Operation Christmas Child: Diana and Nikinta
The next stop on my week-long visit to the Crimea with shoe box appeal Operation Christmas Child takes me to the coastal city of Feodosia.
After a somewhat bumpy two-hour drive through the snow, we pull up outside the Feodosia Republican orphanage, which is home to 50 children aged between four and 15.
A local church group are also on hand to help distribute present-filled shoe boxes to the children who live and are educated at the orphanage.
We are led up the stairs to a classroom where a group of children are patiently sat waiting for their presents.
One child who catches everyone's eye is four-year-old Diana, who rushes towards one of the volunteers and stretches out her arms in welcome.
Diana and her six-year-old brother Nikinta were brought to orphanage just six weeks ago after their alcoholic mother was deemed unfit to look after them.
Their teacher Helen tells me that, sadly, Diana and Nikinta's story is not an unusual one.
The thousands of children who live in orphanages across the country are testament to the alcohol and drug problem which is endemic in the Ukraine.
Nearly 50 children call the Feodosia Republican Orphanage home, because their parents are unable, or unwilling, to care for them.
Diana giggles with delight as she opens her box and finds a pink pair of socks, but Helen said her playful mood is very different to her usual temperament.
"She is usually very quiet and only eats according to her mood," Helen said.
"Diana is a very timid, submissive child and listens to her teachers. But she shows signs of being very gifted and is catching on quickly in her lessons."
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