Life in the Orphanage
Ivan lived in the Lotikovo orphanage since December, 1999. The children are divided into 7 groups based loosely on development. Each group of children lives in a locked cluster of rooms where they eat, sleep, and play. Ivan's group had 16-20 children fighting for the attention of two caretakers per shift.
Ivan considered very few things "his". Toys, clothes, and even shoes were stored together and shared among the whole group. Each child in the group was issued a number that designated which coat locker, bed, and chamber pot would be theirs.
For Ivan's group, the morning started around 7 a.m. when the children wake up. Ivan's bed was #8, the second from the bottom in this picture. The children are ushered directly to the potty room where each one must sit until they are able to go. This is not a pretty sight or sound. Most are crying and rocking in obvious nervousness and distress. Although the children are considered potty trained at a very early age, it is truly just a scheduling of input and output. When we were first visiting Ivan, we learned the hard way that we had to have him up in the potty room at 5 p.m. every evening or he would have an accident!
Eating was a more pleasant experience, but not at all relaxing. The children guard their food from the food-snatchers around them and eat as fast as they can to get whatever seconds are available.
In good weather, the children are able to go outside to play. The orphanage is surrounded by clusters of old, rusty playground equipment, but only two of the clusters is used regularly. The rest of the grounds are overgrown with dandelions, grass, bushes, etc.
