"PROJECT ELA"

Ela is a lovely 18 year old teen from Ukraine.

She was born with congenital malformations, due to her parent's exposure to the radioactive cloud from the nuclear accident in Chernobyl.

In her case, deformed hands and feet, thus she was rejected at birth and abandoned by her parents at the hospital, she has been in an orphanage since birth.

I met Ela in 1998 when I spent one month at the orphanage for deformed children in Tsyurupinks,Ukraine.

She was very bright, sweet and we became very good friends.

I had gone to Ukraine to adopt Nikita and Dimitri, both born with extrophy of the bladder, also the result of radioactive exposure by their parents.

Ela came to me, and told me she was " like a sister" to my boys, they had grown together,

could I adopt her too?

I promised her that when the medical treatment for the boys was finished, I would return to adopt her and bring her back to California to have her hands and feet operated.

We have continued to write each other for these past years and we feel like Mom and Daughter.

Mellowswan Foundation will make Ela the first orphan to come to California.Ela has turned 18 and she will be leaving the orphanage in June 2008

The statistics in Eastern Europe are sad, the majority of girls leaving orphanages at 18
find themselves with limited options, alone and sadly, prostitution is usually the only way these girls find to survive.There are one hundred thousand street children in Ukraine, most are infected with HIV and almost all are addicted to glue sniffing.
They live underground in the sewers.

In Ela's case, with her handicap, she will encounter even more challenges, so I have made it my mission to save her and provide her with medical, dental care,and give her a chance at a normal life.
Please read about ELA in our friends web page
http://www.ukraineorphans.net/

Ela needs your help.
Sonia Paz Baron-Vine



If you want to help with "Project Ela," please click on this link and you can donate using your credit card

http://www.guidestar.com/

Once the page opens, please type Mellowswan Foundation and click on "donate now"
All donations are tax deductible.

or you can use Paypal

Thanks.



Para los amigos de habla hispana,

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ela tiene 18 años y nacio con manos y pies deformes,debido a la exposicion de sus padres a la nube radioactiva de Chernobyl sus padres al ver sus deformidades, la rechazaron y la dejaron en el hospital solita. Ella ha crecido en orfanato toda su vida. Conoci a Ela en 1998 cuando fui a Ucrania a adoptar a dos huerfanitos con deformidades causadas por la radiacion de Chernobil. Ella me pidio que la adoptara tambien, no pude en ese viaje, pero le prometi que algun dia volveria por ella y me mantuve en contacto con ella todos estos anos. Ela tiene 18 anos y tendra que abandonar el orfanato en Junio 2008
Las calles de Ucrania esta llenas de peligro, drogas, prostitucion, Sida, etc.
La Fundacion Mellowswan quiere traer a Ela a California para operarla y salvarla de una vida de miseria.

Si desean ayudar a Pachi con fondos para el "Proyecto Ela" hagan click en este enlace
http://www.guidestar.com/
Una vez que la pagina abra, escriban Mellowswan Foundation y hagan click en el boton que dice "donate now"
Asi podran usar su tarjeta de credito y todas las donaciones son exentas de impuestos.
O pueden hacer click en el boton Paypal aca abajo y una vez que la pagina se abra pueden cambiar la pagina a Espanol en el cubito en la esquina derecha arriba. Todas las donaciones son exentas de impuestos.

Gracias!