Ksenia Les

The chosen family

I depict a story of the Russian family Morozovy from Kaliningrad who adopted 13 children (also brothers and sisters) starting from 2009 after their own children became grownups and left the house. The family receives 8000 rubles subsidy for a child per month (around 100 euros) and is allowed to live in a former kindergarten. The couple (Larisa and Sergey, former construction store chain manager and her employee), lives on the poverty line and thus experiences problems with educating the adopted children. Order and house rules are enforced by strong authoritative methods. Nevertheless, all children call Larisa and Sergey „mom“and „dad“ and enjoy a life without existential fears. Only a few families in Russia adopt children due to possible prejudices of society and the fear of raising traumatized children. Children who grow up in orphanages are often not given adequate psychological and physical care. Former orphans in Russia are often stereotyped as alcoholics, criminals or too stupid to work.