Alexander Vasukovich

Resident of the psycho-neurological residential care facility for the elderly and disabled #3 is sleeping in his room. May 24, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Most of the people living in the orphanage were children, refused by their parents at birth. Most o

Nursing assistant is changing diaper of a resident of the resident care facility. May 24, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Nurse of the orphanage for disabled children with special psychophysical development is serving food for children. October 10, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

According to the norms, every child of this age is supposed to eat 700 grams of food for lunch. The

Nursing assistant feeds a resident of the psycho-neurological residential care facility for the elderly and disabled #3. June 12, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Not all residents of the orphanage are autonomous and independent, which means that not everyone

Nursing assistant Alexander washes the resident of the psycho-neurological residential care facility for the elderly and disabled #3. May 26, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

The work of a nurse with elderly people and people with disabilities is difficult an

Doctors are trying to figure out minimum quantity of calories that the child need to stay alive. They want to buy enteral nutrition to support his life, as regular food is not suitable fo this child. The money for the food are collected on crowdfund

Doctor of the orphanage for disabled children with special psychophysical development Alexey Momotov shows the patient Julia. Julia is 20 years old, but her weight is 11.5 kg. October 10, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

The doctor believes that the lack of w

Patient of the orphanage for disabled children with special psychophysical development Artem. Artem's weight is 17 kilograms. And there should be about 70 kilograms in his age. October 10, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Nurse communicates with one of the children that lives in the orphanage for disabled children with special psychophysical development. October 10, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Most of the time in the orphanage, the children are alone with themselves. At

Residents of the psycho-neurological residential care facility for the elderly and disabled #3 are leaving concert hall after the performance organized by volunteers. February 2, 2018, Minsk, Belarus.

Such events are almost the only opportunity to

Residents of the psycho-neurological residential care facility for the elderly and disabled #3 in his room. May 24, 2016, Minsk, Belarus.

Many of the residents lie all the time, which causes atrophy of all muscles. In the orphanage there is no reha

Children participate in the New Year's performance in Cherven orphanage for disabled children and young people with disabilities with psychophysical development. December 23, 2016, Cherven, Minsk region, Belarus.

In Belarus, orphanages are closed

To Grow, Live and Die like a Plant.

In Belarus, children born with cognitive mental disabilities illness and cerebral palsy are often abandoned by their families and placed in state psychiatric orphanages. They live a life of sorts, in a permanent state of institutional neglect. When they reach 18, they can be moved to adult residential facilities, here life continues much the same way, in isolation, with little stimulation, waiting out their lives until death. For the last two years I have documented the quality of life and care at three of these institutions. Nationwide two thousand children and twelve thousand adults are housed in forty-six facilities.  These are closed institutions with little accountability. Sometimes an employee, concerned over the lack of funding for necessary food and Staff, will speak out, but they risk dismissal.

Alexander Vasukovich

Alexander Vasukovich is a freelance photographer, based in Minsk, Belarus. Born in 1985 in Minsk. He began his career as a photojournalist in 2011. In 2012 he got Grand Prix of Belarus Press Photo contest, and first prize Belarus Press Photo - Multimedia contest the same year. In 2016 and 2017 he got PRAFOTA grand prix in documentary category for his project about domestic violence in Belarus and Ukrainian volunteer battalion. Alexander work mostly on topics of human right and social injustice.