Story of Sasha Karpinskiy
Rehabilitation from drug addiction is different for everybody. When I met a man who managed to quit drugs independently, I immediately wished to write his story, but we could not meet for a detailed discussion. And then some new events happened in his life, which further changed him for the better. His name is Sasha Karpinskiy, now he is 22 years old.
Alexander Karpinsky was born in the small town Vilkovo, which is located in the south of the Odessa region. The singularity of Sasha's home town is location of that the old part, it is straight on the water. Instead of the streets there are the channels through which people move mostly by boat. Sasha left home when he was 10 years old. He doesn`t want to tell the details of his leaving, he says only that it occurred because of a conflict with his stepfather. However that could be, Sasha arrived to Odessa, where he met the boys, who lived on the street.
He spent 8 years on the street. During that time, many things had happened - sometimes Sasha was detained by police, used glue (toxic substances become "the first swallow” on the way to more serious drugs), and then switched to "mash ". The guy confesses, he had inject drugs for 3 years and then managed to get rid of dependence – he braced himself and went home, where he wasn’t for more than 8 years already. For the six months that Sasha spent at home, he managed to get rid of drug addiction completely.
Of course, the daily use affected speech and gait, but the ability to think was left. Your author became acquainted with Sasha at a summer camp, which is annually organized by Odessa charity foundation “The Way Home”, in the 2007. "He's kind, open, and even a little naive," - so he was described by his instructors at the camp. And indeed, Sasha managed to work at the construction in the city, assist the senior at the camp after work, and look after the smallest. He quickly finds the contact with people, and I am not exception. And then everything went according to a clear pattern - he stayed at a rehabilitation center "The Way Home", he was taken to rehabilitation, despite the fact that he is 18 years old.
As it turned out later, Sasha is not one child in the family - he has three sisters and younger brother. But the circumstances were such that they were given to the boarding school by parents. Sasha with the help of legal service "The Way Home" found them all. His sisters attended boarding school in Tuzla and brother was in Belgorod-Dniestrovskiy. Imagine the picture - Sasha Karpinskiy is going to his sisters: huge bags with gifts in his hands and he himself is short unless of the tie and tuxedo. Sasha went to the sisters for a few days and when he returned, we simply could not recognize him, he just radiated happiness.
For more than a year he lives an independent life, works, rents an apartment. Sasha wants to build a huge house, which would be enough to place his three sisters and younger brother. Knowing his determination and willpower, I realize that for this man, nothing is impossible.
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The dream of Maryam Hansevyarova
Where are you from and how did you find yourself in Odessa?
I`m from Rostov-on-Don. My mother`s sister, my aunt worked in Odessa steamship line, she invited us to Odessa. First, everything was normal, we lived in the apartment in the settlement Kotovskogo, then mother decided to sell it, but she fell on the apartment scams, which have fooled her – took the papers, but they did not give her money, and police did not investigate the case. So we run out of the apartment. After that we went to my grandfather, he lived in the Luhansk region, in Anthracit. Really, there weren’t conditions for living; we lived in an abandoned house, at the market, at the telegraph office. I was 10 years old when we returned to Odessa.
How did it turn out, that you were left without documents?
Documents and money were stolen at the railway station, it was 2004. Thereafter mother brought me to the Way Home, because someone had to look after me while she had been working. At the Way Home I was placed to the evening school 25, the leaders of the Children Center arranged that I became an auditor, because I didn’t have documents. I was moved up into the next forms in spite of the fact that I could finish school only with a certificate about “attending a program for several years”. Everything depended on receiving a passport.
As far as I remember, initially your mother has renewed documents. By the way, what relations do you have with her now?
We have nice relations, but we seldom see each other for the last time – mother is working, I had exams. Mother has renewed her passport through the consulate. My documents were renewing for two years, the request was submitted to Rostov-on-Don, and active correspondence was carried out. First I have received birth certificate and this spring I have received passport finally. They have phoned us from the consulate and reported that we can come and take my passport. We came, paid some due and now I have documents.
You have received the documents opportunely, right before final examinations. It`s not a secret, that you planned to enter the university.
I plan to submit documents to the Christian Humanist university to the specialty “children`s psychologist”. They don`t require to pass external tests, this is not a governmental university, they have only contract study, and in my situation this is the only possible alternative, because I`m not a citizen of Ukraine. But it`s not that simple to enter the university; I need to pass tests, they will check my education level.
Please tell about your graduation party and preparation to it. Who helped you with the evening dress?
To be honest, I didn`t want to say that I needed a dress. Our psychologist Olga Alekseevna did that instead of me. Director of our Children Center Svetlana Georgievna contacted with Galina Andreeva, Miss Odessa – 2006, she is a volunteer at our foundation for several years. Galina gathered a team, which was working with my style. Her friend, vice-miss of the world, gave me her dress; girls chose the accessories to the dress. In the morning of the graduation day girls came with the makeup artist of the Odessa TV-channel “OK”, where Galina works at, and the make-up artist made me make-up and hairstyle.
At the graduation party Maryam was standing out against her classmates not only due to her dress and make-up. She overcame very difficult way to that evening. Initially she continued studying at school without documents and accommodation, and was dreaming about graduation party and entering the university. Maryam became first inmate of the Way Home who has received a school leaving certificate, and we hope that she will become first inmate of the foundation who will enter the university. Usually dreams come true for those who sought them.
Sasha Karpinsky.
After he graduated from the ninth grade he moved to Odessa in search for a job. It didn’t work out for the teenager and he found himself in the streets. At the beginning Sasha was inhaling glue and when the glue stopped “working” he started to use “mix”. “Mix” – is a mixture of different ingredients, which are absolutely not difficult to get and which are not prohibited. Besides pills, it also includes manganese and vinegar. Mix users are noticed right away – the operation of their locomotorium gets affected. They have a “swimming” step, a little bit hindered. Sasha gave up everything on his own.
Sergey Fedotov.
Serezha can’t live at home – he has constant conflicts with his step-father. He doesn’t want to be in the streets as well, he is afraid that he will start inhaling glue again. Where should he go? He came to “The Way Home” in winter of 2008. For some time he stayed aside from the others but in a while he gradually got used to the life of the Fund and revealed his leader’s skills. That is why when the Fund’s directors were selecting volunteers for the summer camp out of “The Way Home” inmates they selected Sergey first out of others. The three summer months passed by insensibly, the young man managed excellently with his duties in the camp. In the autumn, Sergey started his education in the Mechanical Engineering and Communication College; he is being trained to become a mechanic-electrician. At the same time he is studying in the evening school. Sergey Fedotov is one of the most active Fund’s alumni. He participates in different projects which are carried out by “The Way Home” fund, participates in concerts and performances, takes classes at plasticity and pantomime studio “Maximum”.
Mikhail Zakharov
When Misha was 13, he got into an adverse bunch of guys. He started playing game-machines. To get some money he had to steal. For some time everything was ok, but later on he got caught. He was let gone after all, but he started stealing again and got caught again. His mother was desperate and Misha decided to leave hoe so that not to bring troubles to his relatives. He went to Odessa where he wanted to become independent. For two and a half years he lived in the streets – basements, hatches, pipes, he got to try out everything. But at the same time he continued working and he was passing by the game-machines with indifference. But he still didn’t get in touch with his family. One day, friends brought Misha to “The Way Home”, where he decided to stay. Of course, life in the shelter was different from life in the streets, but Mikhail was still missing something. Shortly, he realized that he misses education. He applied to the directors of organization – and people met his wishes. He entered mechanical engineering and communication college, where he became a welder-electrician. After Misha graduated he received a diploma and now works in the Fund as a junior manager of a household.
Alexander Kara
He lived in the fund 2003 through 2005. Children who find themselves in the street gradually move lower and lower the ladder and only a very small amount of them are able to rise up, to strive for radiant future instead of drugs and theft. And this one is one of those few. Since Sasha was 11 he started escaping to the streets, where he could spend a few days in a row. Streets were drawing him in and the periods of his absence were longer and longer and then…he left for good. He was 15 years old. He was longing to go to Odessa, where finally came in a while. He lived in the streets for a few years, until he found “The Way Home”. He started not only living there but also became a volunteer. And then it went on: at first he became a stock keeper, then night mentor, courier, and then he became a social worker.
One day Sasha realized that he had given everything he could to “The Way Home” and he realized that he wanted to be independent. Besides he got an offer of a very good steady job. Now it is 3 years since Sasha is earning his living by fair means – he works as a plumber for communal service. His life has sorted out, he doesn’t have any problems with place to live and he will get the rest of course too.
Lena Barbul
Lena has Dimka. She also has Misha. Dimka is her son, Misha is her husband. They are a young family. And a while ago she didn’t have anything. And possibly she would never have anything if she stayed in the streets. And Lena did use to live in the streets for many years…
..Lena never knew her father, her mom almost didn’t care about the girl. She was mostly interested in alcohol and just another admirer. Lena was left all alone, which led her to leaving in the streets. She was a child and didn’t have any support, she could only hope for help of the same kind of neglected children. There was nowhere to expect help from. But finally she got help from her grandma, who took the girl away from the street and took her far away from her mom, to one of the villages in Odessa region, where she used to live. When the girl turned 10 her grandma passed away and relatives, which were numerous, didn’t need Lena. They need a house in which Lena and her grandma used to live. “Kind” relatives took away the house and little girl found herself in the streets again. Streets, hatches and panhandling again… Two years of life in the streets – instead of education, normal nutrition, mother’s love and care.
In 2006 “The Way Home” fund organized first summer tent camp for the street kids, which Lena visited as well. And after the summer she spent in the camp, Lena was taken to the Rehabilitation and Social Adaptation Center at the OCF “The Way Home”. Finally she got a chance to go to school everyday, Lena stayed in the room with two more girls, they were friends, she started going into the drama club and took classes of sewing. After she graduated from the 9th grade, Lena entered Odessa mechanical engineering and communications college, her major was “Communication operator”, at the same time she continued studying at school. Besides education she also actively participated in social life of “The Way Home” fund – she presented the Fund in all kinds of creative contests, participated in concerts jointly with the drama club, took English classes. And in summer 2008 Lena worked in the project “Single-stage research of HIV-infection spread amidst children and teenagers living and working in the streets of Odessa” as a social worker.
And then Misha appeared in her life. At first they were making a secret of their relations, but later people around them realized that these two are not just friends. Misha is also “The Way Home” fund’s inmate and he went through almost the same kinds of troubles during his life time but by the time their relationship started he already had been working for the Fund as a household manager. By the way, Misha graduated from the same college and Lena but he had a different major – welder-electrician. For some time they lived separately and then they decided to become a family. By that time Lena was already three months pregnant. They decided to leave to Misha’s parents in Vilkovo, with whom by that time he was able to sort all things out (actually, their relations were always all right, but Misha left to Odessa in search for a job and after all found himself in the streets without work and he was too embarrassed to return back home). In Vilkovo they celebrated wedding a little and then Lena gave birth to Dimka. By the way, she came to Odessa for the delivery and “The Way Home” did its best to make the child birth go well and the present for the baby was a new baby carriage, lots of diapers and stuffed toys. Lena and Misha’s friends who stay in the Fund presented them with lots of nice clothes for their little baby.
Lena took an academic vacation in the college and at school her teachers told her that since she has such a great event in her life they will help her with getting her school diploma. Lena is planning to return to Odessa to finish her studies and later on possibly enter a university for acquiring higher education.
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