American and Russian specialists in disability prevention and treatment joined together April 24-28, 2006 to help child professionals in Primorski Krai reduce the number of abandoned disabled children in their community. Disability professionals from the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (USA) and the Early Intervention Institute (St. Petersburg) created and offered training programs that incorporate global best practices to demonstrate the power of the family relationship to keep children in the home, reduce abandonment, and promote the inclusion of children with disabilities into society. This is the second of three international trainings. Local specialists have learned how to diagnose a disability in infancy, and work with parents so they can develop the skills and support they need to confidently care for their children with disabilities in their homes. Children with disabilities raised in families are healthier, happier and can become productive members of society.

The goal is for all children to grow to adulthood in loving homes, avoiding institutionalization and the terrible impacts that result from that experience.

Raising children with disabilities can be overwhelming if parents do not receive the support needed. This international effort brought together pediatricians, neurologists, speech therapists, physicians, social workers and parents of children with disabilities to develop and offer that support. Interdisciplinary teams are formed, and meet with parents with infants or young children who may have a disability. Using the latest diagnostic tools, the teams determine if there is a problem, and, when problems are identified, create a family plan to teach the parents how to help the child improve his or her health. A parent support group is available, as well as a specialized Resource Center at a local children’s policlinic. The Resource Center has a toy lending library, literature and information on early intervention. The Vladivostok-based team is applying its new knowledge with local children with special needs and more than 155 children and families have requested the new service. Now that the team is fully trained, the number of families receiving diagnoses and family plans are expected to quickly increase.

Firefly Children’s Network (FCN), working closely national and local Russian groups and organizations, launched the effort in September 2005 with a grant from the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX) and the United States Agency for International Development.

The American Bar Association / Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI) is a program that assists local bar organizations with legal education and training. At the moment there are 35 offices of ABA CELLI around the world, three of them are located in Russia: Moscow, Vladivostok and Samara.
The Vladivostok office is working on programs related to domestic violence, human trafficking, social advocates training, trial skills and legal skills. ABA/CEELI attempts to support local law reform projects and hopes to continue their work with bar associations, local attorneys, law schools and law students in Primorsky Krai and the Russian Far East.
In April-May ABA/CEELI is planning to conduct a series of seminars and conferences. Thus on April 16-18 a three day seminar on bringing a case before the Constitutional Court was held in Khabarovsk. ABA/CEELI is working with Path to Success Program!, Winrock International to put on a two day conference on domestic violence and human trafficking to take place in Khabarovsk on May 18th and 19th. Two conferences will take place in Vladivostok in late May. On May 25th – 28th a four day seminar will take place focusing on the European Convention on Human Rights. Between May 29th and June 3rd a six day seminar will gather participants from the Russian Far East for social advocates training. This training will focus on legal issues for non-lawyers.

Poster exhibition, devoted to International Earth Day, was held in American Corner of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The objective of this event was to attract people’s attention to ecological issues of our planet. Universal action of the Earth Day has been started in USA on 22 of April 1970 and was supposed to unite people of the Earth to protect the environment.
According to tradition on this day all volunteers take part in a massive cleaning up, planting of trees and shrubs all over the city and various ecological events. Besides, in American Corner one could find an exhibition of books on various ecological issues and environmental preservation. This exhibition was held for those who were not indifferent to the problems of our nature.

The Russian Far East Civic Initiatives Program (CIP) funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has started its final phase – regional roundtables with participation of representatives of NGOs, officials, mass media and businesses. The goal of these roundtables is to disseminate program successes throughout the region and to discuss the current state of civil society and community development, identify issues and potential solutions, envision the future, and explore opportunities for collaboration.
On April 19, 2006 the representatives of NGOs, Khabarovsk Krai Government, mass media, and Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) attended the regional roundtable organized  by RC  “Green House” in Khabarovsk. In 2004-2006, Green House, a CIP resource center under the auspices of ISC administered three grant rounds of Grassroots Initiative Grants. Twenty NGOs, municipal institutions, and initiative groups received grants for implementing 25 initiatives. Through the USAID funding the implementers achieved concrete and visible results. Over 5,000 people benefited from the projects and over 70,000 residents volunteered for the project implementation. The grantees raised additional three rubles to one ruble of USAID funding as cost share, developed the mechanisms of community involvement, and raised awareness of the urgent issues. The roundtable participants shared their successful experience and lessons learned, built relations and talked about their future plans.   
On April 13, 2006 the round table attended by 40 people was held in Blagoveschensk (Amurskaya Oblast). Other round tables will be conducted in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (April 25), Birobidzhan (April 26) and Vladivostok (April 28).

On April 13 Enhanced Small and Medium sized Business Development Project (ESD) funded by the USAID conducted Wrap Up Conference on Regulatory Reform component (Sakhalin Region) in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. This program supported the development of more sustainable SMEs in the Russian Far East through a variety of activities such as training, creating new partnerships and facilitating financial opportunities. The program brought together entrepreneurs, governments, business associations and financial institutions. ESD Program has implemented their Projects in seven Regions of the Russian Far East, including Sakhalin Region. Over 55 participants attended the conference including associations-ESD Grantees who shared their advocacy experience, representatives of legislative and executive branches of power, NGOs, representatives of Sakhalin Energy Inc., representatives of business communities from Sakhalin, Amurskiy Regions, Primorskiy and Khabarovskiy Krays, and Republic of Sakha-Yakutiya. RI Coordinator and Coordinator Assistant attended the conference as well. Participants spoke on their activity during the period of the project, emphasizing on the achieved results.
The similar Conference will take place in Blagoveshensk (Amurskaya Oblast) on April 25, 2006.

During April 8, 2006, the Khabarovsk Krai Regional Forest Agency, NGO Ecological and Biological Youth Center and administration of Khabarovsk district – with support from USAID’s FOREST Project – conducted a public advocacy campaign entitled “Certification of Forests Stops Illegal Logging!” in Nekrasovka village. Advocacy campaign organizers applied methods institutionalized through USAID’s FOREST Project, and as a direct result, 236 representatives from the local community as well as two secondary schools and an orphanage were trained on how certification can counter illegal logging and help prevent destructive forest management policy in the district. The audience learned much regarding forest certification, what it is for and how it can help the local community to develop and maintain a stronger economy and better quality of life. Children from FOREST’s advocacy campaign then received a complimentary tour to the local ostrich farm in Nekrasovka village, and they thoroughly enjoyed feeding these birds.

New Eurasia Foundation (FNE), in the Russian Far East within its project "To ensure broader business and industry participation in social and economic development of the Russian Far East by facilitating alliances and partnerships with local and regional governments and non-governmental organizations" took part in the 3rd Asia-Pacific Business Forum (APBF) 2006, Jakarta, Indonesia, 7-8 April 2006, promoting FNE, RFE and searching for potential collaboration in areas where FNE claims some know how: regional social development, education, innovations, etc. The APBF focused on how the public and private sectors can work together to ensure sustainable economic and social development; and provided a unique annual forum for region-wide business networking, partnership building and dialogue among the business community, governments and civil society on how to create an enabling environment for sustainable business growth..

On April 06, 2006, 15 students who participated in trainings on employment skills development, human rights, and human trafficking organized by the non-governmental organization, Maximum, a partner in the Path to Success! program took part in a meeting of the alumni club at Professional School #20 in Khabarovsk, Russia. During this discussion, young people had the opportunity to meet with a local attorney and ask questions about what they can expect from their employers. For example, many of the participants wanted to know if it is possible to be employed at age 15. Others were interested in the number of days of vacation they are entitled to and how many hours can teenagers work during the day. This information will allow young people to know their rights so that they will be safe in the work environment and make positive decisions about their futures. These meetings are a regular part of Maximum’s program. Young people can follow-up on the trainings and they are another resource for them to use as they develop their plans for after graduation from colleges and technical schools in the area. Other meetings of the alumni club involve experts on employment that give helpful advice to students who want to improve their interview skills or need more work on their resumes. Program partners such as Doverie in Vladivostok also have an alumni club, Career that allows young people the opportunity to ask questions and increase their knowledge of the local job market, human rights, and gives additional information about the problem of human trafficking. Volunteers who also work on the project participate as well and act as mentors to their colleagues. Along with the regular training program that Path! partners administer, these alumni clubs are an extra tool that can be used by young people to help them make positive decisions about their future lives. This innovative technique is another way this USAID sponsored, Winrock administered, project is combating human trafficking in the Russian Far East.

On April 3 RI Coordinator and RI Coordinator Assistant visited office of Junior Achievement (JA) program in Vladivostok. During the meeting with Anastasia Onoprienko, JA Manager updated RI on ongoing program activity and the latest news.
In January 31 JA and Administration of Vladivostok City signed cooperation agreement that became a great step in the development of relations between the program and local government. The agreement provided the greater status and image to the program.
Also Anastasia informed that recently JA applied for the grant of LINX program “Youth Civil Initiative”.
On March 23 JA conducted Electronic Game on Management and Economic Simulation between 8 teams of Vladivostok schools in the framework of international MESE game. Team of school # 22 became the winner of the game and took part in all-Russia competition where it took the 3rd prize and will compete for the 1st prize in the international competition the MESE called Hewlett Packard Business Global Challenge. 3 rounds of the international competition are held online and the last round will take place in Palo Alto, California, USA.