The Harbor Kursk
The Harbor Kursk is a non-profit ministry in the city of Kursk, Russia. It is built after The Harbor St. Petersburg model and serves young adult orphans and children at risk in Kursk and surrounding areas, investing in their lives long-term and providing the support network they need to become productive members of society and build healthy families of their own.
Partner With Us
The Harbor Kursk is a partner of the Orphanos Foundation.
Tax-deductible donations can be made online by clicking here, or checks may be made payable to Orphanos Foundation and sent to:
Orphanos Foundation
P.O. Box 1057
Cordova, TN 38088-1057
*Please include a separate note designating the donation for The Harbor Kursk.
All donations are 100% fee free and tax deductible. Thank you for your support!
Our Vision
To break the vicious cycle of orphanhood and see young adult orphans become thriving members of society, build healthy families and come to know God’s love.
Our Mission
Changing the lives of young adult orphans for successful integration, creating a healthy society in which we want to live, where an individual and a family are of primary value.
Every year about 13,000 orphans graduate from the orphanage system in Russia.
What happens to them? Sadly, 40% become alcoholics or drug addicts, another 40% live a life of crime, about 10% commit suicide, and only the remaining 10% are able to integrate into independent life in society.
The Harbor Kursk seeks to change these statistics.
We teach young orphanage graduates basic life skills, provide career counseling, model and train them in the foundations of family life, help develop creative skills, and work through motivation and personal issues. We share with them the love of Christ and seek to give every young adult orphan in our city the support network they never had.
Our Story
Founded by a local church orphan ministry team in the city of Kursk, Russia in the 1990s, our organization became an officially registered non-profit in 2014. A few years before, the need had become clear to support not only the kids at orphanages but also those who have graduated from the system and were now struggling with various issues as they began to make their own way in life.
For a long time this ministry was led by committed volunteers with a heart for helping orphans; however, it lacked structure and long-term vision. The ministry’s leaders were seeking opportunities to change the situation. That was the time when a providential meeting occurred with The Harbor St. Petersburg that shares our vision for orphan ministry and long-term investment into the lives of children at risk and orphanage graduates. The Harbor St. Pete offered their help, support and coaching in further developing the ministry in Kursk. In 2014, Alone No More (the official name of The Harbor-Kursk in Russia) was registered as an official local non-profit with the vision to reduce the number of orphans and diminish orphanhood in the Kursk region.
Our Work
Who are the kids and youth we work with?
- 100-150 kids at orphanages and orphanage graduates
- about a dozen families
- 80-85% of the youth we serve are special needs with physical and/or mental health issues
- Most orphanage kids and grads are ‘social orphans’ and come from families at risk
Our Programs Include:
- Residential program for orphanage graduates (currently on pause).
- Long-term support for residential program graduates and their families via personal and group meetings, targeted help, etc.
- Classes and workshops (cooking, art, personal financial planning, etc.) for youth at risk in orphanages and vocational schools.
- Long-term support for orphanage graduates and their families in Kursk and surrounding rural areas through home visits, financial help, goods and services help, life skills coaching, individual and group meetings, classes/ seminars/ workshops and events.
Our Staff
We have a faithful team of volunteers and part-time staff. As we continue to reach more kids in our city and region, we hope to add even more committed and loving workers to our crew.
Zhenya and Olga Pavlov
Leaders of Harbor Kursk
Zhenya and Olga are the leaders of The Harbor Kursk. Zhenya is the national director, while his wife Olga oversees the ministry’s various programs. They have a beautiful daughter Evelina.
Anya Gandy
Global Director
Anya serves as the Global Director for The Harbor Kursk. Anya and her husband Chris spent seven and a half years in St. Petersburg serving The Harbor ministry there. Anya and Chris currently live near Austin, TX and parent two wonderful bilingual kids, Nina and Ian.
Alex Krutov
Financial Director
Alex serves as the Financial Director for the Harbor Kursk, in addition to his roles of co-founder and CEO of The Harbor St. Petersburg. Alex and his wife Amy (who serves as The Harbor’s accountant) have two sons, Jayden and Levi. The Krutovs split their time between Russia and the US where they travel to raise funds and spread awareness about The Harbor’s work and mission.
Changed Lives
Natalia
“It is hard to say where I would’ve ended up if I hadn’t met these caring people who love God and who loved me. Most likely I’d be at the residential facility for the handicapped. But now I have friends, I have those who have become like family and who care for me, I have an apartment and a job. I learned a lot at the residential program: how to cook, how to budget, pay bills, do laundry, fill out paperwork, and so on. I really enjoyed our get-togethers, especially birthday parties, and making yummy food with the other girls and our mentors. I wish that many more guys and girls could take part in this program and change their lives, so I try to help and take part in The Harbor Kursk programs.”
Cyrill
We met Cyrill over a decade ago at an orphanage for kids with disabilities. He was born with a congenital leg deformity and could barely walk. Several years ago he graduated, went through two years of vocational school training and started living on his own.
We had supported Cyrill through school, but now he was in dire need of our help. Cyrill struggled with many fears and challenges in his everyday life. We started meeting with him weekly, teaching him how to shop for groceries, how to plan meals and budget, how to do small home repairs, and much more. Cyrill always asks lots of questions. We share with him how God takes care of him through us.
Cyrill is trying really hard to build a good life. Despite his physical limitations and chronic pain, he wants to be strong and independent. He has even started sharing some of the skills he has learned with a fellow orphanage graduate. We know that only in God will Cyrill be able to find true strength, peace, hope and love. We pray for him and offer our help where we can. Would you join us in praying for Cyrill?
