“I have been coming to the club for two years and I always feel welcome there. Thanks to this club, my eyes have been opened and my character has changed for the better. I am thankful to our leaders who organize activities and nature trips for us. It is great fun to be in the club; nobody feels sad there. There are many newcomers. As time passes, they become members of our “family”. Nobody is left without attention. Of course, I could write many pages about the club: it is one of the most wonderful places!”
“I liked this Christian camp very much. I’d like to stay here forever! It is difficult to describe everything, but I was happy here.”
“In the camp I made friends and understood how important it is to create good, warm relationships. Most importantly, I want to thank God and the camp organizers for such a wonderful time.”
“Our camp leaders were very friendly and kind. I learned how to pray and I know that God hears me.”
“I liked camp because there are good counselors there. They treat children nicely.”
Russia's turbulent history has been marked by centuries of conquests and political upheaval. In its early days, around the 9th century, Russia was inhabited by Slavic tribes, but in later years was conquered by invaders including Mongols and Tartars, who eventually withdrew in the 15th century. From the 16th century to the beginning of the 20th, Tsars ruled Russia, starting with Ivan the Terrible and ending with Nicholas II, whose entire family was assassinated by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
The newly created USSR suffered from ill-fated economic policies that led to famine in the early 1930s, with 5 million people reportedly starving to death during that period. The years before and after WWII were also marked by the despotic rule of Joseph Stalin, who began a series of 'purges' in which millions of people died. WWII caused further suffering to the Russian people, leaving the country in ruins.
A communist, secular country from 1917 to 1991, Russia (formerly Soviet Union or U.S.S.R) is not only the world’s largest nation, but also the biggest within the Hi Kidz ministry.
Soon after the Iron Curtain fell in 1991, groups of Russian children started to come to camps in Switzerland. Following training of local Christians, Hi Kidz began to operate in Russia in 1993. Today, our Moscow office oversees not only the activities in the country itself, but also in former Soviet republics (now known as CIS – Commonwealth of Independent States) of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
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