A staggering number of orphans have Downs Syndrome. Once inside the system, the orphans are separated by their ability to learn. In the best cases, children are able to learn at the normal educational level of their age group. They attend the neighborhood school along with the rest of the children in the community and are involved in extra-curricular activities like sports, ballet, art and singing. Unfortunately, society has forgotten many of these children, finding little use in spending money on their mental or physical development.
School supplies are always in short supply.
The concept of new toys is unknown to most of the children, and many toys that do exist are those that have been made in the orphanage itself. In these cases, the administration does its best to school the kids on premises, teaching the basics, but they always seemed resigned with the knowledge that society has little need or interest in their children. Some of the children are separated according to their physical conditions. Because the disease spreads easily in cramped quarters, children with TB are housed in separate institutions. The City Orphanage in Ulan-Ude in Central Siberia is home to 60 boys and girls, ages 4 to 17, all of whom suffer from TB or related diseases.