Due to the War torn areas in the Ukraine, the Ukrainian children have been evacuated to Scotland, and have now lost their families in their homeland.

This Dnipro Kids charity has been set up to help the orphans from the Ukraine

This just had to be done! Had fun recording a wee song (big thanks to Brazen recording Studios, Exeter for all the hard work and patience in the re-takes). Thanks to Jon & Linda Walker for making this happen.

The song (an adaptation of the Rolling Hills of the Borders) which I have written new lyrics to about fishing on the river tweed.

I would appreciate any donation you could make and all will be sent to the Dnipro Appeal which is helping Ukrainian orphans in Scotland.

Thank you

John Edey

From The Charity Website;

How did we start?

September 2005 and a UEFA Cup trip to the Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk for Hibernian FC, sees a handful of supporters organise a charitable collection for some local orphans. Within a few months the idea has snowballed and the well meaning Hibernian support has an official charity to its name. One year on and the charity is still going strong and it seems that more and more members of the Hibernian Community are adopting the Dnipro Appeal as their charity of choice. For full details of how the charity has progressed you should spend some time reading through the news pages.

What do we do?

Well, in its first year the charity raised around £16,000 in donations from supporters and this has been used to help the children of Dnipropetrovsk in a number of ways. As well as purchasing items such as winter coats and boots it has also been used to purchase medical equipment and make repairs to the building where they live. It has also been used to purchase baby food, baby essentials and clothing for a Crisis Pregnancy Centre in the hope that helping mothers that are struggling to cope can prevent children from becoming orphans.

How is this done?

Quite simply it is down to the individual generosity of the ordinary supporter. The Dnipro Appeal Committee can organise events (such as the annual race night at the Hibernian Supporters Club) but we are dependant on the support from the Hibernian Community. As long as the Hibernian Community continue to support the charity with donations, then the Hibernian supporters that make up the Dnipro Appeal Committee will continue to work towards helping as many of the children of Dnipropetrovsk as they can.

What are we doing now?

The Ukrainian Government has taken steps to move orphans out of the large orphanage institutions and into smaller family orphanages. Much of our work now focuses on supporting the orphans in these smaller orphanges, which are each home to up to 10 children at a time.

Does my donation make a difference?

At the moment we have a number of supporters that pay a monthly amount of £10 to the Dnipro Appeal. This money has recently been used to pay for the medical treatment of a girl called Nastya that was suffering from spinal problems. Without the operation there is no doubt that her condition would have worsened and she would have found life in Ukraine very difficult as her handicap worsened and she may have found it difficult to find work. It is hoped that a successful outcome to the operation will greatly improve her condition and give her a fighting chance in life. So, yes, your donation, however small, does indeed make a huge difference.

What about the future?

After seeing that the monthly donations of a couple of individuals has made such a difference we believe that if we can get the Hibernian community to commit long term to a monthly direct debit then it will allow the Dnipro Appeal Committee to take care of the needs of the orphans as and when they arise. The initial aim is to get all 50 orphans at the Odinkovka orphanage sponsored and if we can manage this then we can look towards expanding the help we can offer in Dnipropetrovsk.

How do I know I’m helping?

We have launched the Dnipro Child Sponsorship programme and anyone that commits to a monthly direct debit of £10 will be allocated one of the orphans at the Odinkovka orphanage. You will receive photos of your allocated child and will also receive regular updates on how they are progressing and also how your donation is helping.