Railway Children
The young girl in the cell has been arrested by the Railway Police at Kurski Station, in Moscow. Up to five hundred children a week come through stations each week in an effort to find the city paved with gold. Many of the children have been abandoned on the stations by parents so poverty stricken and desperate that they feel the authorities have more resources to deal with them, which is sadly not the case. Pimps and drug dealers frequent the stations, always on the lookout for vulnerable children. The Railway Police are also extremely vigilant and youngsters who appear to be alone or looking lost are usually checked to see if they are registered to live in Moscow. No correct papers means arrest, which is actually the best thing that could happen to these youngsters.

The cell shown above has now been redecorated by Love Russia to make it more user friendly. The children are only kept here for a few hours before being sent to a Preeyut (Rescue Shelter) or to the Detention Centre For Underage Criminals. Once at either location they will again come into contact with Love Russia. We work with both the Detention Centre and a number of Rescue Shelters to ensure that shelter, food, clothing, and education are all adequately provided.
Rather than try to provide funding for individuals, mainly due to the rapid turnover of children through both facilities, Love Russia started a scheme to provide funding for a space at a Rescue Shelter. This means that sponsors will fund up to ten children a year as they move through the Preeyuts. We estimated that to fund a child in a Preeyut for a month would cost £14.
This funding helps children like Udi, who was badly bitten by the family dog. When police called at the house to tell his mother and step-father that such a vicious dog could not remain in a house with children, the step-father told them, "We'll keep the dog, you take the boy!" Udi was taken to Schelkova Preeyut on the north east edge of Moscow, where a 15-year old resident, Nadia, cared for him while he was there. Nadia had already been through the system and was found permanent accommodation until a fire swept through the building , making her homeless again. Nadia returned to the location where she had received love and help - Schelkova Preeyut.
In conjunction with the British charity Railway Children, Love Russia has worked with the railway police to update holding centres for runaway children in Moscow.  Volunteer helpers have also befriended and supported volunteers through the process of registration.  One official reported that children had been found frozen to the undercarriages of trains when trying to stow away in the past. Ideally early intervention befrienders are needed on all trains and major railway stations to help children.