Irish charity helps reunite orphans with grandmother

Irish charity, To Children With Love, has reunited two Russian orphans with their grandmother, 15 years after their adoption to America.

Masha and Nadya Pollard, 23 and 21, respectively, met grandmother Tatiana in Russia last week.

The charity, founded by Debbie Deegan in 1998, works with orphans and disadvantaged children, especially in Russia, to give them better opportunities.

Masha and Nadya were raised by their grandmother, until her weakened eyesight meant she was no longer able to care for them. They were placed in an orphanage and adopted together by an American family in 2001. They have not been back to Russia since.

The sisters found a photo of Debbie, with her name written on the back of it, in their memory box of home, and contacted her through Facebook several years ago.

Last week, Debbie, alongside volunteer and child psychotherapist Joanna Fortune, brought the sisters to Russia to be reunited with their grandmother.

“There is no distance in the heart, and the moment Tatianna opened her front door she held her girls like she would never let them go again. It was her dream come true and she said so many times. Tears flowed, smiles beamed, hands held tight, as a bridge was built to overcome the pain of distance, language, and loss. An incredible privilege to bear witness to a magical moment of true love,” Ms Fortune told the Irish Examiner.

“Two gorgeous, inside and out, Russian girls, who had spent their early childhood in Hortolova orphanage, before being adopted to America were making an incredible journey home,” she said.