Evacuation of “Children of North”: an Attempt to Mitigate Social Problems during Civil War

Abstract

On the basis of archival sources, the experience of the evacuation of socially disadvantaged children of Karelia to the Kharkov province in 1919—1920 is revealed, the life support system of the “state child” in the Giev colony is analyzed. The study of this specific method of providing social assistance to children, used in the extreme conditions of the Civil War, made it possible to reveal the complexity and riskiness of such activities. The central place in the article is devoted to the study of the food issue, the supply of uniforms and other problems of providing for the colonists. The organizational component of the process of evacuation and re-evacuation of children is characterized, changes in the material base of the colony are shown, problems in the implementation of educational work within the institution are identified. Particular attention is paid to the characteristics of the medical and sanitary services for the inmates of the Giev colony with the definition of the sanitary and hygienic conditions of life in the institution, the availability of personal hygiene items for the children, as well as their examination by doctors. It is shown in the article that the supply of food and clothing for the inmates of the colony almost completely fell on the shoulders of its employees, who had to independently attract additional funding, improve the material living conditions of children, and look for the necessary resources for the development of subsidiary farming and workshops.

Keywords

• child protection
• children’s colony
• life supporting system
• evacuation
• karelia