Debbie’s mission continues with new chapter

WHEN Debbie Deegan established To Russia With Love (TRWL) back in 1998, she could never have foreseen the impact its work would have on children left abandoned in orphanages in the country’s Bryansk region.

Now the story of the Northside-based charity has been documented in a new book entitled

‘To Russia With Love – Changing The Lives Of Abandoned Children’.

It tells the incredible story of how a Clontarf woman’s determination led her to overcome obstacles, ranging from scepticism of ‘Celtic Tiger’-era Ireland to the intricacies of Soviet-style bureaucracy, to fulfill a promise and to improve the lives of vulnerable children.

What started off in 1998, when Debbie Deegan promised a child that she would come back to hug and kiss them, has grown into a successful charity doing life-changing work with thousands of orphaned and abandoned children.

To Russia with Love has helped over 5,000 abandoned and orphaned children through education and development programmes. Buildings have been rebuilt, staff hired, and children loved.

All of the young people leaving the orphanage since 2007 accessed further education and are living in accommodation supported by To Russia With Love.

After all these years Debbie’s passion for her charity is unrelenting as she talks about the book the proceeds of which will help it to continue its outstanding work.

“I realised that at the 15-year landmark, it would be a shame not to document the stories,

? says Debbie, who adopted a Russian girl, Zina, at the beginning of the momentous journey.

“So much has happened in those years and I thought I better get it down on paper before I forget it.

“These stories are normal to me but they might not be normal to someone else.

“At times it was emotional writing the book and the tragic stories would have me in tears but it is also very well balanced in that there is a lot of fun and hysterical stories documented too.

?

Debbie is hoping the book will not only help to raise funds directly from sales, but that it was also tug at the heartstrings of someone who might be so touched by the story, they will offer more help.

“Through reading the book, we want people to see the full picture and to fully understand what we do,

? states Debbie, who was awarded the prestigious Rehab International Person of the Year award in 2009.

“I am an open book and I don’t hold anything back. There are ups and downs and it’s certainly a no holds barred book.

?

It took Debbie approximately a year to write the story but she concedes that she couldn’t have done it without the help of her ghostwriter, Emily Hourican, a journalist with the Sunday Independent.

“Emily was fantastic and really disciplined me to write for a few hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Then Mercier Press came on board as the publisher and it all came together.

?

It has been well documented that every charity in the country has seen a slide in its income due to the economic turbulence we’ve been experiencing these last few years.

To Russia With Love is one of those charities caught in the crossfire and Debbie admits that it has been

“one hard slog

?.

“Fundraising is really difficult now and you feel your head is on the guillotine all the time,

? she says.

“We need e220,000 a year to do the work we do.

“It wasn’t a huge amount of money in the Celtic Tiger era but it certainly is now. The whole picture has changed dramatically; it’s a battle.

“People in Ireland are the most generous on the planet but they are exhausted from being asked for money by charities.

“Every single charity in Ireland does fantastic work, but our role is to help children who have no Mammies or Daddies.

“The children in Ireland do have parents to love them and look after them – that’s what gets me, and I think that’s what makes us different.

“The Russian children believe they have Irish guardian angels looking after them – it’s a huge responsibility. We have the weight of these kids on our shoulders and we must continue.

?

To Russia With Love and Debbie Deegan have come a long way since that first fundraiser in Castleknock in 1998.

Fifteen years later they are still shining a light in the darkest orphanages in Russia – beacons of hope for children trapped in a world of despair.

*To Russia With Love, published by Mercier Press, cost

?¬12.99. It is available in all good bookstores and in Supervalu branches, and you can also publish it online at www.torussiawithlove

l If you would like to donate to TRWL, ‘Text CHILD to 57800 to pay

?¬5.00. Network charges vary. Minimum of

?¬3.28 goes to the charity. SP Phonovation Ltd 0818-217100.