Russian tragedy

According to many sources, the main cause of death in Russia is alcoholism. The UN Development Program report projects that by 2025 alcohol will kill eleven million people in Russia. This disease is getting younger too. In the recent years many children under 14 years old were diagnosed with and treated for alcoholism.    In 2009 the Russian Ministry of Health conducted a poll which showed that 54, 6% of teenage boys and 72, 2% of teenage girls consume alcohol, and the average age when they start drinking is 14.  And… the cost of alcohol today is record cheap! In the 1970-ies an average monthly salary could pay for 35 bottles of vodka but today – 135! The kids we work with are high risk kids and that makes the programs in Ministry Center ever so much more important. In addition to learning life skills they learn sober way of spending free time and sober way of celebrating holidays and important events. We trust and pray that they won’t become part of this Russian tragedy.