, Nadya says she felt at home. She smiled a lot, communicated with the other girls there, and even became a group leader. At one of Kidsave Russia’s events Nadya met Svetlana, who eventually became her friend and mentor in the summer of 2016.

Svetlana is an experienced mentor who’s participated in the Kidsave Russia’s program for more than four years and helped three mentees. "Time flies,” she noted. “And my first mentee is already married and has two children. Sometimes we communicate by phone or social networks, like old friends."

Svetlana works in a cosmetics company, but also spends a lot of time with girls from the Teen Mom program, conducting master classes and workshops on self-care, style and make-up. Nadya has been to Svetlana’s office several times to study basic professional skills, including learning about the job of a sales assistant. Even though Nadya hasn’t chosen a profession yet, she and Svetlana enjoy their time together, and Nadya says she really likes the master classes.

"I am so proud of my Nadya,” said, Svetlana. “She is pro-active and wishes not only to benefit from the program herself, but also to share her knowledge and skills with others. She is open to everything new, and ready to change her life for the better. I really hope my efforts have helped in some small way in these positive developments."  

Links:

• Read more about Kidsave Russia's work